Last Wednesday was the biggest day of the season for Paladins baseball so far this year. After a 6-5 comeback victory over nationwide eleventh ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, the players stuck around Fluor Field to shave their heads in support of the Versus Cancer Foundation.
This year the team surpassed their 2012 total of nearly $12,500, by raising over $18,000 this season. According to the American Cancer Society, there are 36 children diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States, and it is the disease that causes more childhood deaths than any other.
If you want to help, you can visit the Versus Cancer Foundation website and make a donation anonymously, under your name or under the Furman Baseball team page.
Of the 42 college baseball teams participating in this fundraiser across the nation, no team has raised more money this year than the Paladins.
While the team has been doing big things off the field lately, the on-field performance has been less consistent. After last week’s huge victory over the Gamecocks, a solid team effort with a win from closer Ben Carlson (3-1) and game winning pinch-hit RBI from freshman Griffin Davis, the team dropped two out of three in a home conference series against Western Carolina. After a big 9-2 win on Friday, Western Carolina pulled off late inning heroics in back-to-back games to down the Paladins and take the series.
The team maintains an 18-13 record, but is only 6-9 in SoCon games, which is only good enough for eighth place, the final spot eligible for postseason play.
The team now begins a 9-game road trip with a visit to Winthrop this week before battling the Wofford Terriers in Spartanburg. The road trip will continue with a mid-week game at Clemson before another road conference series against the College of Charleston.
Highlights of the weekend include Chris Ohmstede’s first inning grand slam to begin the series against WCU, his team-leading 8th homer of the year. Senior ace Nate Mitchell (4-1) got the win in that game, and sports an impressive 2.75 ERA with 58 strikeouts in only 55 2/3 innings pitched. Alex Abrams (.346), Taylor Johnson (.333) and Hunter Burton (.301) have the highest averages on the team, while the team as a whole is hitting a very solid .286. The Paladins need to secure some wins on the road over the next two weeks to solidify their place in the conference standings.
