Furman baseball gets needed win "for Deon"

Deon Sanders gives a baseball to a young fan earlier this season. Sanders was seriously
injured prior to Furman's 7-2 win over Gardner-Webb Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

Ten days into any sports season is really too early for any "must win" situations, especially in baseball. But after a tumultuous start to the 2019 season thanks to inconsistency, injuries and just plain lousy weather, Furman really needed a win Monday for more than obvious reasons.

Monday's starter, David Dunlavey, served up that needed "W" in style. Dunlavey became the first Paladin since Will Gaddis to tally 10 strikeouts in a game as Furman handed Gardner-Webb its first loss of the season, 7-2, at Latham Stadium.

After losing starting third baseman Jake Crawford to injury well before the season, Furman recently lost starting leftfielder Jabari Richards for up to six weeks with an injury. Monday's lineup featured starting catcher Dax Roper limited to designated hitter duties due to a knee injury that forced him to leave Sunday's game and starting DH Trent Alley out with a nagging injury. Before Monday's game, the latest blow came when first baseman Deon Sanders suffered a horrific knee injury during pregame infield drills.

Sanders has hit some majestic home runs during his Paladin career despite being limited by injuries and splitting time with football where he played running back. He battled his way back from a torn knee in the football preseason of 2016, to play both sports again. Sanders recently wrapped up his last season of football this past fall to concentrate on his first full spring with the baseball team this year.

"We've had a lot of adversity and we're banged up right now. Seeing Deon Sanders get hurt in the pregame was one of the tougher things I've seen right before a game starts," Furman coach Brett Harker said after Monday's win. "It was emotional and everybody was real down. I just said, 'man, this is why this team's different. We've got to pull together and play for Deon.'
"That's one of the most complete games I've seen out of our ball club in awhile."

While the win improved Furman to 2-3 this season, Monday marked the first time the Paladins left the ballpark coming off a win. The other victory came in the first game of a doubleheader against Morehead State last Saturday.

Like Sanders, Dunlavey knows all about coming back from a serious injury. The Spartanburg native was expected to challenge for a starting spot in the weekend rotation last year after transferring in from USC Lancaster. That changed after a torn UCL in the fall of 2017 led to him sitting out last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

After his own error proved costly in a loss in his Paladin debut last Saturday, Dunlavey (1-1) enjoyed greater command Monday. He allowed two runs - on a pair of solo home runs - on four hits in six innings, to go along with two walks and 10 strikeouts. The last time a Furman pitcher fanned 10 batter came in 2017 by Gaddis against Mercer.

"That's what we were looking forward to seeing last season before his injury," Harker said. "He's technically a redshirt junior, so you think he's experienced, but he's really not - especially in this stadium with this uniform on. To see him have that type of game in just his second game kind of lets you know how special he can be."

With fellow weekend starter Matt Lazzaro available out of the bullpen, it wasn't clear if Dunlavey would start the sixth. But in a 2-2 game, Harker sent Dunlavey back out there and he delivered a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts to end it.

Furman's offense then put Dunlavey in position for the win. After Sterling Turmon led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, there were two quick outs before Jordan Starkes singled. Banks Griffith followed with a roped double to left-center to score Turmon and Starkes. Roper provided some cushion when he crushed a pitch down the left field line for a two-run homer. Logan Taplett provided more breathing room in the seventh when he led off with his first career homer.

That was more than enough for Lazzaro and Rob Hughes out of the bullpen. The last 14 Gardner-Webb batters were retired to end the game, as Lazzaro struck out two in two perfect innings and Hughes had one strikeout in a perfect ninth. That pitching wrapped the game up in a tidy two hours and 15 minutes.

"As a pitching guy, that's my kinda game right there," Harker said. "They all really threw the ball well."

Roper had three of Furman's 12 hits, while Griffith went 2-for-5 and Bret Huebner was 2-for-4. In his Furman debut, Turmon - a former St. Joseph's and Eastside High standout who transferred from Spartanburg Methodist - went 2-for-3.

"What a huge day for (Turmon)," Harker said. "You don't know in life how many times you're going to get that opportunity (to start), and boy did he make the most of it."

Furman returns to action Wednesday, hosting UNC Asheville at 6 p.m.

Paladins look sharp in spring scrimmage

Thomas Gordon had four catches for 61 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown, in
Furman's Purple-White spring scrimmage Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

An unofficial end to a wet, chilly month of Furman spring football practice was held on a wet, chilly day at Paladin Stadium Saturday afternoon. After going through typical practice sessions for a little more than an hour, the annual Purple-White scrimmage was a good bit shorter than in past years.

