Paladins fall in SoCon championship

After staving off elimination early Sunday afternoon, the Furman baseball team finally ran out of steam in the Southern Conference Tournament championship finale. Playing its fourth game in 30 hours, Furman fell to UNC Greensboro 13-1 in seven innings as the Spartans punched their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1997.
Furman defeated UNCG 6-4 to open Sunday's tournament play at Fluor Field. The winner-take-all rematch was shaping up to be another close contest for much of the game.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Paladins loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Jason Costa hammered a line drive to left field where UNCG standout outfielder Ben Spitznagel tracked it down to end the threat.
That seemingly took all the air out of Furman's balloon. The Spartans (35-22) sent 14 men to the plate in the seventh, and scored nine runs on four hits, four walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch and two errors. UNCG retired the Paladins (33-28) in order in the bottom of the seventh to complete the mercy rule victory.
In the bottom of the second, it appeared that Jason Costa got Furman on the scoreboard with a two-run home run. His long drive down the left-field line landed in the seats atop the Green Monster. With there being no seats in foul territory there, it was thought to be a two-run homer but was ruled foul. The play was reviewed and the foul call was confirmed.
The Spartans got a lift from unexpected sources to capture the SoCon title. Jake Lewis, who entered with a 6.33 ERA and having allowed 25 hits in 21 1/3 innings, worked a career-long 5 1/3 innings. Lewis (2-2) gave up one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Dan Loats, who threw 104 pitches in his start against Furman the day before, worked the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save.
UNCG's Ryne Sigmon, who entered Sunday batting .220 with two home runs, blasted a pair of homers in the game two win. SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tripp Shelton drove in four runs for the Spartans, as did Michael Goss.
Game 1 - Furman 6, UNCG 4
Costa went 3-for-3 and Sky Overton had three hits, including his sixth home run, as Furman rallied to stay alive in the opening game Sunday.
Trailing 4-3 through seven innings, Jabari Richards got Furman's rally started with a double leading off the eighth. After a pair of groundouts, Cameron Whitehead delivered a game-tying RBI-single. Costa followed with a high pop up on the infield that landed in between UNCG's catcher and first baseman. That allowed Whitehead to come home with the go-ahead run.
Overton provided a big insurance run in the ninth with a two-out homer to left-centerfield.
Furman ace Will Gaddis, who's seemingly done everything on the hill in his three years with the Paladins, added something new to the list. In likely his last appearance in a Furman uniform, Gaddis went the final 1 1/3 innings for the first save of his career.
Sunday wrapped up an amazing run by Furman over the second half of the season. Seven weeks to the day earlier, the Paladins were 1-8 in the SoCon after getting swept at UNCG. Furman, which went 3-17 during that stretch of the season, ended up tying the school's record for wins after going 22-8 over its final 30 games.
All-Tournament honors: Whitehead, Overton and starting pitcher Grant Schuermann made the SoCon All-Touranment team. Schuermann allowed one unearned run in Furman's big 6-1 win over top-seeded Mercer on Thursday.
Whitehead went 8-for-20 with two homers and eight RBIs. Overton tied a tournament record with 14 hits in 26 at-bats, and alos had eight RBIs.

Paladins outlast ETSU, advance to SoCon championship

The perfect script that Furman's baseball team enjoyed over the first few days of the Southern Conference Tournament took an unwanted plot twist Saturday afternoon. However, late Saturday night the Paladins clinched a spot in the final chapter. While a daunting task awaits Sunday, it could set up quite a storybook finish.
Fourth-seeded Furman held on for an 8-6 win over No. 7 seed ETSU in an elimination game Saturday night at Fluor Field. The Paladins (32-27) advance to Sunday's championship against No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro at noon. Furman, which lost to UNCG 12-8 Saturday afternoon, will have to beat the Spartans twice Sunday to claim its first SoCon Tournament title since 2005.
"After that game (earlier Saturday) didn't go our way, we just said 'boys, let's figure out a way to play for a championship,' " Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We just kept grinding and grinding ... and we're playing for a championship on Sunday.
"It's not going to be easy, but I'll take our 27 guys."
Things were tense Saturday night as the teams battled through six innings of a 3-3 tie. The Paladins then rattled a bit with back-to-back errors to begin the seventh. While Heath Hawkins induced a ground ball double play from ETSU's .349-hitting leadoff man Chris Cook, the Buccaneers still made Furman pay for its earlier miscues. Aaron Maher hit an RBI-double and Hagen Owenby followed with an RBI-single as ETSU took a 5-3 lead.
The Paladins answered in the bottom of the seventh. Logan Taplett, who started at third with Jake Crawford on the mound, drew a leadoff walk and Sky Overton followed with a double. Jabari Richards then lined a two-run single up the middle to tie the game. Richards later scored on a wild pitch and Cameron Whitehead capped the four-run inning with an RBI-double to give Furman a 7-5 lead.
After ETSU (30-29) sliced the lead to one in the top of the eighth, Furman again responded in the bottom half with another run-scoring single up the middle by Richards.
In the ninth, Cook led off with a single before Billy Greenfield retired ETSU's No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters to secure the win. Greenfield, who came on in the eighth with a man on and nobody out, worked two scoreless innings for his third save.
Hawkins (3-3) allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits in two innings for the win. Crawford made his best pitching start of the season, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits in five innings. The trio combined for eight strikeouts and one walk.
"Jake Crawford stepped up and gave us big innings and our relievers pitched well," Harker said. "I can't say enough about Billy Greenfield. That's some of the biggest outs in 10 or 15 years for Furman baseball."
Overton, Richards and Bret Huebner had two hits apiece to account for 75 percent of Furman's hits.
Moving forward to Sunday, the question becomes who takes the hill for Furman. Through the Paladins first four tournament games, only Greenfield, Hawkins, Nolan Mullen and starting ace Will Gaddis have pitched in relief. While there are fresh arms available, many are inexperienced. At least one or two possibly unexpected pitchers could have to step up against UNCG's formidable lineup.
"I've got to sit down, regroup ... and figure out what we have available," Harker said. "But I'll tell you, if we've got 15 guys that can pitch on our roster, all 15 guys want the ball tomorrow."

