DURHAM, N.C. – After having the last two conference series on the road, the North Carolina Central University baseball squad will host Savannah State University for a crucial Senior Weekend series beginning on Saturday, April 20 with doubleheader action at 1:00 p.m. and ending on Sunday, April 21 with a Senior Day finale starting at 1:00 p.m.  All games will take place at the Durham Athletic Park.
 
Since resurrecting the program in 2007, NCCU (23-18, 10-8 MEAC) has faced Savannah State more than any other opponent compiling a 6-23 record against the Tigers.  The Eagles are 4-3 against SSU since being reunited with the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) that includes a 3-1 record in the last four meetings.
 
Back on March 16 and 17, the maroon and gray dropped game one 8-5, and earned the twinbill split with a 14-0 victory in game two.  The Eagles won the rubber match 7-4 to earn their first-ever series victory in Savannah, Ga.  As a team, NCCU had five student-athletes record at least two RBI in the series led by junior Spencer Franceschetti’s (Escalon, Calif.) seven as he went 4-for-9 (.444) with a double and two runs scored.  Junior Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) led the squad going 6-for-13 (.462) at-the-dish with three runs scored and two RBI.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have full wall-to-wall coverage of the huge weekend series beginning with the Champps Pregame Show at 12:45 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  Play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call the action from the DAP, and fans are encouraged to interact with Hooks on the broadcast by sending tweet to @NCCUAthletics, use the hashtag #NCCUBaseball, or send an e-mail to whooks@nccu.edu.
 
Offensively, the Tigers are third in the MEAC with a team batting average of .267 with a combined 53 doubles, and 10 triples (third in the MEAC).  SSU is led by senior Joseph McCrary who is batting .329 on the year with 11 doubles, three triples, and his team-best 24 RBI.

Second year head coach Jim Koerner will send senior Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) to the hill for game one as he will toe-the-rubber for start No. 10 on the year.  Romano (2-6, 5.98 ERA) has logged 58.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and 13 walks. 
 
SSU (21-17, 9-5 MEAC) boasts one of the nation’s top pitcher in right hander Kyle McGowin who is No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts with 88.  In 71.1 innings pitched, the junior has allowed 14 earned runs and issued only 11 walks.
 
The second game of the day will see senior Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) take the hill for start No. 42 as an Eagle.  The MEAC’s Co-Pitcher of the Week will look to get his second straight shutout against the Tigers as Frye (4-3, 4.06 ERA) scattered six hits with two strikeouts in the 14-0 victory.
 
Savannah State will send Jack May (3-3, 4.20 ERA) out on the hill in the seven inning contest as the senior will make his fifth start of the season as he has worked 40.2 innings with 20 strikeouts and 13 walks, while also surrendering 19 earned runs on the year.
 
The final game of the weekend will wrap up with the Senior Day finale that will see junior righty Tyler McNabb (Davidson, Sask.) make his ninth start of the season.  McNabb (4-4, 3.72 ERA) is coming off a loss last Saturday against Bethune-Cookman where he threw six solid innings with four runs allowing and five strikeouts in the 4-2 defeat.  McNabb is tied with Frye for the team lead with 40 strikeouts on the year.
 
Sophomore Rex Davis (5-1, 2.93 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year in the final game of the weekend.  Davis has 30.2 innings of work under his belt this year with 18 strikeouts and 10 walks. 
 
With NCCU currently 10-8 in league play, Savannah State resides in second in the Southern Division with a 9-5 mark, while the Eagles are third.  The battle for second place in the division will be air-tight as both SSU and NC A&T (7-7) will play Bethune-Cookman (12-6) in the next few weeks.
 
For more information about NCCU athletics, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.