River Forest, Ill. – After receiving the first ever number one ranking in school history earlier this week, the Concordia University Chicago Baseball team takes to the field to defend their top ranking while opening NACC play. They will firs head to Edgewood College on Saturday afternoon before returning to River Forest for the home opener on Sunday.
Series History: CUC is 24-4 against Edgewood College since the 2007 season. The Cougars are 10-2 on the road during that span. CUC won both games last season by scores of 13-10 and 7-6. The Cougars are 22-3 against Marian during the same span. CUC is 13-1 at home against the Sabres. CUC defeated Marian three times last season, including once in the playoffs.
About the Cougars: The Cougars are winners of 11 straight games, and moved up to number one in the national rankings this week. Last time out, CUC battled through a tough weekend at Wheaton. CUC had to come from behind twice, to sweep the weekend. The most exciting game of the weekend came when CUC put up an eight run seventh inning to comeback and defeat Wheaton.
Jose Mercado leads the Cougar offense this season with a .440 batting average. He also leads the team and conference with 19 runs scored.
Brayden Benavides has also been impressive through the first 12 games of the season. The freshman is hitting .324 on the season with 10 runs driven in. Pitching has been the strong point for CUC so far this season. As a team CUC has a 2.35 ERA which ranks them fifth in the country.
Alex Crinigan has been the most consistent on the mound for the Cougars. The junior transfer has a 1.00 ERA and a 2-0 record in 18 innings pitched.
About the Eagles: The Edgewood College Eagles come into the weekend with a 2-9 overall record. And have dropped their last four. Joseph Kalafut leads the team offensively with a .457 average on the season. Max Orput is not far behind with a .400 average as well. Matthew Turner leads the team on the mound so far this season. HE has a 3.46 ERA through 13 innings pitched. Pitching has been a struggle for Edgewood. As a team they have an 11.07 ERA so far this year.
About the Sabres: The Marian University Sabres come into the weekend 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the NACC. They opened NACC play on Thursday afternoon with a split against Wisconsin Lutheran. Sean Meyer leads the team offensively with a .468 average through the team's first 13 games. He also leads the team with 17 runs driven in. Sophomore Nick Dugandzic is not far behind with a .387 average on the season. Seniors Jordan Bock and Ty Peccioli lead the team on the mound so far this season. They both have 2-0 records and 19 innings pitched to go along with ERA's under 2.40.
Up Next: Following the weekend CUC will have nearly a week till their next scheduled contests. They will host Wisconsin Lutheran College on April 6 before heading to the south side of Chicago to take on Illinois Tech the following day.