UNC Greensboro outslugs Furman at SoCon Tournament

In the first two days of the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, Furman jumped on top early in recording a pair of wins. In a winner's bracket game Saturday, UNC Greensboro turned the tables on the Paladins. The Spartans led 6-0 after two innings and held on for a 12-8 win to take the wheel of the tournament driver's seat.
The victory advanced third-seeded UNCG (34-21) to Sunday's championship. Furman will have to play again Saturday night to try to stay alive and set up a rematch with UNCG. The Paladins (31-27) will face the survivor of a loser's bracket game between sixth-seeded Samford and seventh-seeded ETSU.
UNCG leadoff man Ben Spitznagel, who's tortured Furman throughout his career, lined Matthew Quarles' first pitch to right for a single. Tripp Shelton deposited the next pitch over the left-centerfield wall and the Spartans led 2-0 two pitches in.
UNCG sent eight men to the plate in the next inning. Shelton capped the four-run frame with a two-run single.
Furman began to chip away in the middle innings. Jason Costa hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Cameron Whitehead got a wind-assisted two-run homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-4.
The wind was blowing the same way in the bottom of the fifth though, and helped UNCG answer on a two-run homer by Andrew Moritz. Billy Greenfield came on in relief of Quarles later in the inning and allowed a run-scoring hit off the Green Monster. Carter Grote threw out Caleb Webster trying to stretch it into a double to end the inning.
A four-run seventh got the Paladins right back in it. Sky Overton had a run-scoring bunt single, Carter Grote walked with the bases loaded, Landon Kay had a run-scoring groundout and a bases-loaded passed ball cut UNCG's lead to 9-8.
After pulling to within one, Furman turned the ball over to ace pitcher Will Gaddis. Gaddis, who threw just 57 pitches in his start Wednesday, held the Spartans in check until a three-run eighth inning. UNCG got a bases-loaded groundout for one run and two more runs thanks to an error on a grounder that would've ended the inning.
Furman's best chance to score after the sixth came in the eighth when the Paladins loaded the bases. UNCG reliever Jack Maynard struck out Jason Costa though to end the threat. Maynard allowed just one single and no runs in the final 3 2/3 innings to record his third save.
Quarles (6-5) allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss.
Jake Crawford had three hits to lead Furman, which collected 13 hits pushing its tournament total to 47 hits in three games.
Spitznagel, Shelton and Webster each had three hits for the Spartans.

Schuermann pitches Furman past top-seeded Mercer

The Southern Conference's best one-two punch over the final month of the regular season doesn't appear to be slowing down in the postseason. Furman left-hander Grant Schuermann held the SoCon regular season champions to one unearned run over eight innings as the Paladins defeated Mercer 6-1 Thursday in the SoCon Tournament at Fluor Field.
With its second victory in as many days, fourth-seeded Furman doesn't play again until noon Saturday. The Paladins will face the winner of Friday's noon game between No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro and No. 7 seed ETSU.
The day after Will Gaddis won for the seventh time in his last seven appearances, Schuermann extended his streak of not an allowing an earned run to 26 consecutive innings. It was a gutsy performance by Schuermann, who threw a career-high 121 pitches. He scattered nine hits over his eight innings and worked out of several jams to keep the top-seeded Bears (39-16) in check.
"He's got a knack for making a big pitch at a big time for us. None bigger than how he did tonight," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "That's the best outing of his career. ... It was a lot of fun to watch.
"I'm proud of our boys. That's one of the biggest games we've had at Furman in quite some time."
For the second day in a row, a Paladin starter had a nice early cushion to work with as Furman scored four runs in the top of the second. Landon Kay led off the frame with a no-doubt home run, his 11th this season.
One out later, the Paladins (31-26) strung together five consecutive singles. Jake Crawford bounced a groundball past second to score two runs before Sky Overton's groundball single to left made it 4-0 Furman.
Mercer reliever Carter Varga came on in the fourth and struck out the first two hitters before the Paladins got three singles in a row, capped by Carter Grote's run-scoring hit to push the lead to 5-0.
The Bears lone run came in the fifth on a run-scoring groundout that would've been the third out if not for Furman's only error, which opened the inning.
Much like in the fourth, the first two Furman batters in the seventh struck out before three consecutive singles and Mercer's lone error sent home the final run.
Clutch hitting proved to be a key storyline in the game. Furman went 10-for-19 batting with two outs, while Mercer was 1-of-9. With runners in scoring position, the Paladins were 5-for-14, while the Bears went 1-for-12.
Overton and Jason Costa each had three hits to lead Furman, which put up 17 hits and now has 34 in 15 innings at-bat at the tournament.
"I can live with us getting 17 hits every night," Harker said.
Schuermann (7-4) allowed no walks and had five strikeouts. He has 40 strikeouts and one walk over his last seven starts. Over his last five starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs in 38 innings (0.71 ERA).
"He's went seven outings with one walk combined and when you do that, you're going to make guys earn every single run they score," Harker said. "If Gaddis is A1, he's A2. ... He's just been special."
As a result of the two wins, Furman gets a day off Friday. Thanks to outstanding starting pitching and hitting, the Paladins have only used three relievers thus far and those three have only worked one inning apiece.
"We feel like we're in a good position. We've got (Matthew) Quarles going Saturday and we feel really good about him," Harker said. "And Gaddis threw 57 pitches (Wednesday), so we feel really good about him (pitching again) as well."

