New Coach At The Helm Of The Program

Nick Sakiewicz was hired to lead the Pacers in the offseason, marking a change at the helm of the program for the first time since 1996. Sakiewicz has been relentless since his arrival, adding an assistant coach as well as reshaping the roster, which stands at 42 strong.  

An Abundance Of Newcomers

Head coach Nick Sakiewicz brought in a tremendous amount of newcomers. In terms of freshmen, Sakiewicz has 11 first-year student-athletes. The student-athletes range from the Palmetto state to Illinois and Pennsylvania and as far as South Africa, Lithuania, Brazil and Madrid. Sakiewicz was tireless in his pursuit of finding the right fit for the program.

Bringing In Experienced Student-Athletes 

In addition to having 11 freshmen on the roster, head coach Nick Sakiewicz brought in a graduate student, 11 juniors and five sophomores to the squad. His student-athletes that have been brought in will vie for playing time and will add depth to the program. Along with his returning student-athletes, Sakiewicz and his staff will have plenty of options for each position on the pitch. 

Challenging Way To Start 

Nick Sakiewicz did not make it easy on himself nor his team to start the year. The Pacers are away from home for the first five matches, including one PBC contest. USCA plays Belmont Abbey at Catawba on Sept. 5 before taking on the Catawba Indians two days later in Salisbury, N.C. The program heads to Southern Wesleyan on Sept. 11 prior to a road trip to Talladega on Sept. 14. The team completes the five-match road trip against PBC foe Clayton State on Sept. 18. Then, Pacer Nation gets to see USCA at home on Saturday, Sept. 21 against Shaw. 

PBC Preseason Poll

Head coach Nick Sakiewicz's team was picked to finish fifth in the PBC Preseason Poll. The team tallied 11 points, just two behind fourth-place North Georgia and five from third-place Flagler. 

Inside The Numbers

This week, USCA plays against Belmont Abbey on Thursday, Sept. 5 and at Catawba on Saturday, Sept. 7. Since moving to Division II, the Pacers are 9-17-3 (36.2 percent) in Thursday contests and 67-126-18 (36.0 percent) in Saturday affairs. During the same time, the program is 3-7-2 on Sept. 5 and 4-5 on Sept. 7.

Against The Opponents 

This week, USCA plays against Belmont Abbey on Thursday, Sept. 5 and at Catawba on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Pacers hold a 7-1-2 lead in the all-time series against the Crusaders. This marks the first neutral-site contest between the two programs. USCA trails the all-time series to the Catawba Indians 6-1. The Pacers' lone victory in the series came in 2009 at Pacer Pit. The program is 0-4 in Salisbury, N.C.