Diamond Niner Report

The Niners have completed their non-conference weekends for this season and now will jump in to Conference USA play. Charlotte sits at 6-9 heading into a big stretch of games coming over the next few weeks. The Niners have a big in-state matchup with UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday and then conference play starts with a road trip to Ruston to take on LaTech.

The RPI data is starting to settle a little more this week with CLT sitting at 116. We use Warren Nolan as our source for RPI data and overall Conference USA is rated 16th with a record of 93-67.

Here is how Conference USA stands at the start of conference play, listed in order that CLT plays them:

Here are Charlotte’s Non-conference opponents and their results after 4 weekends:

We are now three weeks in to the 2023 season, and have one weekend remaining in the Non-Conference weekend schedule. The Niners sit at 5-7, with a 1-3 week last week. This week Charlotte will host UNC Wilmington at Atrium Health Ballpark on Wednesday night and then return to the Hayes for a series with former conference foe Old Dominion.

It is probably still too early to pay attention to RPI at this point but with three weekends of games, you can start to see things settling a little bit. We use Warren Nolan as our source for RPI data. Conference USA had some big wins this week: LaTech beat #4 Ole Miss, FAU beat #22 Miami, & Rice beat #24 Texas Tech. Overall Conference USA is 66-52.

Here is how Conference USA stands after 3 weekends, listed in order that CLT plays them:

Here are Charlotte’s Non-conference opponents and their results after 3 weekends:

We are now two weeks in to the 2023 season, and halfway through the Non-Conference weekend schedule. The Niners sit at 4-4, with three losses by only 1-run. This week Charlotte will host UNC Asheville and then travel to #11 Virginia Tech for their first road series of the season.

It is probably still too early to pay attention to RPI at this point but we have added that column this week. We use Warren Nolan as our source for RPI data. A few things stand out at this point to us. DBU, FAU, and WKU are off to good starts for the conference. Rice is off to its traditional slow start. Overall Conference USA is 48-27.

Here is how Conference USA stands after 2 weekends, listed in order that CLT plays them:

Here are Charlotte’s Non-conference opponents and their results after 2 weekends:

National Rankings:

• D1 Baseball: 9. ECU; 11. Virginia Tech; 13. UNC; 23. USC
• Baseball America: 13. Virginia Tech; 20. ECU; 22. UNC
• USA Today Coaches Poll: 9. ECU; 11. Virginia Tech; 21. UNC; 23. USC; ORV- DBU, ODU

We are back tracking the Niners and their opponents this season. It is a little too early to look at the RPI this season, so we’ve included the final RPI from last season. Conference USA went 20-12 in Week 1. Charlotte will travel to Clemson on Tuesday and return home to face Army this weekend.

A couple of notes for the week:

• Infielder Austin Knight was named C-USA Hitter of the Week. He batted .467 with an OPS of 1.326, 2 Doubles, a HR, and 8 RBI.
• Charlotte drew 50 Walks in Opening Weekend and currently lead the nation. Kaden Hopson leads the country with 9. The Niners broke a school record for walks last season with 371.

Here are the results from Conference USA in Week 1 (listed in the order that CLT plays them):

Here are the results from the Non conference opponents, listed in the order CLT plays them:

Ranked Teams of interest:

D1 Baseball– 11. ECU; 12. UNC; 14. VT; 23. SC

Baseball America– 14. VT; 16. UNC; 24. ECU

USA Today Coaches– 12. UNC; 13. ECU; 16. VT; RV. SC; Clemson; Rice; Dallas Baptist; CHARLOTTE; LaTech; Coastal Carolina

Overall, the Charlotte 49ers pitching staff had a pretty good season in 2022.  The staff was 4^th in Conference USA in ERA (4.88) and had the 3^rd most strikeouts in the conference (532). There was a rough patch midway through the season that the staff battled through, but finished the season strong. The Niners had a veteran staff last season led by guys like Matt Brooks, Colby Bruce, Will Lancaster, Micheal Oh, Quinton Martinez and Jackson Boss. All of these guys were lost to graduation in the spring and the MLB Draft called upon lefty Spencer Giesting this summer. Overall, roughly 284 IP from last years staff is gone which amounts to close to 55%. The coaching staff stepped up to the challenge of replacing these innings through the recruiting class they have brought to campus. The pitching staff returning also looks to step in and fill many of those innings from last season.

