Georgia Southern’s message to New Jersey Tech Friday night was loud and clear — welcome to Division I baseball.
The Eagles (6-2) won their fifth straight in convincing fashion, hammering the visiting Highlanders for 27 hits in a 34-1 win at J.I. Clements Stadium.
GSU’s 34 runs were a new school record and the most scored by the Eagles since a 32-11 win over Samford in 1985. It was just the second time in school history the Eagles have scored at least 30.
Georgia Southern coach Rodney Hennon said the Eagles weren’t chasing records and didn’t get caught up in how many runs were on the board.
“In a game like that, it’s easy to lose focus and get sloppy, but the thing I was most proud of was our guys continued to play the game the right way,” he said. “We did a good job from a pitching standpoint, throwing strikes and making plays — that’s the thing I was most pleased with.”
Georgia Southern turned a 9-1 lead into a blowout with a 16-run fifth, highlighted by Chris Shehan’s first career grand slam and Mike Economos’ three-run bomb off the scoreboard in left. The Eagles sent 19 batters to the plate in the inning and racked up 14 hits, which tied for third most in NCAA history. GSU’s 16 RBI tied for fourth in NCAA history.
The Eagles’ offensive explosion capped a frustrating two days for the Highlanders, who arrived in Statesboro only a few hours before game time after their bus broke down during the 17-hour road trip. New Jersey Tech (0-1) was playing in its first baseball game as a Division I program.
Fifteen different Eagles recorded at least one hit, led by catcher Griffin Benedict (4-for-4, two RBI, three runs scored) and third baseman Shehan (4-for-6, six RBI, four runs scored). Benedict’s three doubles tied a school record, while Shehan’s six RBI marked a new career high and four runs scored tied a career best.
Matt Miller, A.J. Wirnsberger, Jeremiah Parker, Phillip Porter, Will Southwell and Kevin Bowles had two hits apiece. Bowles (2-for-3, three runs scored, one RBI) and Brett Maxwell (1-for-1, three runs scored) both recorded their first career base hits, while Southwell’s three RBI were a career high.
“It was good to get a lot of guys in the game and get them some at bats,” Hennon said. “These guys do a great job in practice, and we felt good about our depth. It was good to give them a chance to show what they can do.”
The Eagles also had a strong night on the bases, racking up eight steals. Jeremy Beckham swiped a career-high two bags, and Shehan tied his career high with a pair of stolen bases.
Sophomore Drew Murray (1-1) allowed one run and five hits over five innings for the win. Aaron Eubanks and Blake Nation both threw two scoreless innings of relief.
Freshman right hander Brian Wilkerson will take the mound for Georgia Southern in today’s 1:30 p.m. game.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
The Eagles (6-2) won their fifth straight in convincing fashion, hammering the visiting Highlanders for 27 hits in a 34-1 win at J.I. Clements Stadium.
GSU’s 34 runs were a new school record and the most scored by the Eagles since a 32-11 win over Samford in 1985. It was just the second time in school history the Eagles have scored at least 30.
Georgia Southern coach Rodney Hennon said the Eagles weren’t chasing records and didn’t get caught up in how many runs were on the board.
“In a game like that, it’s easy to lose focus and get sloppy, but the thing I was most proud of was our guys continued to play the game the right way,” he said. “We did a good job from a pitching standpoint, throwing strikes and making plays — that’s the thing I was most pleased with.”
Georgia Southern turned a 9-1 lead into a blowout with a 16-run fifth, highlighted by Chris Shehan’s first career grand slam and Mike Economos’ three-run bomb off the scoreboard in left. The Eagles sent 19 batters to the plate in the inning and racked up 14 hits, which tied for third most in NCAA history. GSU’s 16 RBI tied for fourth in NCAA history.
The Eagles’ offensive explosion capped a frustrating two days for the Highlanders, who arrived in Statesboro only a few hours before game time after their bus broke down during the 17-hour road trip. New Jersey Tech (0-1) was playing in its first baseball game as a Division I program.
Fifteen different Eagles recorded at least one hit, led by catcher Griffin Benedict (4-for-4, two RBI, three runs scored) and third baseman Shehan (4-for-6, six RBI, four runs scored). Benedict’s three doubles tied a school record, while Shehan’s six RBI marked a new career high and four runs scored tied a career best.
Matt Miller, A.J. Wirnsberger, Jeremiah Parker, Phillip Porter, Will Southwell and Kevin Bowles had two hits apiece. Bowles (2-for-3, three runs scored, one RBI) and Brett Maxwell (1-for-1, three runs scored) both recorded their first career base hits, while Southwell’s three RBI were a career high.
“It was good to get a lot of guys in the game and get them some at bats,” Hennon said. “These guys do a great job in practice, and we felt good about our depth. It was good to give them a chance to show what they can do.”
The Eagles also had a strong night on the bases, racking up eight steals. Jeremy Beckham swiped a career-high two bags, and Shehan tied his career high with a pair of stolen bases.
Sophomore Drew Murray (1-1) allowed one run and five hits over five innings for the win. Aaron Eubanks and Blake Nation both threw two scoreless innings of relief.
Freshman right hander Brian Wilkerson will take the mound for Georgia Southern in today’s 1:30 p.m. game.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