Paladins roll over Wofford in SoCon Tournament opener

Furman ace pitcher Will Gaddis has played a starring role in quite a few two-hour baseball games during his college career. But Wednesday's game, which lasted just 1:58, took a different course.
Instead of a tight pitching duel, Gaddis got plenty of offensive support as the fourth-seeded Paladins defeated No. 5 seed Wofford 13-3 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Fluor Field. The game went just seven innings as the SoCon Tournament's mercy rule came into play.
Furman advances to face top-seeded Mercer at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, while Wofford is scheduled to face VMI in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday's game could not have been scripted any better for the Paladins (30-26). Furman did all of its scoring in the first four innings giving coach Brett Harker the peace of mind to pull Gaddis after just five innings.
"We knew we wanted Will out there for five (innings), to get the win. Then it became 'how do I manage his pitch count for a potential championship game,' " Harker said. "That was just another average Will outing, and his average is pretty good."
Gaddis needed just 57 pitches, including 42 strikes, to get through those five innings and he should be good to go if the Paladins reach Sunday's final. Gaddis (9-3) allowed one run on three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts.
It was a different story for Wofford ace Adam Scott (6-6), who allowed just two runs in seven innings of work in his start against Furman in the regular season.
Harker tweaked the Paladins' lineup a bit Wednesday and it immediately paid off. New leadoff man Sky Overton singled to open the first inning. After a Carter Grote single, Landon Kay doubled to right to put Furman ahead 1-0. Cameron Whitehead then hit a majestic home run that landed on the awning just underneath the G and R of the "GREENVILLE DRIVE" sign atop the brick building beyond the Green Monster in left field. Whitehead's shot, estimated at 440 feet, made it 4-0. It's the ninth homer in the last 24 games for Whitehead, who leads the team with 12 total.
"I think that was the best (home run) I've ever had and probably in one of the bigger situations," Whitehead said. "Guys were hitting them up on that roof during last year's tournament and I was thinking, 'wow, how did they do that?' Now I've got one too, so that's pretty cool."
An inning later, Carter Grote just missed a home run as his drive hit near the top of the Green Monster. His RBI-double pushed the lead to 5-0.
Smallball lead to big numbers in the fourth as Furman put the game out of reach with an eight-run inning. Jake Crawford had a swinging bunt to lead off the inning before Overton and Jabari Richards followed with bunt singles. A run-scoring error and RBI-singles by Grote and Kay chased Scott.
Sims Griffith had an RBI-bunt single with the bases loaded before Bret Huebner hit an RBI-single and another run came home on a wild pitch. Overton capped the offensive uprising with his second hit of the inning, a two-single to make it 13-1.
Overton and Grote each went 3-for-3 to lead the Paladins, who piled up 17 hits in their six innings of batting.
Kody Ruedisili went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and McClain Bradley hit a two-run homer, his eighth, to lead the Terriers (28-29).