Leading the returning pitchers, the 49ers have a trio of guys who saw the mound in a starting role last season in Collin Kramer, Hale Sims, and Cam Hansen. Lefty Collin Kramer saw 7 starts last season and made 18 appearances in relief finishing at 4-2 with a 4.07 ERA and 52 Ks.  That was good enough to earn Kramer a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Kramer will compete for a spot in the weekend rotation this season.

Senior RHP Hale Sims started 10 games last season and has made 30 mound appearances in his two seasons at Charlotte. He pitched to a 3-1 record with a 4.66 ERA and 51 Ks last season.  He also earned C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of May 9^th last season. He made several starts last season as the ‘opener’ but many outings, extended his appearance longer than as expected for an opener. Sims has also been competing for a starting rotation spot in the pre-season scrimmages. 

The third returning pitcher with starting experience for the Niners is RHP Cam Hansen. Half of his 12 appearances were in a starting role in 2022. Over the season, Hansen had a 5.08 ERA with a 3-2 record. He earned C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors in March last season. We saw Hansen several times this pre-season and he is certainly in the mix to be a rotation guy.

There are several returning pitchers that the Niners relied on out of the pen last season on multiple occasions. RHP Tony Rossi led the 49ers with 28 appearances out of the pen last season. He was 5-1 in those appearances with a WHIP of 1.27. Lefty AJ Wilson was the next most used reliever last season with 26 appearances. He was 3-0 with 2 Saves last season. Look for both Rossi and Wilson to be called upon in high leverage situations this season.

Another high leverage reliever that we didn’t get to see a lot of last season due to injury is RHP Evan Michelson. Michelson could be one of the back end options for the Niners, consistently throwing in the mid-90’s. He made 6 appearances last season and was 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA.

Another pitcher that is returning is RHP Paxton Thompson. He only made one start last season and 7 relief appearances but after a successful summer in Forest City, he has been competing this pre-season for a bigger role. He has also been working on a promising career as a first base umpire during recent scrimmages.

Other returning pitchers that look to have increased roles this season are RHP Anthony Casciola (8 app, 5.11 ERA) & LHP Matt Little (4 app, 11.57 ERA). Casciola had a big summer with the LKN Copperheads making All-SCBL & Little did big things in the CPL for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms this summer.

There were some big arms missing from last year’s staff due to injury.  LHP Christian Lothes missed last season after a big freshman season in 2021. He was named a Freshman All-American, 1^st Team All Conference USA, and all-Freshman Team in C-USA. We are not sure what type of role C-Lo will take on in 2023 but it will be nice to have him back.  If we were to guess, he will likely start out as a back end of the bullpen guy.

Another pitcher that missed last season due to injury is RHP Breven Yarbro. He was throwing mid 90’s earlier this spring and we are looking forward to seeing him make his first 49er appearance this season.

The Charlotte baseball staff knew that they had to replace over half of the innings pitched last season, so they jumped heavy into the transfer portal and the JUCO ranks to help fill the void. One of the headliners that signed with the Niners over the summer was RHP Donye Evans. Evans, who stands 6’6” and his hands went viral recently, transferred to Charlotte after spending two seasons at Vanderbilt. At Vanderbilt, Evans made 22 relief appearances over his two seasons striking out 19 over 18.2 IP. He also impressed with his performance in the Cape Cod League this summer for the Orleans Firebirds.  Look for Donye to be a key piece of the weekend rotation this season for the Niners.