Furman coach Clay Hendrix said the scrimmage was limited because he didn't want the team to go through a whole lot of tackling on the next-to-last practice of the spring. Spring practice officially wraps up with a two-hour practice session Tuesday morning at Paladin Stadium.

The Paladins looked sharp during Saturday's scrimmage, especially for a spring practice. There were no turnovers offensively and seemingly no blown reads on either side of the ball.

"It's been a really productive spring," Hendrix said following Saturday's scrimmage. "We'll wrap up Tuesday, have some individual meetings with coaches and this time next week the players will be on spring break.
"When we come back, it's all about getting bigger, faster and stronger. We've got some good bodies and recruited well."

Spring practice has offered the first bit of competition to replace graduated starting quarterback Harris Roberts. Redshirt freshmen Darren Grainger and Hamp Sisson are battling for the job, while sophomore Jack Hardin has gotten many reps as well.

During Saturday's scrimmage, Hardin made the most of his chances going 4-for-4 for 55 yards. He also made the prettiest throw of the day on a rainbow toss to Thomas Gordon for a 33-yard touchdown off play action.

Sisson was 4-of-6 passing for 46 yards, while Grainger was 3-of-7 for 32 yards.

"I thought they both had a pretty good day, which is how it's kind of been every day," Hendrix said. "There's been a few growing pains like you'd expect, but they're at where they started (in the competition). They both have made significant progress.
"It's about like I thought it'd be. I would've been surprised if anybody distanced themselves from each other, based on spring practice."

Hendrix said Hardin's progressed nicely since suffering a torn labrum in last year's spring scrimmage.

"We feel good about all those guys. There's just a lot of work to be done between now and when we start practice again," Hendrix said. "That will be the key for them - the progress we make going forward.
"These quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs have got to continue throwing and catching and we can't be out there with them. I think Darren, Hamp and Jack are prepared to lead that group in the offseason stuff. I'd be shocked if that's not the case."

Gordon led the receivers Saturday with four catches for 61 yards, while Dejuan Bell had three receptions for 34 yards. Also offensively, Corey Watkins ran three times for 12 yards, including a four-yard touchdown, while Devin Wynn had 11 yards on three carries.

On a miserable day to kick, All-SoCon kicker Grayson Atkins was in midseason form. After hitting a 43-yard field goal, Atkins was wide left on one 53-yard attempt before connecting on his next attempt from 53 yards out. Atkins later had a 32-yard attempt bounce off the upright no good before making his final kick from 23 yards out.

What could prove to be just as beneficial as to what was going on between the hash marks Saturday, was what was going on along the sidelines. That's where a large group of young high school players got a first-hand look at how Furman football operates as they made Junior Day visits.

"We had an unbelievable crowd - well over 300 prospects here," Hendrix said. "We're excited about that part of the offseason where you're recruiting juniors."

Paladins drop home finale to Wofford

Jordan Lyons had 16 points and 7 rebounds in Furman's 72-64
loss to Wofford Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

One of the big parts of Furman's six-game winning streak entering Saturday was consistency. Any subpar play by the Paladins seemingly lasted no more than one or two minutes during the streak.

Then Wofford came to town. The Terriers turned an early five-point deficit midway through the first half into a double-digit lead by halftime and went on to a 72-64 win in perhaps the biggest game Timmons Arena has ever hosted. Fletcher Magee scored 23 points and hit some big shots in the second half to help spoil Furman's Senior Day.

"They played very well, very physical and Fletcher did what Fletcher does. He made big shots in critical situations," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "The most important thing is we've got to be able to respond to this. Hopefully this wasn't the most important game of the year. It's going to hurt today, but we've got to get off the mat. We've got a lot left to play for."

In recording its first win in Greenville since 2015, Wofford (24-4, 16-0 Southern Conference) extended its school-record winning streak to 16 games. The Paladins (22-6, 11-5) remain in fourth place in the SoCon with one week left in the regular season. Furman is one game back of ETSU and one-and-a-half back of UNCG. If UNCG wins at home Sunday against ETSU and all three teams win out, the Paladins would earn the third-place tiebreaker over ETSU.