Grote epitomizes how baseball should be played

Furman's Carter Grote makes a diving catch.
Photo courtesy: Furman University

I don't think I could have a proper Furman baseball blog without writing something about senior leftfielder Carter Grote. I figured a prelude to the Southern Conference Tournament would be as good a time as any.
My friend and former Greenville News' colleague Manie Robinson beat me to it though:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/furman/2017/05/22/college-baseball-socon-tournament-greenville-furman-paladins/335698001/
Manie's terrific story offers insight from Grote and coach Brett Harker about what even casual Furman baseball fans the past few years have noticed - whether it's batting, fielding or running the bases, Grote plays the game the way it's meant to be played.
More on that in a minute.
There's been plenty of fun things to see for fans of the Paladins (29-26) this season as the team went 18-6 in their last 24 regular season games to secure a winning record in Harker's first year.
Brandon Elmy came back from an injury-shortened 2016 season to hit .341 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. After hitting .212 last season, Landon Kay leads Furman with a .344 average to go along with 10 homers and 33 RBIs.
Senior catcher Cameron Whitehead is the third Paladin with double figure homers (11). Whitehead has been on fire down the stretch to raise his average to .300, and he's driven in 30 runs. Meanwhile, opposing baserunners continue to try to run on Whitehead for some reason. He's thrown out 16 of 37 runners trying to steal after throwing out 14 of 25 last season.
Starting pitching has excelled in the second half, led by junior Will Gaddis. After winning 2016 SoCon Pitcher of the Year honors with a 3.45 ERA last season, Gaddis has posted a 1.88 ERA this year. Among pitchers who've thrown at least 88 innings this season, Gaddis' ERA ranks seventh-best in Division I.
Left-handed starter Grant Schuermann has put up an 0.90 ERA over his last four starts and a 35-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last six.
Then there's Grote.
Sure, he's batting .336 with eight home runs, while leading the team in doubles (15), triples (5), RBIs (52), total bases (125), walks (26), on-base percentage (.425), fielding (0 errors) and outfield assists (6). He's also the only Paladin who's started all 55 games.
But it's the way Grote's gone about amassing those numbers that is truly special. In nearly 40 years of following Furman athletics, I can't recall anyone in any sport that's played harder than Grote has every time he's on the field.
One play this season perfectly sums up the effort Grote always puts forth.
On April 29, Furman trailed Citadel 1-0 with one out in the first when Grote hit a routine groundball to short. I never noticed the slightest bobble the Citadel shortstop had fielding it, but I did see Grote fly down the line to barely beat the throw to first. After what should've been the third out, Elmy and Kay hit back-to-back singles and Grote came home with the first of Furman's 19 runs that day.
What's all the more remarkable about what Grote has accomplished in his four seasons is the humble entrance he made into college baseball. I'll never forget the way former coach Ron Smith talked about Grote during his freshman season.
After Greg Harrison, Furman's top hitter in 2014, was suspended along with Smith for a game following an ejection the night before, Grote entered the starting lineup for a Saturday game at then-first place Western Carolina. Grote went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in the Paladins' 9-6 win, including an RBI-single in a three-run ninth inning.
This was what Smith said about Grote following that series' win:
“He had gotten two at-bats on Friday and hit the ball hard twice. On Sunday, we  got him out there in left field and he went 1-for-3 and hit the ball hard one other time. He made two sparkling defensive plays, so he really gave us a lift this weekend.
“This from a guy who was an absolute walk-on tryout. He just hit his way onto the team in the fall and has worked very, very hard.”

Grote is living proof that hard work pays off, sometimes in unimaginable ways.

On March 15, 2016, Grote played a big part of one of the most historic nights in Furman sports history. Nobody knew what was to come that night when the Furman men's basketball team hosted Louisiana-Monroe in the CIT, while the Paladins' baseball team hosted College of Charleston.

After Daniel Fowler hit an off-balance, buzzer-beating jumper in the basketball team's 58-57 win, I left Timmons Arena and made my way across campus to Latham Stadium.

I got there just as Charleston scored in the top of the ninth to snap a 6-6 tie. In the bottom of the ninth, Sims Griffith and Jabari Richards reached before Grote deposited a 1-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a walk-off homer in Furman's 9-7 win.

The next morning, replays of Fowler and Grote's heroics were shown on ESPN. After the highlights, there was Fowler and Grote live on my television screen being interviewed by ESPN anchors about their feats the night before.

I have a six-year-old son and my dream is that some day he's drafted by the Cleveland Indians - preferably high enough to buy his mommy and daddy a new house immediately after signing. But I digress. I don't want to be one of "those" parents.

No matter what dream my son decides to pursue someday, I simply hope that he will chase it just as Carter Grote would.

Gaddis, Elmy, Grote and Love earn All-Socon honors

Four Paladins Garner All-SoCon Honors: Four Furman Paladins have been named All-Southern Conference in voting by league head coaches and media, it was announced today.

Paladins fall in regular season finale

A day after being shut out, Belmont scored in five of its eight innings at bat Saturday as the Bruins topped Furman 9-5 in a rain-shortened eight-inning game in Nashville. The Paladins finish the regular season at 29-26, including a record of 18-6 since April 12.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Furman came back in the second. Sims Griffith hit a two-run single and Jake Crawford's sac fly put the Paladins in front 3-2.
An inning later, Nick Egli's 16th home run this season put the Bruins back ahead for good. Egli finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Matt Cogen added two hits and three RBIs to lead Belmont (28-27), which avoided the series sweep with the win.
Furman starter Matthew Quarles allowed five runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. Quarles (6-4) had four walks and four strikeouts.
Crawford went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead Furman. Carter Grote, Jason Costa and Griffith also had two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Next up for Furman is the Southern Conference Tournament, which begins with the 8/9 play-in game Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Greenville's Fluor Field.
As a result of UNC Greensboro's 14-7 win at Samford Saturday, UNCG tied Furman for third place in the SoCon at 14-10. The Spartans earned the tournament's third seed by winning the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Paladins.
Fourth-seeded Furman will face fifth-seeded Wofford Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Furman clinches sixth straight series win