Evans’s teammate at Vanderbilt, RHP Miles Langhorne, also chose to make the trip to Charlotte to further his career. Langhorne spent a redshirt year at Vanderbilt recovering from surgery and did not see any playing time. He is listed as the #2 MLB Draft Prospect out of C-USA in the 2024 class by D1 Baseball and we have seen him impress during a recent scrimmage.  It has been reported that his velo was up to 97 this spring. Look for him to be a significant contributor on the mound in 2023.

Another SEC transfer decided to take his talents to the Queen City in Kentucky RHP Wyatt Hudepohl.  Hudepohl appeared in 38 games including 2 starts in his two seasons at Kentucky.  He posted a 1-2 record with a 6.52 ERA in 48.1 IP over his career there. He also pitched I the Cape Cod League this summer for the Wareham Gatemen. Hudepohl was throwing mid-90s this spring. Look for him to be a key piece of the weekend rotation this year for Charlotte.

The Niners also picked up a transfer from former Conference USA rival Southern Miss in the portal with RHP Aubrey Gillentine. He made 24 relief appearances over his three seasons in Hattiesburg, striking out 22 over 29.2 IP. Look for Gillentine to contribute out of the bullpen on this year’s staff.

The Niners also added two veteran lefties out of the portal in Clark Dearman from Presbyterian and Sam Conte from Trinity University. Dearman comes to Charlotte after making 40 appearances (4 starts) in 3 seasons with the Blue Hose. Last season, he was named Big South Reliever of the Week twice and posted a 1-1 record with 4 Saves. Conte also brings a good bit of experience to the 49ers pitching staff after making 17 starts and 12 relief appearances over three seasons at Trinity University. Look to both of these guys to be key pieces to this pitching staff from the left side. We could see either one of them starting games this season.

Charlotte dipped into the Sunshine state pipeline to bring in three big arms from Florida JUCOs. RHP Nick Cosentino (State College of Florida), RHP Joel Sarver (NW Florida State College), and LHP Andrew Spolyar (Seminole State College) join the list of key players who have made a stop in Florida before coming the Charlotte (Tony Rossi, Evan Michelson, Aaron McKeithan, Austin Knight).

Cosentino struck out 83 in his 68 IP over two seasons at the State College of Florida. Sarver started 11 games last season for NW Florida State and went 5-4, with a 4.06 ERA and 72 Ks. Spolyar made 12 starts last season for Seminole State College and went 3-5 with a 6.43 ERA. These guys should see action out the bullpen this season for Charlotte.

The only freshman pitcher on the roster in 2023 is two-way player OF/ RHP Calvert Clark out of Charlotte Christian.  Clark could be a contributor in many ways to the 2023 49ers team.  He participated in the MLB Draft Combine this summer out in San Diego before deciding to come play college baseball.

Without respect to the order, we believe that Niner fans can expect to see following starters in this weekend’s 4-game series:

• Donye Evans
• Wyatt Hudepohl
• Collin Kramer
• Miles Langhorne

OK folks, that enough speculation. Let’s play ball! See you at The Hayes!

The Niners had a prolific offense in the 2022 season, putting up 489 Runs, which was the 3^rd most scored in 49er history. Three big contributors from last year, Nate Furman, David McCabe, and Josh Madole have departed, but Charlotte essentially returns 7 starters from last season. With so much talent returning and the bats added to the roster, the 49ers’ offense looks to again put up big numbers on the scoreboard.

Four of the starters returning spent time in the outfield in 2022.  Blake Jackson started the season out in LF but was lost for the season after an injury in the opening C-USA series against WKU. Jackson was batting .245 with 14 RBI in 17 Games before his injury.  Look for him to see plenty of time in LF this season. He also is solid defensively and has the speed to move over to play CF if needed. Jackson may be asked to step into the leadoff spot in the lineup this season.

