Game_Notes

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University baseball team will hit the road for a pair of midweek games, traveling south to the University of Virginia, ranked No. 12 in the nation by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), on Tuesday before heading north to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Wednesday. First pitches are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The Hoyas (8-10) will start sophomore right-hander Simon Mathews (West Haven, Conn./Hopkins School) on Tuesday. Mathews (1-2, 3.91 ERA) will be making his second start of the season, after going three innings in a "staff day" last week to pick up the victory at Navy. He also pitched four near-perfect innings in relief with seven strikeouts, all looking, in game two of Saturday's doubleheader against Brown. He has now struck out 15 batters looking this season, which leads the entire BIG EAST.

Redshirt senior Jack Vander Linden (Dallas, Texas/The Episcopal School of Dallas) will start for the Blue & Gray at UMES on Wednesday. Vander Linden (0-2, 3.86 ERA) has pitched seven innings in three starts this year as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery last spring.

The Hoya offense is led by Nick Collins (Carthage, N.C./Union Pines) with a .333 (25-for-75) batting average. He has three, three-hit games in Georgetown's past six contests. Joseph Bialkowski (Raleigh, N.C./Needham B. Broughton) and Jake Kuzbel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Ridge) are both also batting over .300, coming in with averages of .311 and .307, respectively. Kuzbel also leads the team with eight doubles and has one of GU's two grand slams this season, joined by AC Carter (Winter Park, Fla./Orangewood Christian).

On Monday, freshman second-baseman Chase Bushor (San Diego, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) was selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in his career. Bushor batted .353 (6-for-17) with two multi-hit games and seven RBI in four games last week. He had two hits and three RBI on Sunday in a tough, 8-7 loss in 10 innings versus Brown, including a two-out, two run single to cap a four-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Bushor now leads Georgetown with 15 RBI on the season.

Last Time Out...
The Hoyas dropped two out of three games to Brown over the weekend in GU's first home games of the season. Georgetown took game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 12-0, before dropping game two, 4-1. In Sunday's finale, GU scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth, capped by a two-out, two run single from Bushor to force extra innings, but ultimately fell 8-7 in 10 innings.

The shutout in the series opener was Georgetown's first team shutout since April 21, 2013 in a 2-0 victory over Seton Hall.

Scouting Virginia ...
Virginia enters Tuesday's matchup with a 14-7 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Cavaliers have a team batting average of .263 and have powered out 17 home runs this season. The pitching staff has a respectable 2.99 ERA.

The offense is led by Matt Thaiss, who is batting .355 (27-for-76) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 21 games. Kenny Towns is hitting .337 (29-for-86) with a home run, nine doubles and 20 RBI. Tuesday's starting pitcher, Alec Bettinger, is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. Virginia's bullpen is led by Kevin Doherty (1-0, 2.60 ERA in eight appearances) and closer Josh Sborz (1-2, 3.00 ERA, 16 strikeouts and five saves).

Scouting UMES ...
UMES owns a 6-15 record coming into Wednesday's contest. The Hawks have been shutout six times already this season and own a .190 team batting average. The pitching staff has a team ERA of 5.83 and opponents are hitting .286 against them.

Mike Escanilla is the lone Hawk batting over .300, coming in at .313 (15-for-48) in 14 games played. Greg Turlik is batting .232 (16-for-69) and leads UMES with three home runs and 12 RBI. Chipper Smith, who will likely get the start for the Hawks on Wednesday, comes in with a 1-2 record with a 5.40 ERA in eight appearances. Devine Repine leads the bullpen with a 1.35 ERA in six appearances.

What's Up Next ...
GU will travel to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend for a three-game series at Lipscomb University. First pitch on Friday night is schedule for 7 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday starting at 3 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.