Baseball | January 30, 2024

Each week, USC Aiken will post notes. This week, the Pacers host UNC Pembroke on Friday, Feb. 2, Saturday, Feb. 3 and Sunday, Feb. 4.

Not The Earliest Start

The Feb. 2 start to the 2024 season is close, but it is not the earliest start the Pacers have had since moving to Division II. USC Aiken is 1-0 on Jan. 30, 1-1 on Jan. 31 and 10-1 on Feb. 1 contests.

Change Of Plans

When the schedule was originally announced, USC Aiken was slated to play Lane. However, that recently changed and the Pacers will now host former PBC foe UNC Pembroke for a three-game series starting Feb. 2.

Big Opening Weekend

While every opening weekend is big, the USC Aiken – UNC Pembroke clash marks one of the biggest battles during the first weekend of the season. Additionally, it could have a major impact on postseason positioning with the battle between the PBC and Conference Carolinas.

Experience Is Key

Head coach Michael Holder's team has a wealth of experience on the squad. Graduate student Evan Condon is back while senior hurlers Hunter Steger and AJ Deibel have a wealth of experience. Redshirt-juniors Joseph Mozingo, Jacob Fletcher and Louie Smith have valuable experience to their credit as well. Juniors Luke Parker, Dalton Graves and Josh Sharp have a wealth of playing time while sophomores Justin Byrd and Kaden Usry have seen valuable time during their short careers. Numerous others on the team have made an impact as well during their time, which should pay dividends this year.  

Adding A Pair In January

This spring, head coach Michael Holder added a pair of student-athletes to the roster. This includes junior Tyler Casciato and redshirt-freshman Bradley White II. Both student-athletes play in the infield.  

Preseason Poll & Preseason Honors

Last week, USC Aiken saw itself placed third in the PBC Preseason Poll. Additionally, Joseph Mozingo garnered preseason all-conference honors. A season ago, Mozingo hit .393 while pounding out 53 hits, including 10 extra-base knocks. He slugged .481, sported a .437 on-base percentage and scored 19 runs in 38 games.

Inside The Numbers

This week, the Pacers host UNC Pembroke on Friday, Feb. 2, Saturday, Feb. 3 and Sunday, Feb. 4. Since moving to Division II, the Pacers are 157-110 (58.8 percent) in Friday games, 357-241 (59.6 percent) in Saturday games and 215-158 (57.6 percent) in Sunday games. During the same time, the team is 8-3 on Feb. 2, 8-4 on Feb. 3 and 8-2 on Feb. 4.

Against The Opponents

This week, the Pacers host UNC Pembroke on Friday, Feb. 2, Saturday, Feb. 3 and Sunday, Feb. 4. The Pacers hold a 47-38 edge in the all-time series against the Braves, but UNC Pembroke has won the last two outings. USC Aiken is 27-16 against the Braves at home dating back to March 27, 1993.