After the injury to Blake Jackson last year, the Niners eventually called on Will Butcher to take over the starting spot in LF. Butcher spent the early part of the season as the 49ers DH. The slugger put up 11 HR and drove in 53 runs last season. Four of those 11 HR were grand slams, which led the team. Butcher had a great fall and it seemed like he was leaving the yard every time we watched the Niners scrimmage. Look for Butch to provide a power bat in the middle of the 49ers lineup, and bring the versatility to help the Niners in LF, at 1B, or in the DH spot this spring.

One of the top pro prospects on the 49ers’ roster this season will be native Charlottean, centerfielder Jake Cunningham. A graduate of Ardrey Kell HS, Jake is considered a 5-tool player by many and was predicted by Perfect Game to be named C-USA Player of the Year in 2023. Jake is already on many MLB Draft board radars and will only move up with a good season for Charlotte. Last season, he finished 2^nd on the team in HR (16) & 2^nd on the team in Stolen Bases (16), while driving in 52 Runs and scoring 51. Cunningham has great range in CF and only committed one error in 153 chances last season. Look for Jake to be in the middle of the 49er line-up or even step into the leadoff spot if needed. Jake has been working his way back from a minor injury so fans may not see him in action this weekend. He has, however, been taking BP and doing some on-field work, so it won’t be long.

Returning in RF is lefty slugger Cam Fisher. Fisher led the 49ers in HR (18), Doubles (17), & Total Bases (139) in his first season at Charlotte. He also showed plate discipline, finishing 2^nd in Walks (45) behind leader Nate Furman. His 18 HR last season tied him for 4^th most by a 49er in a season. Fisher’s numbers in 2022 were good enough to earn him some accolades including CUSA All-Freshman Team, CUSA All-Conference 2^nd Team, & Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors.  Look for Fisher to be sitting in the middle of the 49ers order this season driving in runs.

In the infield, the Niners return two high caliber players in 2021 All-American Austin Knight and 2022 1^st Team All CUSA player Jack Dragum. This will be the third season that these two have locked down the infield together for the 49ers.

Austin Knight was named Player of the Year for CUSA in 2021, and became just the 10^th 49er to be named an All-American.  Last season he battled through some injuries and saw a slight dip in production. He’s a .300 hitter over his 2 seasons as a 49er and has hit 19 HR and drove in 97 runs. Defensively, Knight is very solid and also adds versatility, playing 3B, SS and 2B during his 49er career.  Look for him to start the season at 2B.

Jack Dragum had his best offensive season for the 49ers last season, batting .352 with 11 HR & 54 RBI. He capped the season off by batting .538 with 3 HR in the Conference USA Tournament. Dragum has also shown versatility in the field by splitting time last season between SS & 3B. He also jumped on the mound for one appearance picking up a K and ending the season with a 0.00 ERA. Look for Jack to slide back over to the SS position this season and continue to be a consistent bat in the middle of the 49ers line-up. The Niners will be very solid up the middle with Knight, Dragum, and Cunningham behind them in CF.

Speaking of up the middle, it all starts behind the plate.  Another returning starter to the 49ers line-up is catcher Kaden Hopson. Hopson was solid behind the plate for the Niners last season, starting 50 games at catcher. He had only 6 passed balls and only 2 errors in 487 chances last season as the 49ers primary catcher. Offensively, Hopson seemed to always get the clutch hit when needed in 2021. The walk-off against WKU comes to mind. Overall Hopson batted .239 with 5 HR, and 33 RBI in his 1^st season on the east coast. Look for him to see plenty of time behind the dish in 2023.

Two sophomore catchers also return to provide depth behind the plate for the Niners. Drew Tyndall and Huck Wathan both saw time in the line-up as freshman last season and look to build on that in year two. The switch hitting Tyndall saw action in 14 games last season, mostly at DH. Wathan played in 15 games between C & DH.  Both have added some versatility and have been playing multiple positions in the field this past fall and spring.

Other returning 49ers are sophomores, infielder JD Suarez and utility man Dante DeFranco.  Suarez saw action last season as a Freshman starting in 5 games mainly at 2B.  He is versatile and has seen some action at 3B, SS, & 2B over the fall and spring practices. Defranco can also play almost anywhere on the field, spending time this fall and spring at CF, SS, 2B, & 3B in scrimmages we’ve seen.