Furman used a big ninth inning and more brilliant pitching by its top two starters to clinch its sixth consecutive series win Friday. Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis combined on a shutout as the Paladins defeated Belmont 6-0.
The game was scoreless until the ninth when Furman (29-25) broke through in a big way. Landon Kay and Cameron Whitehead had one-out walks then pulled off a double steal. They scored on an RBI-single by Sims Griffith and a run-scoring groundball by Bret Huebner. Jabari Richards added an RBI-single before Carter Grote capped the inning with a three-run home run.
Furman ace Will Gaddis, who made his second career relief appearance when he entered in the eighth, struck out a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game. Gaddis (8-3) had his weekend starting turn skipped in preparation for next week's Southern Conference Tournament.
Schuermann started Friday's game and, for the second week in a row, worked seven scoreless innings. In his last four starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs in 30 innings (0.90). Schuermann scattered six hits, struck out four and had one walk - his first free pass since April 8. Over his last six starts (42 2/3 innings), Schuermann has 35 strikeouts and one walk.
Ben Kocher went 3-for-3 to lead the Bruins (27-27), who didn't have an extra-base hit.
Furman goes for the road series sweep in the regular season finale Saturday at 2 p.m.
Scoreboard watching: Western Carolina defeated Mercer 3-2 Friday, while Samford topped UNC Greensboro 7-1. Those two results secured a second-place finish in the SoCon for Western Carolina (15-8 league record). Furman (14-10) slid into third place, a half-game ahead of UNCG (13-10).
A UNCG win Saturday at Samford would give the Spartans the third-place seed in the SoCon Tournament as a result of holding the tie-breaker advantage over the Paladins.

Elmy pushes Paladins past Belmont

Brandon Elmy's run-scoring double in the ninth inning snapped a tie and Furman held on for a 6-5 win over Belmont Thursday in Nashville. Prior to Thursday, the Paladins had been 0-23 in games in which it trailed or was tied after eight innings.
Furman (28-25) trailed 3-0 through five innings before breaking through with a big sixth inning. The Paladins got on the board thanks to back-to-back run-scoring bunt singles by Sims Griffith and Bret Huebner. After a sacrifice bunt, Jabari Richards homered the opposite way staking Furman to a 5-3 lead.
The Bruins (27-26) came back to tie it with single runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
After Sky Overton led off the ninth with a single on an 0-2 pitch, Elmy doubled down the right-field line sending Overton home with the go-ahead run.
Heath Hawkins came on and collected two strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his second save. Nolan Mullen got his first win of the year without retiring a batter. Mullen entered with a man on first and two out in the eighth. On Mullen's second pitch, Furman catcher Cameron Whitehead threw out Belmont's Chas Hadden trying to steal second to end the inning.
Jabari Richards had three hits to lead Furman's 14-hit effort.
The Paladins and Belmont play game two of the three-game series Friday at 6 p.m.
Scoreboard watching: While Furman has wrapped up Southern Conference play with a record of 14-10, the Paladins final standing and SoCon Tournament seeding will be finalized by other conference games this week.
Mercer, which has already locked up the regular season title and top seed, fell to Western Carolina 8-2 Thursday. That moved the Catamounts into second place at 14-8. UNC Greensboro fell 4-0 at Samford to drop to third place at 13-9, just percentage points ahead of fourth-place Furman. Wofford's 1-0 loss at The Citadel Thursday assured the Paladins of at least a fourth-place finish as the Terriers dropped to 11-11.
Furman can finish anywhere from second to fourth place in the SoCon. For tie-breaking purposes, the Paladins swept Western Carolina and were swept by UNCG.
In the event of a three-way tie for second place between Furman, UNCG and Western Carolina, teams would be seeded based on the record against each other. In that case, UNCG would be the No. 2 seed at 5-1, Furman would be the No. 3 seed at 3-3, and Western Carolina would be the No. 4 seed at 1-5.

Game 52: Georgia 10, Furman 6

Georgia rode a six-run fifth inning to a 10-6 win over Furman Tuesday in Athens, Ga.
Furman jumped out on top with RBI-singles by Brandon Elmy and Sims Griffith in the first inning. The Paladins pushed their lead to 4-1 in the third on an RBI-groundout by Griffith and a run-scoring single by Cameron Whitehead.
Georgia (23-30) answered on Mitchell Webb's two-run triple in the third before taking the lead for good in the fifth. It appeared that Furman would escape a bases-loaded jam with nobody scoring in the fifth, but a ball hit to Elmy at first base for what would've been the third out was misplayed and somehow ruled a single.
Georgia's Will Proctor followed with a two-run single before the Bulldogs' No. 9 hitter, Tucker Maxwell, launched with a three-run home run to cap the inning and give Georgia a 9-4 lead.
Whitehead went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Furman (27-25).
Tucker Bradley and Cam Shepherd each had three hits for the Bulldogs.
The Paladins close out the regular season with a trip to Nashville for a three-game series at Belmont beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.
With Belmont being a non-conference series, Furman has shaken up its weekend rotation. Jake Crawford will start Thursday's game, followed by Grant Schuermann Friday and Matthew Quarles on Saturday.
The Paladins will be doing some scoreboard watching as the final weekend of Southern Conference play will determine where Furman finishes. The Paladins are currently in fourth place in the league at 14-10, but can finish anywhere from second to fourth - and could be seeded anywhere from second to fifth in the SoCon Tournament.
The tournament begins Tuesday at Greenville's Fluor Field, with Furman's first game coming Wednesday.

