Claflin Hosts Florida Southern College in Weekend Baseball Series

Orangeburg, S.C. (Claflin) — The Claflin University baseball team will entertain Florida Southern College in a three-game series at Historic Mirmow Field, beginning Friday, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m.

Games two and three will be played Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19.  Both contests get underway at 1 p.m.

Claflin will enter the non-conference matchup at 1-7 overall.

Florida Southern, a member of the Sunshine State Conference, is 5-2 on the season. The Moccasins are one of the most successful programs on the NCAA Division II level with nine national championships, 17 conference titles and 41 postseason appearances.

The Panthers and Florida Southern have met the last three seasons with the Moccasins holding a 9-0 series advantages.  In last year’s series in Lakeland, Fla., Florida Southern won all three games.

Claflin will look to continue to produce offensively like they did in game four against Saint Augustine’s. In the game, the Panthers bats came alive in a 17-8 victory over Saint Augustine’s, snapping a seven-game losing streak.

After collecting just six runs and 20 hits in the first three games of the series with the Falcons, the Panthers pounded four Saint Augustine’s pitchers for 14 hits in the series finale. Claflin had nine players with at least one hit and four with two or more in the contest.

Sophomore Torriun Towers held Saint Augustine’s in check over six innings, allowing just six hits.

Seniors Rashad Webster and Rashad Bivens along with junior Darrell Langston, II are the top hitters for Claflin.

Webster is batting .360 with nine hits and a team-high five doubles. Bivens is hitting .276 for the Panthers with a team-high six run scored and eight hits, while Langston is at .321 and nine hits.

As a team, Claflin is hitting .236 with and 60 runs scored, while opponents has generated a .340 batting averaging, 90 hits and 90 runs scored.

Claflin other top two pitchers are sophomore Eric DuBose and senior Keamond Eison.

Florida Southern is led by Omar Villaman, who is batting .464 with a team-high 13 hits. Jason Sierra leads the team in home runs with three and 10 RBIs.

Florida Southern pitching staff is led by Chase Pilato and Logan Browning.