A glance at the boxscore gives the appearance of two very even teams that many thought would put on another classic as they did earlier this season in Spartanburg. Wofford shot 46.7 percent, while Furman shot 46.2. The Terriers hit 9-of-30 (30 percent) 3-pointers, while the Paladins were 6-of-19 (31.6 percent). Wofford had a 33-30 rebounding edge, a 13-10 advantage in assists and both teams had eight turnovers apiece.

The difference could be found at the bottom of the boxscore. Wofford scored 11 points off Furman's eight turnovers, while the Paladins scored just four off the Terriers' eight. Wofford had 12 points off nine offensive rebounds, while Furman had only two off its six offensive boards. Seven of Wofford's nine offensive rebounds came in the first half as the Terriers took control.

Wofford also didn't allow Furman to do the little things its done this season to be successful. The Paladins entered the day leading the SoCon in steals (9.1 per game) and blocked shots (4.3) per game. Furman had only three steals and two blocks Saturday.

"They do a phenomenal job taking care of the ball, so if you're going to make them turn it over you're going to have to have active hands, get some pressure on the passers and make sure you're flying around," Richey said. "I didn't think we did a good job of that in the first half. ... If you allow them to have rhythm, there's a reason they're 16-0 in the league."

The turning of the tide was as swift as it was stunning in the first half. When Jalen Slawson slammed home a crowd-energizing putback with 10:53 left, Furman led 21-16 and was 9-of-13 from the floor. It was an unusual path to the early lead as the Paladins - who often come out firing up 3-pointers - were just 1-of-1 from beyond the arc at that point.

Then the wheels came off. After Furman's first turnover ended its next possession, the Paladins missed six consecutive shots - all 3-pointers. Furman's scoring drought of 5:35 ended when Matt Rafferty made a beautiful pass to a cutting Alex Hunter for a layup that cut Wofford's lead to 25-23. The Paladins went 0-for-5 from the field the rest of the half though and trailed 39-28 at the break. All told over the final 10:52 of the half, Furman went 1-for-12 from the floor on 17 possessions and was outscored 23-7.

"I thought over the first five or six minutes, I thought we did a great job cutting, the ball was moving and feet were moving," Richey said. "Then they got really physical on our cuts. It made us not cut as hard or as frequently. We had 13 'good cuts' in the first half and six of those came in the first four minutes of the game.
"They (Wofford) are veterans with good defensive schemes. If you let them sit there in the gaps with all their size down in the paint, if you don't move it then it makes it hard to score. ... We just wanted to sit there and watch Matt a little bit. We're just not nearly as good when we do that."

Wofford took its biggest lead of the day 19 seconds into the second half when Nathan Hoover popped a 3-pointer to make it 42-28. Furman fought back and Jordan Lyons' jumper cut the lead to 49-46 with 12:47 left. Wofford's next possession ended on a rejection by Rafferty that made Timmons as loud as it was all day. Furman couldn't capitalize as it missed a pair of game-tying 3-pointers then committed a turnover on its next possession when still trailing by three.

Every time Furman had any sense of a comeback, Magee snuffed it out. After Rafferty's 3-pointer cut the lead to 54-49, Magee hit a jumper 17 seconds later. After Rafferty's jumper with 4:17 left cut the lead to 62-55, Magee hit a 3-pointer 20 seconds later. After Clay Mounce's 3-pointer cut the lead to 67-59 with 2:36, Wofford ran down the entire shot clock before Magee drilled a 3-pointer that essentially sealed the win with two minutes to play.

"I was proud of our guys for continuing to fight. I don't think we played with enough spirit and fight in the first half and that's on me," Richey said. "By the time we came out in the second half and played with it, in a big game like that, it was too late."

In addition to Magee's 23-point performance, Cameron Jackson had 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Terriers. In the first meeting this season, he had only seven points and five boards.

In his final home game, Rafferty finished with a game-high 24 points, along with seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Jordan Lyons had 16 points and a season-high seven rebounds while Mounce finished with 12 points. Lyons second 3-pointer of the game broke Anthony Thomas' single-season school record of 88 made 3-pointers set in 2001-02.

"The loss doesn't take away from how proud I am of this group and these seniors and what they've meant to this program," Richey said. "It was a great day to be able to honor them. There's a reason they're the all-time winningest players in program history. I hated we couldn't come out with a win for them."

Saturday hoops showdown could be historic

When Furman and Wofford clash Saturday at Timmons Arena, it could be one of
the biggest games in Southern Conference history. Photo courtesy of Furman

During the Furman men's basketball team rise from the bottom towards the top of the Southern Conference over the past few seasons, quite a few of its games against Wofford have been classics. This includes the first meeting this season, when the Terriers ended the game with a 7-0 run over the final 55 seconds to capture a 59-54 win in Spartanburg.

