Game Notes vs. Xavier

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University baseball team opens BIG EAST play this weekend, hosting Xavier University in a three-game series at Shirley Povich Field. Due to impending weather expected on Saturday, the two teams will now play a doubleheader, two nine-inning games, on Friday before concluding the series with a single game on Sunday. Live stats and a subscription-based video stream for all three games will be available at GUHoyas.com.

Game one on Friday will begin at 3 p.m. with the second game starting 30 minutes after its conclusion. Sunday's finale is still scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

Georgetown (7-19), which had both of its midweek games postponed because of weather, is coming off of a tough weekend at UNC Greensboro, falling in all three games. The Hoyas scored first on both Thursday and Friday, but fell by 7-3 and 5-2 scores. In Saturday's series finale, Eddie McCabe (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning, his first career homer, but the Spartans rallied for the 5-4 win. GU's pitching staff held the powerful UNCG offense in check, lowering the second-best batting average in the country by six points and holding the Spartans under their season average in hits and runs in all three games.

On Monday, freshman left-handed pitcher Jacob Grzebinski (Bellaire, Texas/Emery Weiner) was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. He picked up his first career win, going 6.0 strong innings, on just 72 pitches, and allowing just one run in a win over Delaware State on March 27. He gave up only three hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out a career-best six, retiring 12-straight hitters at one point. It is Grzebinski's first career weekly award, and the fourth honor roll selection for the Hoyas this season.

For the season, Richie O'Reilly (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Loyola HS) leads the Hoyas with a .333 (17-for-51) batting average. McCabe, who has started all 26 games at shortstop, is batting .320 (33-for-103) with team highs of nine doubles and 22 RBIs. He currently ranks third in the BIG EAST in doubles and fourth in hits and RBIs. Austin Shirley (Strafford, Pa./Conestoga) and Ryan M. Davis (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley) are tied for the team lead with eight stolen bases, which ranks second in the BIG EAST.

Xavier (10-17) comes into the weekend having won its most recent game, a 22-14 slugfest over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. The Musketeers are led by Joe Gellenbeck and Conor Grammes who are hitting .324 and .321, respectively, with four home runs apiece. Gellenbeck also has a team-high nine doubles and 17 RBIs. Matt Warkentin is batting just .233, but has a team-best six home runs, which ranks second in the BIG EAST. As a squad, Xavier is batting .251 with a conference-leading 24 home runs, but the pitching staff has allowed league-worst 30 homers and owns a 6.32 staff ERA.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday -- Game One
Georgetown - RHP Jack Cushing (1-4, 6.55 ERA, 33.0 IP, 26 K)
Xavier - RHP Damien Richard (0-4, 3.19 ERA, 31.0 IP, 32 K)

Friday -- Game Two
Georgetown -- LHP Brent Killam (3-1, 2.36 ERA, 34.1 IP, 41 K)
Xavier - RHP Matt Kent (2-0, 4.76 ERA, 28.1 IP, 23 K)

Sunday (1 p.m.)
Georgetown -- TBD
Xavier - TBD

Following this weekend's series, the Blue & Gray will play a road midweek game against Navy on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Annapolis. The Hoyas will then have their BIG EAST bye week next weekend, April 13-15 and will play a split weekend against George Mason. Friday's and Saturday's games will be at Shirley Povich Field, while Sunday's contest will be played in Fairfax, Virginia.