Record : 4-3

RPI: 230th

Home: 3-2

Away: 0-1

SOS: 237

Quad 1: 0-1


Liberty finished up a disappointing second week of the season just 1 and 3.  They dropped a crisp midweek contest 4 to 2 to #12 Duke 4 to 2.  Then Friday night saw starter Cole Hertzler have to leave the game after just 1 inning.  Liberty got behind and came all the way back to tie it but a great piece of hitting by Rosso off Mathieson gave Hofstra the win.  Horn dazzled Saturday with 6 scoreless innings and 9 strikeouts while Kepley & Foster drove in 7 combined.  Sunday was a game the Flames really had to have to win the series against a team they expect to win against.  Dolby wasn't able to give the Flames a quality start and then the bullpen faltered as well as the staff combined for 11 walks.  There were a couple critical throwing errors that hurt the Flames in both losses as well.  

It's still too early to get a full read on what the Flames are going to be this year.  However, I think the lineup and defense has improved significantly from last year.  HCSJ is still searching for the right combo but as usual the best offensive lineup is not the best defensive lineup.  The bullpen has shown flashes and has generally been reliable for the most part minus a couple situations.  As I mentioned in the preseason article the starting pitching is what's going to make or break the Flames.  Hertzler dazzled in his 1st start before leaving with tightness in the trap area.  It sounds like so far he's feeling better and has a chance to make the start Friday.  Horn was OK by his standards in his first start but looked electric ala 2022 in his second start.  He's clearly trending up.  Dolby has shown good stuff but underwhelmed in his first 2 starts as he's out to a 10+ ERA thus far .  At some point the Flames could look back to Trey Cooper if Dolby isn't able to get it together.  I know the Flames like Cooper as a power lefty at the back end of the bullpen but you've got to get there for it to matter.  Moran had a bit of a mixed bag in his first start as well.  Aside from Hertlzer's health Moran is the key to the season.  If Hertzler is healthy he and Horn are going to give the Flames a chance to win every game they start.  Sunday is a struggle for a lot of teams and is usually a slug fest so it's not uncommon for teams to start younger guys on Sunday or more unproven guys.  As usual, the Flames have some huge RPI boosting opportunities in the midweek and they will need Moran to be a steadying force and allow them to stay in those games.  

The next 8 games will be 1 of 2 critical stretches that will go a long way to defining the 2024 season for the Flames.  They head on the road to 5 and 3 UNCW first.  The Seahawks haven't really been challenged yet aside from Coastal which they lost 7 to 2 but nonetheless that will be a difficult game.  After that the Flames will hop on the bus and continue south down to Conway to renew the rivalry with Coastal.  The #22 Chants are 5 and 2 in long time coach Gary Gilmore's final season at the helm.  As usual they've played a ton of quality opponents in Conway already.  The only shared opponent is Duke whom they also lost to 5 to 3.  Then they will head a little further south down to Mt. Pleasant SC to face College of Charleston.  They sit at 7 and 0 after sweeping Marshall and Youngstown State.  Those 2 teams are collectively 1 and 13 so it's hard to know exactly how good COC is but it's on the road against a historically quality mid major and will be the 5th game in 7 days.  Then the Flames head back to Lynchburg for a matchup I've been waiting for a long time against #11 ECU.  The Pirates just took 2 of 3 from UNC and look to be every bit as good as they have been in recent years.  The next 2 weeks will really test the Flames and give them an opportunity to make a statement on the mid major stage against some of the powerhouses at the Mid Major level.  Hope everyone will make it a point to come out to the ECU series.  They have a great home atmosphere and that series will draw the attention of the College Baseball world.  Flames Nation needs to show up strong and give the Flames a home field advantage in a pivotal series.  

UNCW 260

Coastal 71

COC 128

ECU 61

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