Claflin Baseball Host Francis Marion University in a Peach Belt Conference Series

Orangeburg, S.C. – The Claflin University baseball team will continue its quest for a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) win this weekend when they host Francis Marion University at Historic Mirmow Field in Orangeburg, SC.

The three-game set gets underway Saturday (Mar. 7) with a double-header at 12-noon and 3 p.m. followed by the series finale on Sunday (Mar. 8) at 2 p.m.

Claflin will enter the series at 4-10 overall and winless against PBC opponents at 0-8, while Francis Marion holds a 7-9 record that includes 3-5 in the conference.

The series took a twist last season when the Panthers ended a string of 16 straight loses to Francis Marion with a 11-6 win. In the contest, former Claflin pitcher Cleveland Westbrook went the distance on the mound and former catcher Clyde Parker belted a grand slam home run. Francis Marion got revenge five weeks later with a 10-5 win in Orangeburg.

Both teams hope to generate some offense this weekend as Claflin is hitting .226 with 166 hits. Francis Marion is also struggling at the plate, batting .238 and producing 88 runs in 16 games.

In the home run department, the Panthers have produced 10 with three players hitting two each, Gabriel Rentas, Malik James and Gerardric Dobbs.

Francis Marion has connected on eight long balls this season with Grayson Cottingham and Leniel Gonzalez topping the list at two apiece.

Jalen Sprull and Steve Joyner are the offensive leaders of the Claflin offense. Sprull is hitting is .304 with a team-leading 14 hits and 17 total bases, while Joyner is batting .361 in nine games with 13 hits.

In the stolen base department, the Panthers are 21-of-29 (72.4%) with Malik James leading the way with five.

The top hitters for Francis Marion are Todd Mattox at .471 with 12 RBIs followed by Gonzalez, who's hitting .524 with 11 RBIs.

The Patriots pitching staff is led by Josh Bobrowski, 1-3, with a 1.74 ERA with a team-high 53 strike outs. Bobrowski is joined in the Francis Marion starting rotation by Daniel Twitty and Weston Rogers, both 1-2 on the season.

Dermus Strozier has the most wins on the Panther pitching staff at 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings pitched. Key starters for Claflin includes Kyle Hawkins, Makai Holloway and Chris McKenzie, Jr.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Makai Holloway: P; 5' 10"; Sophomore; L/L

#28 Malik James: INF; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#26 Clyde Parker: C; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#23 Jalen Sprull: OF; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#16 Cleveland Westbrook: P; 5' 9"; Senior; R/R

#15 Gerardric Dobbs: INF; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#2 Steve Joyner: OF/P; 6' 2"; Junior; R/R

#6 Chris McKenzie, Jr.: P; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#12 Kyle Hawkins: INF/P; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

#20 Gabriel Rentas: UTIL; 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#12 Makai Holloway
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; L/L
: P

#28 Malik James
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#26 Clyde Parker
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: C

#23 Jalen Sprull
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#16 Cleveland Westbrook
: 5' 9"; Senior; R/R
: P

#15 Gerardric Dobbs
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#2 Steve Joyner
: 6' 2"; Junior; R/R
: OF/P

#6 Chris McKenzie, Jr.
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: P

#12 Kyle Hawkins
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: INF/P

#20 Gabriel Rentas
: 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R
: UTIL