Record : 3 and 0
RPI: 59th
Home: 3 and 0
SOS: 64
Liberty managed to do something immediately that they were unable to do the entire 2023 season in securing the season opening sweep of Quinnipiac. The Flames offensive attack was relentless in putting up 36 runs in the 3 game set. The top 3 in the order stuffed the stat sheet all weekend long. Sweatt, Kepley & Rabon had 7 hits each, 7 total doubles, and 14 RBI. Rabon had 9 RBI's alone on the weekend The Flames also stole 4 bags over the weekend. The Flames defense from the regulars was outstanding all weekend as well. The pitchers did have a couple throw a ways but they will get that cleaned up. Quinnipiac is going to win games on the offensive side of the ball this year. That being said the Liberty pitching fared pretty well over the weekend as well. Cole Hertzler looked every bit the part of an ace Friday with 6 strong scoreless innings. Horn & Dolby both showed flashes before getting hurt by the long ball but I think they both ultimately took steps in the right direction. The bullpen also had an excellent weekend with the exception of Graham Edwards who was touched for 3 Earned while recording just 2 outs. A lot of guys did their jobs but Dylan Mathieson was the surpise of the weekend for me. He went 3 2/3 IP and punched out 7 of the total 22 hitters he faced. He looks like he's going to play in the backend of the bullpen for sure going forward. Spencer Williams and Garrett Mclaughlin look like the matchup lefty and righty respectively that can come in and retire a hitter or 2 to provide the bridge. Trey Cooper also punched out 5 in 2 innings of work and looked really good though he did pitch around some traffic. The Flames never even got to use veteran Trey Carter in the first weekend or long man Ryan Butler.
Bright Spots
-How about Cole Hertzler coming out and shoving 6 scoreless innings. The Bobcats put up a few runs the rest of the weekend but Hertzler looks like he's going to thrive in the Friday night role.
-The Flames defense was flashing the leather all around the Diamond. I knew already that Sweatt and the OF defense was going to be elite. Mclellin was another mild surprise starting at 1st all weekend but he showed he could handle the bat and made several nice scoops on balls the Flames have had trouble with post Logan Mathieu. Freshman Tanner Marsh looked really athletic and fluid at SS all weekend as well. Cam Foster's defense has been up and down in his time at Liberty but he was dazzling at the hot corner this weekend. He made all the plays including snagging several bullets but most importantly his throwing mechanics look much better. His throws were on time and target all weekend. Last but certainly not least Dye behind the plate. He should be getting ready for his senior season in HS and instead he was thrust right into the fire and did an incredible job blocking balls and threw out a base stealer as well.
-The lineup has a chance to be the best we've seen in some time. They put up 36 runs this weekend without Brayden Horton who was arguably the club's best hitter last year and Three Hillier who continues to nurse his throwing arm back to health. Both made PH appearances but were limited to 3 AB's. As noted earlier, the top is going to do all kinds of damage all year. Dye had 5 hits including a homer as well and both Troyer & Hudson homered. Mclellin and Marsh showed they can handle the bat as well. The lineup is deep and you've still got guys like Amundson, Simmons & Keeter to provide depth as well. The Flames put up 36 runs and got just 2 hits from Cam Foster. Look out!
-The speed that I had mentioned showed up. The Flames were diving all over the field and stole 4 bases in the opening weekend. Very well constructed lineup and defense. They are going to put pressure on the opposition all year by making them throw strikes and then running.
-I'm perhaps most excited about the bullpen. It was the biggest question mark heading into the season and we come out of week 1 looking like it could be a real strength for the club this year. It's early but Quinnipiac can swing the bat and they were able to really hold the Bobcats in check all weekend.
On Deck
Huge matchup on the road against the #12 Duke Blue Devils down in Durham. They sit at #13 in the RPI and are likely to rise into the top 10 after a perfect weekend down in Conway at "The Baseball at the Beach" tournament that Coastal Carolina holds. They beat Indiana 6-3 in Game 1 before hammering George Mason 23-5 and finished up by beating the hosting Chants 5-3 who came into the weekend ranked 18th. The Flames will send Nick Moran to the mound to face Duke in hopes of securing a huge early season win. The Blue Devils are likely to throw another bevy of talented arms at the Flames as they usually do.
Notes:
-Brayden Horton pinch hit and popped out in an encouraging sign. I had been hearing ECU for the timeline for his return. Looks like that timeline will be moved up and he may be available to start mid-week if things go well.
-How about CUSA. The league went a blistering 23-5 on opening weekend with 4 teams remaining unbeaten including Liberty, DBU, FIU & LA Tech. Sam Houston State won the first 2 against Big12 power Oklahoma State before getting hammered 19-2 Sunday.
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