Over the offseason, the 49ers have added several big bats to the line-up in recruiting through the JUCO and high school route.  One of the big bats that the staff is high on is Brandon Stahlman. Stahlman who comes to Charlotte from State Fair CC, was rated among Top 50 Impact JUCO Transfers in the nation by D1 Baseball. The lefty bat has been working at both corner infield positions over the Fall/Spring and we expect him to be in the mix to start at one of those positions this season for the 49ers and bat in the middle of the order.

Another big JUCO bat added to the 49ers roster is Eli Wiesner from Louisburg College. The RHH has also been working at the corner infield positions as well as 2B during pre-season workouts. Weisner was a NJCAA All-American last season batting .419 with 12 HR & 27 SB. Look for him to see time in the line-up either at one of the corner infield spots or at DH this season.

Another JUCO transfer that is in the mix at the corner infield spots is lefty bat Josh Patrick. Patrick was 1^st Team All-Region last year at Crowder College. In addition to playing the corner infield positions, Patrick has also seen time in the outfield in pre-season workouts. He should challenge for ABs this season at the corners, in the outfield or at the DH spot.

In the transfer portal, the Niners picked up Danny Helfgott from Lackawanna College. Helfgott also spent time at NJIT where was a contributor on their NCAA Regional team in 2021. He has been working as a middle infielder and in the outfield some at some of the scrimmages we’ve observed.

And last, but certainly not least, Charlotte has added two very talented freshman to the roster this season in Calver Clark and Spencer Nolan.  Calvert Clark comes to the Niners from nearby baseball powerhouse, Charlotte Christian where he pitched and played OF.  He will continue as a two-way player for the Niners as we’ve seen him working on the mound and in center field in scrimmages this pre-season.

Spencer Nolan comes to Charlotte from Hoggard HS in Wilmington, NC. He is a promising RH bat that we have seen all over the field in pre-season workouts. He’s played all four infield positions and lately we’ve seen him mostly working at 1B and LF.  He’s in the mix to see time at either one of those spots this season for the Niners.

And that leads to our annual tradition of our Opening Day line-up prediction the week leading up to the season. We’ve been on the money before and we’ve been completely off too.  So here’s how we think the Niners will take the field on Friday.

• C – Kaden Hopson
• 1B – Eli Weisner
• 2B – Austin Knight
• 3B – Brandon Stahlman
• SS – Jack Dragum
• LF – Spencer Nolan
• CF – Blake Jackson
• RF – Cam Fisher
• DH – Will Butcher

Coming tomorrow – Part 2: The Pitching Staff

Fall baseball practice is in full swing and the Niners jumped into it head first by hosting an exhibition against FloDar Tech on Saturday at the Hayes. Charlotte opened up the first day of team practice Friday with a Green/Gold scrimmage before inviting the Stingers in for 13 innings on Saturday. It was a chance for many fans to get their first look at what the 2023 version of Charlotte Baseball will look like. The team has plenty of returning vets and Saturday we saw some of the new pieces put the ‘nine across the chest’ for the first time at the Hayes.

Overall the Niners threw nine pitchers and used 19 position players in a 15-10, 13 inning exhibition victory over FloDar. Eight of the pitchers were new arms to the program, with Cam Hansen being the only returning player to throw. The starter for Charlotte was Vanderbilt transfer Donye Evans who threw 2 scoreless innings to start.

The starting lineup listed below, put up 10 runs in the 7 innings they were in, led by Will Butcher. Butch had two ‘Butch Bombs’ on the day including a grand slam and 7 RBI. Kaden Hopson added a towering solo shot in a 5-run 6th inning for the Niners to give Charlotte a 10-1 lead.

