Braves baseball strives to reach .500 mark

By Brad Ciociola
Staff Writer

Just past the halfway point of the season, the Braves baseball team is 15-18 and trying hard to push over the .500 mark. The Braves have played well but with only lackluster results. Of their 15 wins, only 6 have come in conference. At 6-11 in the PBC, the Braves are second to last in the conference. While they do not have a winning record the Braves have led their opponents in seven offensive categories.

The Braves are batting .281 as a team, eight points above what opponents have hit off of them. Also, the Braves have banged out seven more hits, eight more home runs, one more RBI and walk, their .408 slugging percentage is 13 points higher and their on-base percentage is nine points higher at .366. The Braves have only been outscored by two runs all season.

The offense has been sparked by OF/1B Tripp Lockhart. Lockhart’s .366 batting average leads the team, as does his .598 slugging percentage. He is first in RBI with 28 and second with hits and home runs with 41 and 5.

The Braves pitching staff has seen mixed results. The Braves staff has compiled a 4.37 ERA. Braves pitchers have allowed 125 earned runs off 280 hits and 114 walks while striking out 196. The Braves are led in wins by relief pitcher Eric Stewart who has also added five saves. Three starters are tied with three wins apiece including Ashley Brewer, who leads the Braves with 56 innings pitched, 45 strikeouts and 8 starts. Brewer’s 3.38 ERA is second only to Tyson Van Dam’s 3.25.

The Braves have been on a skid in the last week of March, losing three straight and four of the last five. The Braves took two of three from Kennesaw State early in the week but then lost a close game to Pfeiffer 4-3 on Thursday and both games of a double-header at Georgia College and State on Saturday. The Braves will wrap up the series with GCSU on Sunday.