Elmira College (0-3) at Eastern University (1-6)
Saturday, March 12, 2016 | 12:00 & 2:00 P.M. | Eastern University Baseball Field – St. Davids, PA
 
Elmira College (0-3) at University of Valley Forge (0-2)
Sunday, March 13, 2016 | 2:00 P.M. | Phoenixville, PA
 
Live Coverage
 
Elmira, NY -- Coming off a two-week break following the team's spring training trip to Florida, the Elmira College baseball team is set for its first action above the Mason-Dixon Line this year when they make a trip to the Keystone State this weekend. The Soaring Eagles will open the action with a doubleheader at Eastern University on Saturday, March 12^th. EC concludes the trip the following day with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch against the University of Valley Forge.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira has been out of action since playing three games during their spring training trip to Winter Haven, FL, for the RussMatt Tournament. It was a tough start for the Soaring Eagles, getting outscored a combined 36-10 in losing all three contests. EC opened the trip with a 13-0 loss to Augustana College (IL); however, the game was much closer than it looked on the surface, as the Vikings scored 11 of their 13 runs in the final two innings of play. The Soaring Eagles woke the bats up in their next two contests; a 12-6 final against St. Mary's University (MN) and an 11-4 decision against Concordia College (MN).
 
Plante Picking Up Where He Left Off
Second-year player Bryce Plante '18 got off to a slow start offensively during his debut campaign last season; however, he was hot as wildfire during the final stretch of Elmira's 2015 campaign. The EC shortstop concluded 2015 on a six-game hitting streak, going 11-for-20 (.550) with six runs scored and seven runs-batted-in. The Liverpool, NY, native seems to have picked up right where he left off a season ago through the opening week of play in 2016. Plante reached base in six of his 10 plate appearances at the RussMatt Tournament in Florida, going 4-for-8 with a run scored and a run-batted-in. He will look to continue to swing a hot bat in the Soaring Eagles return to action this weekend.
 
Solid Start for Bawiec
Second-year righty Conor Bawiec '18 got off to a solid start on the bump in his first starting appearance of the season against Concordia College (MN). He fired 6.1 innings against the Cobbers, the deepest and EC starter went into a game during its trip to the Sunshine State, allowing three earned runs. Bawiec did not get off to a half bad start with the stick either, swatting two singles and a double in 10 plate appearances.
 
Rewiring the Relief Corps
One area that was a thorn in the side of Elmira during its Florida trip was the bullpen. Of the 36 runs that Elmira relinquished on the trip, 17 of them came against EC's relief pitching, with 14 of those going down as earned runs in 9.1 innings of work. Free passes were a major issue for the Soaring Eagles, as the bullpen alone issued 14 walks. Elmira will look to clean up their performance in this area in its return north.
 
Get Bellinger Going
One hitter that Elmira needs to get going offensively is Dylan Bellinger '18. The second-year first baseman unquestionably anchored the middle of the order for the Soaring Eagles last season, leading the team in rbi's (22), extra-base hits (13), and slugging percentage (.462). The Elmira, NY, native got off to slow start to 2016, going 0-for-11 with one rbi in 12 plate appearances down in Florida. Look for Bellinger to turn things around in the three-game set this coming weekend.
 
Scouting Eastern
Eastern enters Saturday's doubleheader with a 1-6-1 record on the year. The Eagles opened the year with a road swing taking them through North Carolina and Florida. Eastern dropped all three of its contests in the Tar Heel State, falling in both ends of a doubleheader against William Peace University and a single game at Methodist University. The team rebounded in its first game down in Fort Pierce, FL, taking an 8-6 decision against Immaculata University. However, the Eagles concluded the trip with three losses against Elizabethtown College, University of Northwestern (MN), and Hilbert College. In its most recent action, Eastern traveled to Chestertown, MD, for a midweek contest at Washington College, battling the Shoremen to an 8-8 tie through nine innings. Trailing 5-0 through four innings, the Eagles put up a six-spot in the top of the fifth to snag a lead they would later grow to 8-5. The Shoremen responded with three runs in the ninth before the game was suspended due to darkness. The offense has not been the issue for Eastern through the opening portion of the season, as the Eagles have batted .259 as a team and have averaged 5.37 runs per game. Andrew Boykin (.355 BA, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and Angelo Kelly (.353 BA, 2 2B, 8 R, 4 RBI) power the club offensively. The pitching has been the main culprit in Eastern's slow start. The Eagles have posted a 7.59 earned-run-average as a staff. Despite the staff's struggles as a whole, Josh Freed has been quite strong in three appearances, striking out eight and yielding just two unearned runs in 6.2 innings of work. Ian Roth has been lights-out in relief, relinquishing one hit and fanning four in five scoreless innings.
 
Scouting Valley Forge
The Patriots are off to a difficult start to the 2016 campaign, entering play on Friday with a 0-5 record. There have not been many positives to take from any of the five contests, as Valley Forge has allowed 115 runs in those five contests. The bats have been relatively dormant as well, as the Patriots have been shut out in four of the five contests, while they scratched out two runs in a lopsided loss to Penn College earlier this week. Waldo Odens Jr. was Valley Forge's key piece offensively in that game against the Wildcats, going 3-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira baseball returns to action next weekend with another three-game swing through the Keystone State. First, EC will take on Penn State-Abington in a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 19^th. The following day, the Soaring Eagles clash with Penn State-Harrisburg in a single game with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.