Furman's Gaddis Named SoCon Pitcher Of The Week

Furman's Gaddis Named SoCon Pitcher Of The Week: Furman junior right-hander Will Gaddis has been named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Paladins suffers sour end to SoCon regular season

Baseball seasons are filled with ups and downs. For Furman this year, it's been a gigantic roller coaster. Sunday's Southern Conference regular season finale symbolized that perfectly.
When Furman put seven runs up in the first inning Sunday against VMI, it appeared the Paladins were on their way to their fourth sweep in the past five SoCon series. A win Sunday would've made Furman 17-3 in its last 20 games following a 3-17 showing in the previous 20 games.
But it was not to be.
While two VMI relievers shut out the Paladins over the final 12 2/3 innings, the Keydets chipped away and pulled out a stunning 9-7 win in 13 innings.
Carter Grote began Furman's big opening inning with a one-out double. After each of his teammates that followed all reached, Grote made the second out of the inning on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. Brandon Elmy belted a three-run home run for his team-leading 11th round tripper this season. Cameron Whitehead had an RBI-single and Bret Huebner hit a two-run double also in the first.
But that was it for Furman's offensive day. VMI's Matthew Eagle allowed five hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings, before Ryan Bennett (5-0) gave up three hits in seven scoreless innings to earn the win.
Furman senior Matthew Quarles looked to close out his home career with a win, but pitched in and out of trouble over his five innings of work. Despite allowing eight hits and four walks, Quarles limited the Keydets to three runs and left with a 7-3 lead after five innings.
Tyler Kimbrell, who had allowed just one earned run over his last 11 innings since March 8, came on in relief and worked an easy 1-2-3 sixth inning. It was a different story in the seventh though as VMI rallied for four runs. Jake Huggins capped it with a game-tying three-run homer.
Despite blowing the big lead, it appeared that Furman was still destined to win. That was especially the case when VMI left two runners on the ninth, then left the bases loaded in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings without scoring. The Keydets (21-29, 7-14), who had 19 hits, drew 11 walks and stranded 21 baserunners, finally broke through again with two runs in the 13th thanks in part to Furman's first two errors of the game.
The Paladins could not take advantage of its chances as VMI committed all four of its errors over the final four innings. A pair of errors and a walk loaded the bases for Furman in the bottom of the 13th, but Bennett got Sims Griffith to bounce into a double play to end the game.
The sour taste from Sunday's loss shouldn't spoil the remarkable turnaround the Paladins made in SoCon play. After a 1-8 start in the conference, Furman finished at 14-10. The Paladins (27-24) are currently in fourth place in the SoCon, but can finish anywhere from second to fourth. While Furman has completed conference play, every other SoCon team has one league series left.
The Paladins return to action Tuesday at Georgia at 6 p.m.

Paladins stay perfect in doubleheaders

Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis combined to toss 15 shutout innings Saturday to help keep Furman perfect in doubleheaders this season. The Paladins defeated VMI 4-1 and 8-2 to improve to 6-0 in twin bills.
Furman improved to 27-23 overall and moved to third place in the Southern Conference standings at 14-9. It's the fifth consecutive Southern Conference series win for Furman, who will go for its fourth sweep in those five series Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
Game 1 - Furman 4, VMI 1
Schuermann posted his third consecutive outstanding start to lead Furman to a win in the opener Saturday. Schuermann (6-4) allowed three hits and no walks in seven scoreless innings and tallied a season-high eight strikeouts.
Over his last three starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs over 23 innings. Schuermann has 31 strikeouts and no walks over his last five starts (35 2/3 innings).
VMI ace Josh Widner, who entered Saturday with 100 strikeouts and 16 walks in 89 innings this season, matched Schuermann for the first six innings.
Furman finally broke through when Landon Kay blasted a two-run home run in the seventh. It's the 10th homer of the season for Kay and sixth in his last eight games. The Paladins added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI-double by Bret Huebner and an RBI-single by Jabari Richards.
Josh Hollifield had all of the Keydets' offense with his first collegiate homer in the eighth.
Game 2 - Furman 8, VMI 2
Gaddis cruised through eight scoreless innings to record his fifth consecutive win and lower his SoCon-best ERA to 1.92, capping the doubleheader sweep in a game that took 2:05. Gaddis (7-3) allowed four hits - all singles, one walk and struck out six.
The Paladins took a 3-0 lead in the third after four consecutive two-out hits. Cam Whitehead started the scoring with a home run. After a Bret Huebner singled, Jake Crawford doubled him home. Jabari Richards' single scored Crawford.
After Kay led off the sixth with a double, Whitehead homered again to push Furman's lead to 5-0. That pulled Whitehead into a tie with Kay and Brandon Elmy for the team lead in homers (10).
Crawford capped the scoring with a three-run homer in the eighth.
Kay went 3-for-4 to lead a Furman offense that piled up 14 hits.
In the ninth, Matt Pita tripled and Tyler Tharp followed with his 16th home run to account for the scoring for VMI (20-29, 6-14).
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Paladins continue to help fight pediatric cancer

Furman players get their heads shaved Tuesday night at Fluor Field.

