Towson Baseball Back to CAA Play on the Road at Charleston
The Games: Towson (7-16, 1-5 CAA) @ Charleston (13-7, 4-2 CAA)
When: Friday, March 24 – 6 p.m. | Saturday, March 25 – 2 p.m. | Sunday, March 26 – 1 p.m.
Where: The Baseball Stadium at Patriots Point | Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Series: Charleston leads the series 21-5
The Tigers will wrap up their current five-game road trip with a three game Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) series with the College of Charleston in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Schedule:
March 24 - @ Charleston, 6 p.m.
March 25 - @ Charleston, 2 p.m.
March 26 - @ Charleston, 1 p.m.
Towson is 5-21 all-time against the Cougars, winning the last series in Towson 2-1 from May 19-22 of last year. The Tigers won the last game of the series 3-2 in the ninth inning on back-to-back solo home runs.
Following the trip, Towson returns home for a seven game homestand to face four teams, including Elon in a three-game CAA series, Coppin State, UMBC, George Mason and George Washington.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Charleston enters this weekend series at 13-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Cougars have series wins over Stony Brook and William & Mary in CAA play, along with a win at then #14 Virginia Tech to open the season. RHP William Privette earned preseason All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, Perfect Game and the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
LAST TIME: TOWSON BEATS RICHMOND AT PITT FIELD
The Tigers defeated Richmond 12-6 Wednesday afternoon at Pitt Field.
Top Towson Batters:
--#30
Reyce Curnane: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
--#12
Elijah Dickerson: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, 1 2B
Top Towson Pitcher:
--#47
Luis Rivera: W, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 K
HECKELMAN TABBED CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Following an 8-for-16 week at the plate including two homers, four runs scored and eight RBI, Heckelman was tabbed the CAA Co-Rookie of the Week on 3/13. He picked up three multi-hit games in the week.
DICKERSON PICKS UP PRESEASON HONORS
Outfielder
Elijah Dickerson was selected as a Preseason Honorable Mention All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) by the league's head coaches. Dickerson was named an Honorable Mention All-CAA at the end of last season after batting .262 with 27 runs, 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Dickerson was also named to the 2023 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, an award based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
The 2023 roster highlights 16 newcomers: eight freshmen and eight transfers. Among notable transfers include power-hitting catcher from Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester,
John Cristino;
Jeremy Wagner, son of longtime MLB pitcher Billy Wagner; First Team All-MEC utility player Jack Lawrence; and Kansas transfer
Reyce Curnane.
EARNING STRIPES
New pitching coach
Mike Ruppenthal joins the Towson staff ahead of the 2023 campaign after serving in the same role with Tyler Junior College. Tyler won the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DIII National Championship and Ruppenthal was subsequently named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NJCAA DIII Assistant Coach of the Year.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
The 2023 roster features 14 players that hail from Maryland, including eight returners and six newcomers. Among the six newcomers, three are transfers and three are freshmen.
TIGERS IN THE PROS
Former Towson player, Richie Palacios, a third-round pick by Cleveland in 2018, made his Major League debut with the Guardians in 2022. He went 2-for-3 in his first game in the Show and finished the year batting .232 with seven runs, two doubles and 10 RBI. He did most of his damage as a pinch-hitter, where he hit .263 in 22 plate appearances with six RBI and three doubles. Palacios is currently listed on the Guardians' 2023 40-man roster and was selected to play for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Brady Policelli, a 13th-round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2016, was a spring training invite in 2019, 2020 and 2021 having spent six years in the minors. Gavin Weyman has pitched in independent league ball the past four years, throwing for the High Point Rockers and the Charleston Dirty Birds in the Atlantic League in 2022.
CAA NEWCOMERS
The CAA welcomes three new opponents in the 2023 season in Stony Brook, Monmouth and North Carolina A&T. Stony Brook enters as the sixth ranked team in the preseason among CAA coaches and three Seawolves were named to the 2023 Preseason All- CAA team. Newcomers Monmouth and North Carolina A&T were picked to finish ninth and 11th respectively in the coaches poll, each with one player named the 2023 Preseason All-CAA team.
TOWSON PICKED TENTH IN CAA PRESEASON POLL
Towson has been predicted to finish tenth in the CAA preseason coaches poll. Charleston was selected to finish first, followed by UNCW, Hofstra and Northeastern. William & Mary, Stony Brook, Elon, Delaware, Monmouth and North Carolina A&T round out the rankings.