FloDar chipped away at the lead in the later innings and eventually tied the game at 10 in the 11th inning. 49er newcomer Josh Patrick then put Charlotte ahead for good with a 2-run triple in the 12th, and freshman Spencer Nolan added an exclamation point with a 2-run HR in the 13th.

To be this early in the fall, the 49ers defense played a pretty clean game in the field. Several great plays were made, and many tough plays were made to look routine by the 49ers in the field.

If you were unable to make it out to the Hayes, you can check out the broadcast on our YouTube channel (Link). All 13 innings are there and we even had some special guests join us in former MLB manager/ Charlotte native Grady Little, and former 49er pitcher Matt Brooks. It was certainly nice hearing from them. The Niners will host Walters State in another fall exhibition at the Hayes on October 1 and we will be there to cover it.

Here are some stat lines from the game:

The Niners are set to compete for a Tournament Title this week starting on Wednesday in the Conference USA Tournament.  Here is a breakdown of the tourney from a 49ers perspective.

HISTORY

In program history, the 49ers have raised the trophy at the end of the Metro Tournament (1993) and the Atlantic 10 Tournament (2007, 2008, 2011), but have never raised the Conference USA Tournament Trophy.  In the original Conference USA (1996-2005) the 49ers advanced to the Championship game in 1997 & 1998 but fell to Houston and Tulane respectively. Since rejoining Conference USA in 2014, the 49ers advanced to the semi-finals in both 2017 & 2018, losing both times to host school Southern Miss in Biloxi.  Overall, the Niners have a 14-16 record all time in the C-USA Tournament. In all conference tournaments over the years, the 49ers have an overall record of 43-49.

THE HOST

The 2022 Conference USA Tournament will once again be hosted by Southern Miss, but this year it will be held on campus at Pete Taylor Park. This will mark the 7^th and final time that the C-USA Tournament has been played at Pete Taylor Park which holds 4,300 fans.  The stadium opened in 1985 and has undergone several renovations over time including adding an artificial playing surface before the 2020 season. The dimensions of the park are 340’ down both lines and 400’ to center field.

THE FORMAT

The Conference USA Tournament is a double elimination tournament with two 4-team brackets.  Only the top 8 teams in the conference qualify for the tournament meaning that Marshall, FIU, WKU, and Rice will not be participating.  The winners of each bracket will face off in the Championship Game on Sunday at 1 pm CT. All games will be televised on ESPN+ and the Championship Game will be on CBS Sports Network.

Link to Conference USA Championship Central

THE TEAMS

The 49ers earned the 7 seed and will face 2^nd seeded LaTech in their first game on Wednesday.  In the other game of their bracket 3 seeded ODU will face MTSU. That will be first game of the tournament starting at 10 am ET.

The other bracket has 1 seed USM vs 8 seed UAB, & 4^th seeded FAU vs 5^th seeded UTSA.

Bracket 1:

#1 Southern Miss 41-14 (23-7) vs #8 UAB 30-23 (13-17)

#4 Florida Atlantic  34-21 (19-11)  vs #5 UTSA 35-19 (19-11)

Bracket 2:

#2 Louisiana Tech 38-18 (20-10) vs #7 Charlotte 35-20 (17-13)

#3 Old Dominion 38-15 (19-11) vs #6 Middle Tennessee State 29-24 (17-13)

Here’s a look at how the teams in the field performed against the tourney field this year. Looks like things were very even within the two brackets this season.

SERIES RECAPS FOR THE 49ER’S BRACKET

#2 LaTech –  Charlotte will face LaTech in following the ODU-MTSU game to open the tourney.  The Niners and the Bulldogs are very familiar with each other as they just completed a 3 game series at the Hayes this past week. 

Here’s a recap of the series: The 49ers took game 1 of the series 11-3 before falling in the final 2 games 8-3 & 14-5.  Hale Sims opened, Matt Brooks closed, and Spencer Giesting threw 7 solid innings in between to win game 1 of the series for the Niners. Josh Madole had a double and 3 RBI to go with Cam Fisher’s double, HR and 3 RBI providing the offense in the victory.