As sports fans, it's easy to become completely wrapped up in the wins and losses on the field. Each year, the Furman baseball team participates in an event that helps remind us that there are much more important things in life.
That was exemplified once again Tuesday night when the tradition continued at Fluor Field. While they had just wrapped up a tough loss to Clemson, the Paladins' tensions mellowed as they gathered atop their dugout. As players and coaches sat back in barber chairs, smiles, chatter and laughter began as family and friends watched the team go through its annual head shaving.
As has been the case for the past several seasons, this was all in support of a great cause. Furman is among many college baseball teams all over the country that have raised thousands of dollars over the years for the Vs. Cancer Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping fight childhood cancer.
The Paladins have ranked among the top fundraising teams over the years and this season is no different. As of Wednesday, Furman efforts totaled $14,291, surpassing the original goal of $10,000.
Stylists from Great Clips and SportsClips were on hand to do the shaving Tuesday night.
Half of all proceeds raised from Vs. Cancer head-shaving events goes to a local childhood cancer hospital. The other half funds research at the national level.
While the Paladins' early summer haircuts are done, their fund-raising efforts continue. Donations can be made online here: Furman's Vs. Cancer fundraising page.

Furman falls to Clemson at Fluor Field

Furman hosts Clemson at Fluor Field Tuesday night.

As the calendar inches closer to the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, Furman's search for a fourth starter continued Tuesday night at the home of the tournament. Seventh-ranked Clemson jumped on top early and went on to a 10-5 win at Fluor Field.

The final tally saddled Furman (25-23) with back-to-back losses for the first time since April 11. While the Paladins have still won 14 of their last 17 games, it's the third midweek game in a row that Furman's starter has been hit hard early.

Clemson (37-12) took the lead right off the bat Tuesday as Logan Davidson belted a leadoff homer. While the Tigers didn't hit another longball the rest of the night, they piled up a total of 15 hits and held a 9-2 lead by the fifth inning.

Clemson led 10-2 in the sixth when Furman rallied a bit. Brandon Elmy led off the bottom of the inning with his team-high 10th home run. Landon Kay singled and Cameron Whitehead doubled before an error allowed two runs to score cutting the lead in half. With two on and one out, Clemson reliever Owen Griffith came on and got Jabari Richards to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Griffith and Jeremy Beasley shut out Furman the rest of the way, preserving the win for Clemson starter Tyler Jackson (8-1). Jackson allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Furman starter Jake Crawford (1-4) gave up three runs in his only inning of work to take the loss.

Elmy and Landon Kay, who hit his ninth homer, led the Paladins with two hits apiece.

Furman returns to action this weekend, wrapping up the SoCon - and home - portion of its schedule with a series against VMI. Game one Friday is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

The Paladins enter the series in fourth place in the SoCon with a record of 12-9. Western Carolina (13-8) and UNC Greensboro (11-7) sit slightly ahead of Furman, while Wofford (10-8) is just behind in the standings. The Paladins are trying to finish above third in the SoCon for the first time since winning the league championship in 1976.

Samford ends Furman's 11-game SoCon winning streak

All it took to end Furman's 11-game Southern Conference winning streak was the league's top closer working twice as long as he had all year Sunday. Samford standout reliever Wyatt Burns tossed six scoreless innings as the Bulldogs rallied for a 4-3 win.
Samford's win denied the Paladins' bid for a fourth consecutive SoCon series sweep.
Things looked good early on for Furman (25-22, 12-9) as Jake Crawford hit a two-out, RBI-single in the second. With two out in the third, Brandon Elmy hit an RBI-double and Landon Kay followed with an RBI-single to stake the Paladins to a 3-0 lead.
When the Paladins came to bat in the fourth they were greeted by Burns, who leads the SoCon in saves with 12. Burns allowed a pair of one-out singles, but got out of the jam and Samford rallied in the bottom of the inning.
With one out in the fourth, Austin Edens hit his ninth home run. After a single and a walk, Ayrton Schafer belted his eighth homer to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead.
Burns made the lead hold up, allowing only two more hits the rest of the way. One of those was a double by Jabari Richards in the ninth. Sky Overton was hit by a pitch with two out, putting two men on for Brandon Elmy. Elmy hit a rocket right at Samford third baseman Taylor Garris who made the catch to end the game.
Burns (4-0), who's longest outing this year prior to Sunday was three innings, had no walks and two strikeouts. Burns, who threw 63 of his 80 pitches for strikes, has won or saved 59.3 percent of the wins for Samford (27-21, 8-10) this season.
Troy Dixon went 3-for-3 to lead the Bulldogs.
Matthew Quarles (6-3) allowed four runs on six his in 6 1/3 innings for Furman. Richards went 3-for-5 for Furman, which stranded 10 baserunners and failed to take advantage of three Samford errors.
The Paladins return to action Tuesday when they take on Clemson at Fluor Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Schuermann, Gaddis toss complete games in Furman's doubleheader sweep