Both teams had a full week to prepare for that intense barn burner. When the teams face off in Saturday's rematch at Timmons Arena at 4 p.m., that will once again be the case. While the rest of the league was in game action Thursday, the Paladins (22-5, 11-4) and Terriers (23-4, 15-0) were preparing for what could prove to be one of the most historic SoCon basketball games ever.

Even with Wofford having already wrapped up the SoCon's regular season title and No. 1 seed for the SoCon Tournament, there's so much still on the line Saturday:

• It's the last home game for Furman's seniors, including the winningest players in school history - Andrew Brown and Matt Rafferty.
• Furman is going for its seventh consecutive win and trying to break the record for most regular season wins in school history.
• Wofford, which is knocking on the door of the AP and Coaches' Top 25 polls, is trying to extend its school-record winning streak to 15 games.
• It's the latest installment of what's become the best rivalry in the SoCon over the last four-and-a-half seasons. Ever since a last-place Furman team - playing without star Stephen Croone - lost 62-60 to a first-place Wofford team in the 2014-15 regular season finale, eight of the nine meetings have been decided by single digits. The only one that wasn't was last year's game in Greenville, which Furman won 76-52.
• A Furman win Saturday could prove to be crucial in SoCon Tournament seeding tie-breaker scenarios with ETSU and UNCG, both of whom were swept by Wofford.
• A Wofford win would tie the school record for most SoCon wins in a season set in 2014-15. It would also greatly increase the chances of the Terriers joining Davidson as the only SoCon members to ever go at least 18-0 in league play. The Wildcats went 20-0 in 2007-08.
• While either player would surely trade any personal glory for a win Saturday, it will also be the last chance for SoCon Player of the Year voters to see Rafferty and Wofford legend Fletcher Magee on the court at the same time.

And then there's one factor nobody could have predicted being discussed. It's an impact from this game that might not be felt until 22 days later. That will be selection Sunday. When the NCAA Tournament field is revealed that evening, it could include two SoCon teams for the very first time.

This season, the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings are - supposedly - being used to select and seed teams for the NCAA Tournament's field of 68. In the rankings through Thursday's games, Wofford is ranked 24th while Furman is 45th. For what it's worth, the Paladins were No. 42 two days earlier. UNCG and ETSU are No. 60 and 68, respectively. Both the Spartans (23-5, 12-3) and Buccaneers (22-7, 12-4) won Thursday, making the SoCon the only conference with four 22-win teams. In fact, no other conference has more than two.

Many national pundits are taking notice of the SoCon. On last Saturday's edition of ESPN's Gameday, analyst Jay Bilas predicted that if Wofford runs the table in league play, the Terriers would make the NCAAs no matter what happens in Asheville.

Among the major "bracketology" predictions, Bleacher Report's is showing mid-majors quite a bit of respect. BR's Kerry Miller on Monday projected Wofford as a No. 7 seed facing Syracuse, and Furman as a No. 11 seed facing Maryland. As of Friday, ESPN bracket guru Joe Lunardi has Wofford as a No. 9 seed facing Baylor in Columbia, but doesn't list Furman among the first eight teams out.

After listing Furman as one of the "first four teams out" earlier this week, CBS Sports' Jerry Palm on Friday projected Furman as one of the "last four teams in." Palm has Furman as a No. 12 seed in one of the "play-in" games against Utah State. He has Wofford as a No. 9 seed facing Mississippi. As of Monday, Sports Illustrated's Michael Beller has Wofford as a No. 8 seed and Furman among the "first eight teams out." Bracket Matrix, which gives an average positioning based on all the published brackets, has Wofford as a No. 9 seed and Furman as the fifth team out of the tournament.

Wofford claiming an at-large bid certainly seems like the most plausible way for two SoCon teams to make the field. However, given Furman's current ranking a win by the Paladins on Saturday should certainly boost them inside the NET's top 40. If Furman could win out from there before falling in the SoCon Tournament finals, the Paladins could be poised for an at-large bid.

But, there's a big "but." Saturday isn't the regular season finale. Furman and Wofford each close out the with road trips to Samford and Chattanooga next week and neither should be a cakewalk for either team. Any loss there likely ends any talk of the SoCon being a two-bid league.

With so much on the line, the emotions of Senior Day and playing in front of packed house of fans that sold this game out weeks ago, the Paladins have tried to to avoid getting caught up in the hype.

