HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky Baseball (0-4, 0-0 HL) settles into the 2020 season with a three-game series at Furman (2-3, 0-0 Southern) this weekend. First pitch for the series is slated for Friday at 4:00 p.m. and every game of the series will be streamed on the SoCon Digital Network.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY at FURMAN
Friday, Feb. 21 – Greenville, South Carolina – 4:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Video – Audio
Saturday, Feb. 22 – Greenville, South Carolina – 3:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Video – Audio
Sunday, Feb. 23 – Greenville, South Carolina – 1:00 p.m.– Live Stats – Video – Audio
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first meeting between the Norse and the Paladins.
LAST WEEK IN NORSE BASEBALL
NKU was swept in a season-opening, four-game series with Troy last weekend by scores of 18-6, 17-3, 12-2 and 20-11. Despite the results, NKU had positives that came out of the weekend as shortstop Collin Luty and first baseman Griffin Doersching got off to a quick start. Luty's .462 average to open the year was big for the Norse, driving in three runs over the weekend, including a solo-homer toward left field in game three. Doersching carries a .385 mark after the first weekend and drove in three runs on Sunday thanks to outstanding 4-for-5 hitting, which included a pair of doubles.
SCOUTING FURMAN
Head coach Brett Harker enters his fifth season with the Paladins, holding an 85-90 overall record. Through five games, the Paladins are 2-3, beginning the season with a series win over La Salle before dropping games to USC Upstate and ACC opponent Clemson by scores of 13-2 and 3-2 respectively. Although Furman has struggled to hit well to open the season with a .180 team batting average, it did finish with a solid .271 mark in 2019. The top returning batter for the Paladins is Trent Alley, who currently has a slash lines of .333/.450/.600.
Starting off the weekend on the mound for the Paladins will be John Michael Bertrand (1-0), a redshirt junior that tossed a quality start on opening day against La Salle. In six innings he yielded just two hits and an earned run while hurling seven strikeouts.
Getting the other two starts this weekend will be Stone Simmons (0-1) and Mason Kenney (1-0). Simmons went five innings in game two against La Salle and yielded a pair of runs, while Kenney still has a perfect ERA after giving up four hits in five innings.
PROBABLES
After a strong couple of appearances in relief last weekend, TJ Graves (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will start things off from the bump. He had three walks and a strikeout in three innings. Jared Flueck (0-0, 12.60 ERA) will toss on Saturday after throwing for five innings and giving up seven earned runs in his last start. Finally, to wrap things up on Sunday, Kyle Service (2019: 2-8, 6.90 ERA) will get his first taste of action this season.
BIG HAAS
Jackson Haas made his debut last weekend against Troy in a dazzling way. While pinch hitting for Doersching, the redshirt freshman singled in the eighth inning of opening night by slipping one by Troy's shortstop. An inning later, Haas then became the only Norse in the Division I era to hit a home run in their debut, crushing one past the left-center fence. It was also just the second time in the Division I era where a Norse sent one out of the park in the season opener, the first coming from Brad Clement against Lamar in 2013. The strong first night earned Haas two more starts over the weekend at DH, which included a two-RBI double on Sunday.
HOME-RUN KING
NKU returns the reigning College Home Run Derby Champion for the 2020 season. Doersching, a junior, took the 10th annual prize in Omaha, Nebraska, last June after clubbing 20 home runs to Tyler Keenan's (Ole Miss) 15 in the final round. In the 2019 season, Doersching smacked 13 out of the park, had a .503 slugging percentage and drove in 44 runs. He is just three home runs from being second on the all-time Norse leaderboard.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME
The 2020 edition of the Norse boasts a crowd of familiar faces as all but one position player returns from last year's lineup. The only batter missing from the Norse is the now-graduated Will Haueter, who is the all-time doubles leader for NKU. Andrew Bacon is the top returning hitter for NKU with a .269/379/461 slash line from 2019. The Norse also benefit from the return of slugger Griffin Doersching.
In total, 15 players joined the Norse over the offseason, ranging from freshmen to junior college standouts: Michael Bohlen, Jared Flueck, Jackson Haas, Tyler Keith, Kyle Klingenbeck, Kurt Lange, Bryson Lonsbury, Jon (JT) McGee, Treyvin Moss, Luke Murray, Nick Noble, John Odom, Jake Pease, Tyler Wagner and Blaine Walters.
A NEW CAST ON THE MOUND
With departures-galore from the bullpen, Northern Kentucky plucked a bunch of JUCO arms to reload its pitching staff. RHP Bryson Lonsbury joins the Norse from Dyersburg State Community College after going 4-0 last season thanks to a 2.17 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. Also joining him from Dyersburg State is Nick Noble, a sophomore righty, who went 3-0 last year and posted an impressive 33 strikeouts in 27 innings thrown.
JT McGee will be a southpaw for NKU. Coming from Lincoln Trail College, the junior sported a 2.60 ERA last season and had 31 strikeout in 27.2 innings. Jared Flueck will also be crucial for the Norse after an 8-1, 3.26 ERA campaign at Olney Central College last year.
Although the Norse bring in a lot of new arms, they are not without returners. Kyle Service and Proctor Mercer remains with the Norse after starting 15 and 13 games, respectively, last year.
TWO DECADES AND COUNTING
Head Coach Todd Asalon enters his 20th season at NKU, owning a 547-542-1 record with the Norse. He guided the Norse through their Division I transition, which began in the 2013 season, and helped NKU post its winningest Division I season in 2017 with a 25-33 record. Prior to the Division I era, he led NKU to the NCAA Division II tournament in eight-consecutive seasons.
Joining Asalon on his staff are his assistants and former Norse Dizzy Peyton (13th season) and Pat Hyde (fifth season). Accompanying them is Matthew James, who is in his first season as assistant coach after spending a year at Xavier.