A combination of LaTech’s Ryan Jennings and Kyle Crigger held the Niners bats to only 1 ER in Game 2 of the series as the Bulldogs evened the series up. Collin Kramer allowed only 2 Runs through 5 but got into some trouble in the 6^th allowing 3. That turned out to be the difference in the game.

In the final game of the series LaTech jumped out to a big lead in the 1^st 3 innings that was just too much to overcome. David McCabe had 2 HR and 4 RBI in the effort. The game was called early due to weather after 7 innings.

During the series LaTech went with LHP Cade Gibson, RHP Ryan Jennings, & RHP Jarret Whorff as their starters. Charlotte went with Hale Sims, Collin Kramer , and Will Lancaster.

Charlotte will face either ODU or MTSU in the second game of the tournament either in the winner’s bracket game at 12:30 CT or in the loser’s bracket at 9:00 AM CT on Thursday.

#3 ODU– Charlotte went on the road and won 2 of 3 from the Monarchs early in the conference season. Here’s a series recap:  David McCabe started the series off with a solo shot in the 1^st, leading to a 5 run inning for the Niners. That would be all that they would need as Giesting & AJ Wilson were strong on the mound allowing only 4 ER in the wind tunnel of Norfolk. Knight had 4 hits; Butcher, Dragum, Fisher, & Hopson each drove in 2 as the Niners win 11-4.

In game 2 Will Lancaster pitched 7.1 strong innings in the wind tunnel only allowing 5 ER.  Kramer and Colby Bruce finished off the rest of the game as the 49er offense put up 13 runs in a 13-8 series clinching victory.  Cam Fisher had a Double, HR and 3 RBI, Jake Cunningham drove in 4 with a double and a HR. Butcher drove in 3 and Nate Furman, Austin Knight, & Jake Cunningham all scored 3 runs each in the victory.

It took extra innings in game 3 for the Monarchs to avoid the sweep. The Monarchs jumped out to a 9-2 lead before the 49ers bounced back with a 10 run 5^th inning. Josh Madole homered twice in the inning and Cunningham also left the yard again to lead the comeback. The Niners weren’t able to score after the big inning and ODU was able to scratch across an unearned run to tie it in the 8^th and then won the game on a HR in the 10^th. Quinton Martinez closed the game out with a strong 5 innings only allowing the HR as earned and struck out 5 in the effort.

ODU starters in the series were LHP Tommy Gertner, RHP Nick Pantos, & RHP Sam Armstrong.  The Niners went with Giesting, Lancaster, & Cam Hansen.

#6 MTSU – The Niners travelled to Middle Tennessee over Easter weekend and took on the Blue Raiders. MTSU ended up taking the series 2 games to 1.  Here is the series summary:  In a low scoring game 1 of the series, Jake Cunningham drove in Austin Knight with a triple in the 9^th to tie the game and send it to extras. Unfortunately the Raiders were able to walk it off with an RBI single in the 11^th. by a score of 4-3. Will Lancaster had a solid outing going 7.1 IP, allowing only 3 ER & Colby Bruce ended the game with 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 K.

The Niners evened the series with a 10-5 victory after a strong outing from Hale Sims. Sims struck out 8 allowed only 1 ER on 7 Hits over 5.1 IP. Cam Fisher and Kaden Hopson each drove in 2 and Josh Madole drove in 3 in the victory.

In the rubber game, the Niners jumped out to an early lead with homers from Jack Dragum, Josh Madole, and Will Butcher, but were unable to close it out as they were victims of a 9 run 6th inning from the Blue Raiders. Dragum ended up with 2 HR on the day in the effort.  The Niners lost the series despite outscoring the Blue Raiders 20-19 over the weekend.

MTSU went with RHP Zach Keenan, RHP Eriq Swan, & LHP Peyton Wiggington on the mound.  Charlotte went with Lancaster, Sims, & Kramer.