"The students around campus will be more hyped for this game than any other because it's Wofford. But we've got to focus on how we can get better early on this week, then focus on Wofford," Rafferty said following last Saturday's win over VMI.

While his team has a lot of young parts that have been vital to its success, Furman coach Bob Richey believes they won't get lost in the bright lights of it all. This is in part thanks to the national attention the Paladins thrust themselves into early on this season.

"We've got to be smart about how we manage this week," Richey said last Saturday. "We've dealt with a lot of noise this year. I don't expect the noise of this game to take away our focus of doing what we have to do.
"It's a really, really good team (Wofford). ... It's going to be a great challenge, there's no doubt about it. It's going to be a great Saturday afternoon for college basketball and it just shows how good this league is."

Kansas (47) and Furman (59) are the only teams to hold Wofford to less than 64 points this season.  The Paladins enter Saturday's game ranked No. 1 in the SoCon in scoring defense (65.3 points allowed per game), three-point field goal defense (31.6 percent), blocked shots (4.3 per game) and steals (9.1 per game), and rank second in field goal defense (41.5 percent). Furman's defensive intensity and focus have been especially evident during the current winning streak.

"They're a good team obviously, but we've played well on our home court and gotten even better on defense since the last time we saw them last," Rafferty said. "It's Senior Night and a lot of family will be there. It should be a good one and we're all excited for it."

Gurley leads Paladins to rout of VMI

Noah Gurley scored a career-high 19 points in Furman's 96-62
victory over VMI Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

Given VMI's position of last place in the Southern Conference, and its position on Furman's schedule of sandwiched between games against second-place UNCG and first-place Wofford, Saturday's contest might have been referred to as a "trap game" for the Paladins by those who get paid to say such things.

As it turns out, the Keydets got the same team that's been laser-focused for the past three weeks. Once again, Furman's defense was stifling and the Paladins led from start to finish in a 96-62 victory at Timmons Arena. It's the sixth consecutive win for Furman (22-5, 11-4), which remains tied with ETSU (21-7, 11-4) for third place in the SoCon but is just a half-game back of UNCG (22-5, 11-3) following the Spartans' loss at Wofford (23-4, 15-0) Saturday night.

The victory ties the school record for most wins in a regular season set last year. Of the 240 minutes played in the winning streak, Furman has trailed for a total of 22 minutes and 42 seconds. UNCG led for 19:13 of those.

"We had a good, clean game for the most part and did what we needed to do. We hit a lot of our marks with our measurables that we look at, so that was good to see," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "I had a quite a few people warning me to stay focused but there was no need to worry (about focus).
"These guys (VMI) went to Johnson City and lost by three (to ETSU), played Greensboro really close at home and present a lot of problems offensively. We knew that we were going to have to be locked in."

It was a "spread the wealth" kind of night for Furman offensively. Noah Gurley led five Paladins in double figures with a career-high 19 points and did so in just 20 minutes as the starters got quite a bit of rest.

After having only three players score in the first 33 minutes of the UNCG game on Thursday, it was the polar opposite Saturday. When Mike Bothwell hit a layup with 13:28 left in the first half, he was the sixth different Paladin to score. That basket also gave Furman a 21-10 lead and the Paladins never led by fewer than double figures the rest of the way.

Even the end of half possession, which hasn't been pretty at times this year for Furman, went perfectly Saturday. Jordan Lyons drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds to push the lead to 53-29 at the break. Eight different Paladins scored in the first half as the team shot 62.1 percent from the floor, made 9-of-17 3-pointers, and had assists on 14 of its 18 made baskets.

"Coach always tells us that 'consistency builds confidence,' and we've been working in the gym. When I got on offense today, it just felt natural. There was no doubt in my mind what I could do out there," said Gurley, who scored 14 in the first half. "Having a good week of preparation built me for this."

Gurley's first-half was highlighted on a play where was trapped in a double-team in a corner. Losing possession for a split-second allowed him to dribble again. When a bit of space opened along the baseline, Gurley needed just two dribbles to get to the basket for a dunk.

"It was pretty much an incredible play," Richey said. "I think because of how we play and operate, I don't think our guys get in too much of a panic when they're trapped."

Perhaps the only question in the second half would be if Matt Rafferty would play long enough to capture what was believed to have been Furman's first-ever triple-double. Rafferty had six points, seven rebounds and five assists in the first half, then had four points, a rebound and two assists just over four minutes into the second half.

