Pacers host weekend baseball tournament

A unique baseball showcase will take center stage in Aiken this weekend as USC Aiken hosts the Carolina Outdoors Classic at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The three-day event will feature the host Pacers along with Carson-Newman, Davis & Elkins and North Georgia.

"The classic format allows us to play three different teams on three different days, which gives us a new atmosphere that I think both fans and players will both enjoy," said USCA head coach Kenny Thomas. "Thanks to Carolina Outdoors for their support of this, and for allowing fans to see four quality teams in one weekend."

Two games will be played each day at "The Bert."

Carson-Newman

Located in Jefferson City, Tenn., the Eagles have opened their season with a steady diet of Peach Belt Conference opponents. They started last weekend with a three-game series at Augusta State, where they dropped two of the three games. On Wednesday, the club was at Lander, where it picked up a 4-2 win in 10 innings.

The Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the South Atlantic Conference after putting up a 15-12 league mark last year. Senior catcher Mason Guymon and junior outfielder Lucas Mohon, a pair of Preseason All-SAC selections, lead the attack.

Guymon started 32 games last season and threw out 18 of 35 runners that attempted to steal. At the plate, he posted a .327 on-base percentage.

Mohon is known more for his offense than his defense. He hit .307 last season in 30 starts and was third on the team with 11 doubles, while also knocking out four home runs.

Senior right-hander Robby Thigpen has been the most impressive guy on the mound so far.

He pitched a complete game shutout in his first start against Augusta State, allowing just four hits while striking out four.

Davis and Elkins - Located in Elkins, W.Va., the Senators finished last season with a 31-16 record and an 18-11 mark in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, good enough for a second-place finish in the conference's Southern Division.

This year, D&E was picked by the WVIAC coaches to win the league title. The Senators are led by junior Anthony Ragos, an outfielder who transfered from Chesapeake College and hit .365 last season. Senior catcher Eric Doyle, a transfer from Youngstown State, hit .335 last year, and Zach McElroy, a senior left-hander finished the year with a 10-2 record and a 2.29 ERA on the hill for the Senators. Junior right-hander Josh Kehr is the other big arm. He notched six wins in 2011. Today's first game will be the Senators' season opener.

North Georgia - Located in Dahlonega, Ga., the Saints opened the season at the Comfort Suites Classic in Valdosta, Ga., but things didn't go quite as planned. North Georgia was able to pick up an 8-3 win over host Valdosta State, but that victory was sandwiched between two lopsided losses, a 14-2 setback against Saint Leo in the season opener and a 10-1 loss to Lindewood to end the weekend.

Ranked No. 35 in the preseason Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II top 40, the Saints were picked to finish sixth in the Peach Belt Conference. Senior right-hander Blake Hobby, a preseason ABCA All-American, is the top threat on the mound. He made 14 starts last season and posted a 7-3 record and a PBC-best 1.76 ERA.

At the plate, senior infielder Jordan Erisman is back after hitting .298 with 11 doubles and four home runs last season. That was a step back from his sophomore campaign, when he hit .345 with 46 RBIs and was a first team All-PBC pick. Junior Derek Hooper is another big threat. He hit .320 a year ago with a .407 on-base percentage and 16 multi-hit games. Junior outfielder Kenny Bellavance hit .317 in 2011 with seven doubles, a triple and two home runs. He hed the team with 23 multi-hit games.

USC Aiken - A big opening weekend helped the hometown Pacers move to No. 28 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Poll, after beginning the season out of the Top 40. The Pacers swept a three-game series with Lincoln Memorial, outscoring the Railspillters 32-11 in the three games.

The Pacers found plenty of offense, as they hit .417 as a team with six doubles, two triples and three home runs. Center fielder Stephen Bellantoni got off to a hot start, going 5-for-8 in the three games with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Freshman Will Tankersley made the best of his only start and finished the weekend 4-for-6 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Preseason All-American Stephen Carmon put up his usual numbers with six hits in 12 at-bats. He scored six runs, drove in four and stole three bases. Another preseason All-American, Nick Aranas, returned to the lineup after missing all of the 2011 season with an injury, and he had four hits and four RBIs. He also performed well in the field, after making the move from third base to left field.

USCA also got some good pitching performances, including a five-inning shutout from Wyatt Brown, a five-inning two-run win out of Derek Beasley and a five-inning one-run victory from Kelly Holt. The Bullpen also performed well, paced by Sam Daniel, who pitched two innings without allowing a hit. As a team, USCA posted a 3.33 ERA in the opening series.

Carolina Outdoors Classic Schedule

Today

USC Aiken vs. Davis & Elkins 1 p.m.

North Georgia vs. Carson-Newman 4 p.m.

Saturday

USC Aiken vs. Carson-Newman 1 p.m.

North Georgia vs. Davis & Elkins 4 p.m.

Sunday

Carson-Newman vs. Davis & Elkins 12 p.m.

USC Aiken vs. North Georgia 3 p.m.