Photo credit: Charlotte Baseball Twitter
Given the high preseason expectations it’s tough to see Charlotte sitting at 5-8 with only a week left until conference play gets started. The non-conference schedule has certainly been daunting, but most Niner fans wouldn’t have predicted such a start to the season. Not all is lost, Charlotte’s postseason aspirations are still very much achievable, a series win this weekend represents the
first step to the field of 64. An easy schedule can keep you out just as much as a tough schedule can keep you in and it won’t take much to get Charlotte into a good position heading into conference play.
To come out of this weekend with a series win against Old Dominion would be imperative to build real momentum for the weeks ahead. ODU comes into the series at 12-1. Considering the biggest win thus far came with a series win against St. Johns, Charlotte’s has every chance to get back on track.
Charlotte’s lineup seems to finally be coming together as it gets healthier by the day, but they’ll need some arms in green and white to put up some zeros early on to gain confidence. Luckily for Charlotte, Cam Fisher’s in the first base dugout. He’s flexing 7 home runs on the year which is good for 4th in the country. Jake Cunningham’s on the board as he went yard for the first time Tuesday night, Kaden Hopson should return from illness Friday night, and the other pieces in the lineup are continuing to get better as the season moves along. Charlotte is second to Wake Forest in walks on the year, as that trend continues expect ducks on the pond this weekend, if Charlotte can find a way to get them in, it’s their series to lose.
Charlotte’s got one of the better teams in the country in The Hayes set for a three-game series, it looms large once again for the Niner’s long term goals. Any minute now you can expect the Niners to make their run. Could it be this weekend?
Catch all three games this weekend on ESPN+. Friday at 6:00pm, Saturday at 2:00pm, and Sunday at 1:00pm ET.