Alas, that feat wasn't mean to be Saturday. After checking out at the 15:55 mark, Rafferty came back in for all of 3:37. Rafferty hit a pair of free throws with 10:11 left and got the rest of the day off. The senior captain finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds - for his 13th double-double, to go along with seven assists, one blocked shot, zero fouls and zero turnovers in 25 minutes.

"I was tempted to play Matt a few more minutes, but I thought it was the right thing to let our depth play," Richey said. "It's that time of year where you want to keep rounding your edges. Anytime we can get our depth out there to prepare for what we've got to do down the stretch, I think that's a very important deal."

Clay Mounce finished with 13 points, two of which came on one of the highlights of the game. After Mounce used his long wing-span to block a 3-point attempt by SoCon leading scorer Bubba Parham, Alex Hunter looked like a volleyball player spiking the loose ball to the other end of the court where Mounce reeled it in for a dunk. Just 42 seconds later, Rafferty also spiked a loose ball to a teammate. Gurley caught this one and drained a 3-pointer to make it 66-37.

Bothwell had a career-high 13 points, two blocks and two steals, while fellow reserve Tre Clark had 12 points, two blocks and three steals. Lyons, Alex Hunter and Andrew Brown finished with nine, eight and seven points, respectively.

Despite only having two assists over the final 15:54, Furman finished with 20. It's the sixth time this season the Paladins have recorded at least 20 assists.

"I think I needed the rest and it was good to get other guys some playing time," Rafferty said about his early exit. "Obviously, I love being out there but giving other guys some opportunity is even better.
"Our ball movement was great. Twenty assists is huge going up against a matchup zone. Moving the ball and sharing with each other, not caring who scores - that's our recipe."

Furman also went 21-of-28 from the foul line, which are season highs in both makes and attempts.

"The free throws were great to see," Richey said. "That's something that's been a little bit of a weakness for us this season."

Defensively, Furman held VMI (7-19, 1-13) to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor. While the Paladins didn't shut down Parham quite like they have other teams' best shooters during this winning streak, they still held him below his 20.8 points per game average.

Parham was the lone VMI player in double figures with 16 points and three assists. He hit 4-of-10 3-pointers, including a pair of really long ones in the second half. In the two games against Furman this year, Parham scored a total of 22 points.

The win sets up a showdown against Wofford next Saturday on Senior Day at a sold-out Timmons Arena. Each team will have the full week off to prepare, just as they did prior to the classic played Jan. 19 in Spartanburg. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

Paladins fall to Morehead in season opener

Rightfielder David Webel makes a diving catch to end the top of the fourth Friday
during Furman's 6-3 loss to Morehead State. Photo courtesy of Furman

Morehead State starting pitcher Dalton Stambaugh tossed five good innings and reliever Alex Garbrick followed with four great ones as the Eagles dealt Furman a 6-3 loss in the season opener for both teams Friday at Latham Stadium. Stambaugh allowed two runs on five hits, while Garbrick gave up one run on one hit. The duo combined for 11 strikeouts and five walks.

Furman starter Nik Verbeke allowed one unearned run on four hits in four innings. After 76 pitches, Verbeke was relieved by Jordan Beatson. Beatson (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Morehead State took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Layne. Furman freshman centerfielder Jordan Starkes prevented another run from scoring with a terrific running catch in the right-centerfield gap to allow just the sac fly.

Starkes helped the Paladins answer in the bottom of the third when he laid down a perfect bunt with two outs for Furman's first hit of the season. Freshman Banks Griffith followed with a bloop double to tie the game. The Paladins took their only lead an inning later when David Webel grounded out to second with the bases loaded and one out.

That lead was short-lived however as the Eagles scored a pair of runs in the fifth. Jake Hammon's run-scoring infield single was followed by a Bryce Hensor sac fly that gave Morehead State a lead it never relinquished. Hunter Fain and Dom Peroni later added solo home runs for the Eagles, who belted 83 homers as a team last season in winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

Logan Taplett was the lone Paladin with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI-double in the eighth inning that cut the lead to 6-3.

In his Furman debut, junior transfer catcher Dax Roper walked in all four of his plate appearances. Roper didn't get a chance to tie Ryan Presnell's single-game school record for walks in a game (set on Feb. 16, 2001). The Paladins were retired in order in the ninth leaving Roper in the hole.