The Niners would only face 1 of the other 4 teams in the championship game should they make it.

Charlotte was swept at home by Southern Miss by scores of 2-1, 8-2, 6-5 (13 Innings). USM went with Tanner Hall, Hunter Riggins, & Hurston Waldrep against CLT’s Bruce, Lancaster, & Kramer on the mound.

The Niners swept UAB at home by scores of 6-3, 8-1, & 3-2. UAB went with Jackson Reynolds, Tyler O’Clair, & Brooks Walton vs CLT’s Sims, Lancaster, & Kramer.

Charlotte took 2 of 3 At FAU with an opening win of 10-3, a marathon 15 inning loss 10-9, and a run rule win 14-4. FAU threw Hunter Cooley, Max Martzolf, & Tyler Burnham vs CLT’s Sims, Lancaster, & Lancaster. Yes he started 2 games in a row over a crazy weekend.

UTSA swept the 49ers this season down in San Antonio 13-3, 8-7, & 8-5 (7 Inn). USTA threw Luke Malone, Ryan Beaird, & Braden Davis vs CLT’s Giesting, Lancaster, & Brooks.

We are back with the final regular season edition of Niner Nuggets. This is a slightly abbreviated version as we are about to hit the road to Columbia to watch the Niners. All the charts have been updated.

Charlotte jumped 10 spots in the RPI to 75 after a 2-1 week last week, and are tied for 5th in C-USA with 3 games left to play.

Conference USA

We are in the final week of the regular season and all 8 spots have been clinched for the C-USA Tournament. UAB has locked down the 8 seed, but everything else is up for grabs. Charlotte can finish as high as the 2 seed and as low as the 7th seed. Below is a chart showing the current standings, the remaining schedules, and tie breakers.

A look at Week 13 overall results and what’s ahead in Week 14 for Conference USA, sorted by RPI. Overall Conference USA stayed at 5th in RPI. All 8 tournament teams are in the Top 100 RPI. Bold denotes teams that come to the Hayes. Charlotte does not play FIU this season.

Out of Conference Opponents

A look at the teams on the 49ers’ schedule, sorted in order that they have played the Niners. The Niners will play their final OOC game today at South Carolina.

Charlotte is 17-7 out of conference and has beaten 3 current conference leaders (UConn, Campbell, & College of Charleston).

We are back with the Week 13 edition of Niner Nuggets. They are out a little later than normal with no mid-week game this week. Charlotte had the week off for exams and will travel to Boca Raton to face FAU this weekend. Currently Charlotte is riding a 9 game C-USA win streak including weekend sweeps of UAB, Marshall, and Rice.

Charlotte fell 5 spots in the RPI to 85 after a 3-1 week last week, and are tied for 5th in C-USA with 2 weeks left to play.

Rankings (Teams of interest in the national rankings)

• Baseball America: 7 Louisville, 17 Southern Miss, 18 UConn
• D1 Baseball: 7 Louisville, 13 UConn, 14 Southern Miss
• USA Today Coaches Poll: 11 Southern Miss, 10 UConn, 8 Louisville, RV Old Dominion, RV Coastal Carolina

Conference USA

There are 2 weeks remaining in the season and only USM & UTSA have clinched spots in the tournament. The Top 8 teams qualify for the C-USA tournament and no one has been eliminated yet. There are still 7 teams in the running to win the regular season title. Below is a chart showing the current standings, the remaining schedules, and tie breakers.

A look at Week 12 overall results and what’s ahead in Week 13 for Conference USA, sorted by RPI. Overall Conference USA stayed at 6th in RPI. Bold denotes teams that come to the Hayes. Charlotte does not play FIU this season.

Out of Conference Opponents

A look at the teams on the 49ers’ schedule, sorted in order that they have played the Niners. The only remaining non- conference game left on the schedule is a road trip to South Carolina next Tuesday.

Charlotte is 17-7 out of conference and has beaten 3 current conference leaders (UConn, Campbell, & College of Charleston).