After a historic night of offense in its previous game Wednesday, Furman followed with possibly a historic pitching performance on Saturday at Samford. Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis each threw completes games as the Paladins swept a doubleheader. It's believed to be the first time in school history that two pitchers each completed nine-inning games in a doubleheader.
Schuermann needed just 92 pitches to win game one 3-2, while Gaddis needed just 96 for a 4-1 win in game two. Of the 188 combined pitches, 135 went for strikes. That's an average of less than three balls (2.94) thrown per inning.
It's the 11th consecutive Southern Conference win for Furman, who's won 14 of its last 15 games.
Game 1 - Furman 3, Samford 2
Catcher Cameron Whitehead provided all the offensive support Schuermann needed in the opening game, which lasted just 1:50. In the top of the fifth, Sims Griffith led off with a single and Whitehead followed with a home run to give the Paladins a 2-0 lead.
Schuermann who retired the first 10 Samford batters, gave up his first run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI-single by Samford's Anthony Mulrine.
Whitehead pushed the lead back to two his next time up when he slugged his eighth homer in the seventh. Samford answered in the bottom of the inning when Austin Edens led off with his eight homer.
Unfazed, Schuermann faced the minimum of batters the rest of the way. He allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Schuermann (5-4) induced 16 groundball outs.
Game 2 - Furman 4, Samford 1
Both teams played five scoreless innings before Carter Grote stroked a 1-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for his seventh home run in the sixth. Sky Overton followed with a single and steal before Brandon Elmy singled. Landon Kay's groundout scored Overton to make it 2-0.
Samford cut the lead in half when Troy Dixon homered on Gaddis' first pitch of the sixth.
Furman provided some breathing room for Gaddis in the next inning on an RBI-single by Grote and an RBI-double by Overton.
Gaddis retired the final 10 Samford batters in order for his fourth career complete game. Gaddis (6-3) allowed one run on four hits and one walk. He struck out six.
Grote went 3-for-5 to lead Furman (25-21, 12-8).
Branden Fryman, son of former Cleveland Indians' All-Star Travis Fryman, went 2-for-4 to account for half the hits for Samford (26-21, 7-10).
The Paladins go for their fourth straight SoCon series sweep Sunday at 2 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Paladins rout Gardner-Webb in record fashion

What a difference a week makes.
Facing the same Gardner-Webb team and starting pitcher Furman was blanked by seven days earlier, the Paladins avenged that 5-0 loss in historic fashion Wednesday. The friendly confines of Latham Stadium served as a launching pad as Furman shattered records in a 27-10 win.
One batter into the bottom of the fourth inning, every Furman starter already had a hit as the Paladins won for the 12th time in their last 13 games. Furman (23-21), which earlier this season went 33 innings without scoring a run, has scored 56 runs over its last 17 innings of batting.
Three school records were set Wednesday:

• Furman's 28 hits broke a record that had stood for more than a century. The Paladins had 27 hits in a 22-7 win over Presbyterian in 1915.
• The Paladins belted seven home runs topping the previous record of six set in a 13-9 win over Marshall 20 years ago.
• Furman's seventh home run of the night was hit by senior Carter Grote, who also broke the single-game record for hits with the round-tripper. Grote went 6-for-7 and posted career highs in RBIs (6) and runs (5).

The Paladins took a 3-0 lead after one inning before Gardner-Webb blasted three home runs in a six-run second inning. Furman responded with its version of home run derby in the bottom of the inning. After Sky Overton's three-run homer tied it, Brandon Elmy and Landon Kay made it back-to-back-to-back homers as the Paladins took an 8-6 lead.

That was just a sign of what was to come as Furman scored at least two runs in all but the fifth inning, when the Paladins were oddly enough retired in order on seven pitches. In the sixth, Elmy and Kay hit back-to-back homers again pushing the lead to 20-6. Over the last four games, Kay has hit a pair of homers in the same game twice.

Backup catcher John Michael Boswell belted his first career home run in the eighth, before Grote capped the offensive onslaught with a three-run homer.

Overton and Elmy each had five RBIs, while Jabari Richards, Overton, Elmy and Jake Crawford each scored four runs. Kay and Crawford added four hits apiece.

After Gardner-Webb's six-run second, Furman relievers Billy Greenfield (2-1), Heath Hawkins and Nolan Mullen shut out the Bulldogs (22-22) over the next 5 1/3 innings.

The 28-hit effort helped push Furman's team batting average to .314, which was tied for 12th-highest in Division I through Wednesday. The Paladins' .486 slugging percentage ranked 11th nationally.

Next up, Furman will carry its nine-game winning streak in Southern Conference play to Samford for a weekend series. Game one is scheduled to begin Friday at 7 p.m.