Another newcomer that was solid for Furman was freshman reliever Rob Hughes. Hughes didn't allow a hit over the final two innings. He had one walk and two strikeouts.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

Furman baseball set to open 2019 season

Brett Harker's third season as Furman baseball coach begins
Friday against Morehead State. Photo courtesy of Furman

The Furman baseball team enters the 2019 season with modest - at best - expectations from outsiders. Coming off a 24-28 season and with a quite a bit of roster turnover, the Paladins are picked to finish sixth (media) and seventh (coaches), respectively, in the Southern Conference preseason polls.

On the eve of Friday's season opener against reigning Ohio Valley Conference champion Morehead State, Furman coach Brett Harker said those expectations serve as nothing more than motivation for his team.

"This is the most excited I've ever been about being picked seventh because of the identity of this team. This team has a chip on its shoulder and its unity and leadership is the best I've ever been around," Harker said. "So you have that mixed with people overlooking you? What a sweet recipe to have a big year.
"We don't have any big names at the start of the year, but I think we're going to have some big names at the end. ... It's been a lot of fun to show up at the ballpark every day and we haven't even played a game yet."

While 17 lettermen are back this season, Furman will look to replace seven of its top 11 hitters from last year. Two of those seven were unexpected as freshman All-American centerfielder Ben Anderson transferred to Georgia shortly after last season and Jake Crawford suffered an elbow injury that will sideline him for the entire 2019 season.

Crawford will red-shirt this year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but will still contribute as the team's first base coach. That will allow new assistant Andrew Cox to serve as a "bench coach" alongside Harker in the dugout.

First pitch of game one of the season is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday. Saturday and Sunday's games are each scheduled for 1 p.m. starts - weather permitting.

The lineup
Harker said the biggest change he expects to see offensively is the's team overall speed on the basepaths. He believes Furman has legitimate basestealing threats in six spots in the lineup (No. 1-5 and 9). Here's a look at the Paladins projected starting nine:

1. Jordan Starkes CF: After Anderson led off last season, another true freshman centerfielder will lead off this year. Starkes was a two-sport standout at Northwestern High. He helped the baseball Trojans go 29-4 and win a state championship in 2017. In his high school football career, Starkes had 2,303 yards receiving, including a 74-yard touchdown catch in Northwestern's 2015 state championship victory.
2. Banks Griffith 2B: Another freshman will follow Starkes in the lineup, but the last name is familiar as he's the younger brother of former Paladins, Ryan and Sims. Banks Griffith comes to Furman after starting all four years at Class 6A Gainesville (Ga.) High, where he's the all-time leader in hits.
3. Dax Roper C: While one former Belton-Honea Path High standout is out of this year's lineup in Crawford, another one is in with Roper. Roper is a junior transfer, who hit .355 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs in 42 games at Florence-Darlington Tech last season. Harker believes Roper has the across-the-board tools to be a SoCon Player of the Year contender.
4. Trent Alley DH: After going 2-for-17 at the plate in 2018, Alley has made perhaps the biggest strides in the offseason. Harker said Alley's hit close to .375 with some big power numbers in fall ball. "He's really made the jump we've been looking for him to make," Harker said.
5. Jabari Richards LF: After hitting .255 with six homers and 32 RBIs last season, Richards is a preseason All-SoCon second team selection. With 22 career home runs, Richards is just three shy of entering the top 10 in school history. Harker said Richards has had consistently good at-bats this offseason.
6. Logan Taplett 3B: For the second year in a row, Taplett will be filling the shoes of an injured player as he takes over for Crawford at third base. Taplett hit .273 last season and was a catcher for much of the year as Jason Costa's injuries limited him to DH duties.
7. John Michael Boswell 1B: Harker said Boswell won the first base starting job this offseason, but fellow senior Deon Sanders and freshman Anthony Fontana should contribute there as well. Boswell hit .239 in 26 games last season and was 7-for-11 (.636) as a pinch-hitter.
8. Bret Huebner SS: Huebner is set for his third season as starting shortstop and was one of two Paladins to start all 52 games in 2018. After hitting .143 over his first 10 games last season, Huebner finished the year with a .293 average, one homer and 22 RBIs.
9. David Webel RF: After earning the opening day start as a true freshman in 2017, injuries have limited Webel's availability ever since. Harker said the "little sparkplug" is completely healthy and ready to cause havoc on the basepaths. Harker added that it's like having leadoff-type batters at the top and bottom of the order.

The rotation
The Paladins return two of three regular starting pitchers, but will have to replace Grant Schuermann. Schuermann, who led Furman in innings pitched (81 1/3) and strikeouts (53) in 2018, has graduated and spending his final year of playing eligibility at Central Florida.

