Series Preview: Cincinnati at UNCW
Seahawks look to keep rolling in four-game series with Bearcats
UNCW (5-1) vs. Cincinnati (1-5)
Thurs., Fri. 4 p.m. (SDN) | Sat. 4 p.m. (Flo) | Sun. 12 p.m. (Flo)
Ohioans have a long and storied history of visiting the beaches of North Carolina, starting with the Wright Brothers and continuing with the Bearcats, who head south for a four-game set at Brooks Field.
Like Orville and Wilbur, Cincinnati arrives looking to take flight after a few hiccups, but if last weekend’s performance is any indication, the Seahawks could keep them grounded with a combination of clutch pitching and the awakening of bats deeper in the order.
Perchcast is available via Soundcloud, or find it in the Apple or Google podcast apps!
Playing their third straight series on the road, Cincinnati is in for a beautiful weekend, with plenty of sunshine and no rain in the forecast, though it will cool down a little for the weekend.
A limited number of tickets are available.
Here’s what to watch for:
Meet the Bearcats
First things first: Bearcats are neat! It’s too bad Cincy’s live mascot, Lucille, won’t be joining us to tailgate this weekend.
It’s certainly worth a shot to get her in the stands to menace opposing pitchers, because to this point, the Bearcats have struggled to get things going offensively, hitting .222 as a team, slugging .319 and have an on-base percentage of .283 while averaging 4.6 runs per game.
It’s not hard to see one of the main problems, with Cincinnati striking out 67 times with just 18 walks against Clemson and Western Kentucky.
Hitters to watch: Joey Bellini (.370, 4 RBI), Griffin Merritt (.316, 2 2B, 3B, 5 RBI)
The Bearcats have fared a little better on the mound, led by starter Evan Shawver, a 6-0, 175-pound lefty who has surrendered just five hits in 10 innings, striking out 11 without allowing a run.
Expect to see plenty of Beau Keathley and Nathan Moore, who have each done solid work in three appearances out of the bullpen.
Another Week, Another Freshman Starter
With the weekend rotation looking pretty set for UNCW, the Seahawks will turn to another true freshman for Thursday’s start, giving the ball to the 6-8, 230-pound Jacob Shafer.
The third true freshman to start in the first seven games for UNCW, Shafer was considered a top-1000 recruit by Perfect Game, which reported his top fastball velocity at 88 mph. Shafer wrapped up his career at Southwest Guilford with an ERA of 1.30, striking out 140 batters in 102 innings.
Fellow freshman Ryan Calvert, who allowed three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in his debut, will get the start on Sunday. Ethan Chenault, a freshman who started opening weekend, figures to come out of the bullpen.
Speaking of the Bullpen…
Safe to say the Seahawk starters are confident in handing the ball to relievers and it’s possible the unit only gets deeper from here.
Righty Hunter Hodges was phenomenal last weekend, allowing just one hit in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six while walking just two. The true freshman showed some fire, too, in a gutsy effort on Sunday as he closed the door on a pesky Western Carolina offense.
Closer Adam Smith was again strong as he earned the win in Saturday’s game, while Bryce Cota gave the Seahawks another shutout inning of work.
This series should offer another look at Cody Benton, who didn’t allow a hit over two innings vs. VCU, while Noah Overton and Will Liverpool both looked good in quick appearances vs. WCU.
UNCW is still awaiting the season debut of Gage Herring, who figures to make a major impact out of the pen, while Chenault also appears set for a relief role.
The depth pitching coach Matt Myers has at his disposal is a big reason for optimism.
Getting Right
Oddly enough, Cincinnati has four lefthanders slated to start.
Add in the extra at-bats that come with a fourth game, and UNCW’s right-handed batters will get a few more chances to get it going at the plate.
Chief among them, it could breakout weekend for Ron Evans, who hasn’t yet found his groove this season, going 2-10 with a double and four strikeouts. The redshirt freshman showed plenty of raw power last season, hitting three home runs (two off RHP) in his first five games before pitchers adjusted their approach.
Bearcat pitchers have given up 11 doubles and six homers in six games.
The lefty-heavy rotation could also benefit fellow UNCW righthanders Kevin Pitarra (1-9) and Tanner Wells (0-7).
Brandentheball
After arriving at UNCW as a highly-touted transfer, it was an all-or-nothing debut for Kip Brandenburg in 2020, collecting 10 hits (2 HR, 3 3B, 2 2B) and 14 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.
The 6-5, 210-pound first baseman has a more even approach so far in 2021, hitting .391 (9-23) with a double, triple and five RBI. More importantly, he’s struck out just four times with three walks, hitting safely in every game. Brandeburg truly found a groove vs. WCU, going 6-10 at the plate with 2 RBI, 3 BB and 0 K.
Brandenburg looks the part of a big-time player, and for someone whose career has taken them to two schools before UNCW, it’s great to see him flourishing as he makes adjustments to his game.
Dating to last season, his hitting streak stands at eight games.
1-2 Punch
The law of averages says UNCW is in for a couple of big starts from Landen Roupp and Luke Gesell after uncharacteristic performances vs. WCU.
Roupp wasn’t himself from the start, with an error, a walk and a hit batter as he gave up a run in the first inning and exited after giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking two and hitting two batters. He exited after 51 strike on 85 pitches.
Gesell threw 59 strikes on 90 pitches, and what had been a solid start went south when WCU got a double and a homer back-to-back in the fifth inning.
To be fair, both teams had issues with how umpires were calling the corners last weekend.
At any rate, expect to see better command from the best starting duo in the CAA.