"This is the most confident I've ever been for our guys going out and making you hit the ball and throwing the ball in the strike zone," Harker said of this year's pitching staff.

Here's a look at the Paladins' projected starting pitchers this season:

• Friday - Nik Verbeke: Harker's "most competitive pitcher" gets the opening day start this season after sliding into the Friday starter role for much of last season. A second-team All-SoCon preseason pick, Verbeke fought through some nagging injuries last season to go 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA that was lowest among the starters. In SoCon play, Verbeke went 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA.
• Saturday - Matt Lazzaro: After earning a spot as a weekend starter to open last season as a freshman, Lazzaro is back and the southpaw gives Furman a righty-lefty-righty weekend rotation. Lazzaro went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA before being shut down - outside of one relief appearance - over the final six weeks due to arm fatigue. He had 34 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 52 innings.
• Sunday - David Dunlavey: After going 12-1 with a 3.58 ERA at USC-Lancaster in 2017, Dunlavey was expected to compete for a starting spot last year before missing the season following Tommy John surgery. "He's come back stronger than ever and is a dominant force with a three to four-pitch mix," Harker said. "He's gives us some velocity we haven't had in awhile."
• Midweek - John Michael Bertrand: After missing the 2017 season with an injury, Bertrand went 5-3 with a 4.88 ERA in 16 appearances (seven starts) last season. The left-hander had just 12 walks in 51 2/3 innings and earned the team's Carter Grote award as the "heart and soul of the team."
• Midweek - Rob Hughes: Hughes is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound freshman right-hander who was a teammate of Starkes at Northwestern. Hughes was 8-1 with a 1.30 ERA as a senior, went 11-1 with an 0.50 ERA on the Trojans' state title team in 2017, and went 5-0 with four saves as a sophomore. "The kid's got electric stuff," Harker said. "He's going to have a really special career for us."

The bullpen
The Paladins must replace Tyler Kimbrell, who led the 2018 team in ERA (3.79), appearances (25) and saves (6), Heath Hawkins, who had a solid career as a reliever the past four seasons, and Crawford.

Sophomore Jordan Beatson appears to be in line to get the first shot as closing games this year. Beatson had an ERA under 4.00 until mid-April before struggling over the final month last season. He finished 2-2 with a 6.45 ERA and was second on the team in appearances (21) and opposing batting average (.275).

Harker is also counting on left-handed juniors Andrew Holweger, Hank Nichols and Jeremiah Garcia. Nichols and Garcia are new Paladins this season, but not new to the local area. Nichols is a 6-foot-5 transfer from South Carolina, who played at J.L. Mann. Garcia is a sidearm pitcher who played at Woodmont High and transferred in from USC-Lancaster. Bertrand and Hughes will also obviously be available out of the bullpen as needed.

The schedule
One noticeable thing over the first two years under Harker has been some pretty cool games on the schedule. After playing a weekend series at traditional power Wichita State last season, the coolest part of this season's schedule is a unique minor league ballpark tour series against Wake Forest.

Game one will be held March 1 at the minor league home of the Winston-Salem Dash. The next day, the teams will face off at the Charlotte Knights' beautiful new ballpark before wrapping up the series at the Greenville Drive's Fluor Field.

That's one of six regular season games this season scheduled for Fluor Field, which has become the Paladins home away from home. This includes five consecutive games on the schedule from March 3-10 and a game there against South Carolina on March 19. While it's fun to play in a gorgeous minor league park, Harker said it doesn't exactly hurt recruiting either.

"Fluor Field has our logo on the home dugout for a reason. ... Obviously, if we want to win SoCon championships, that (Fluor Field) needs to be our home and we've got some good games there," Harker said. "I use downtown Greenville in addition to Fluor in recruiting. I was born and raised here, so I have a ton of pride in Greenville."

The schedule also features Big XII member Kansas visiting Furman for a three-game series over the last weekend in April during the Paladins' off weekend from SoCon play. The Paladins also visit former SoCon foe and Harker's alma mater, the College of Charleston, March 15-17.

"I could say that would be just another series, but I'd be lying. ... That will be a whole lot of fun returning there and facing their really good ball club," Harker said. "It's a challenging schedule, but it gives us a great opportunity to show what we're made of.
"It's not all going to be roses, but this team has the mentality to be able to weather the storms. I'm excited to get in the foxhole with them and start competing."