GAME #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Concordia Eagles (0-0)
Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Irvine, CA - CU Baseball Field
Live Stats
GAME #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Concordia Eagles (0-0)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Irvine, CA - CU Baseball Field
Live Stats
Game Notes
KNIGHTS FACE CONCORDIA TO START 2011
The third year of Academy of Art University baseball begins this Friday, Feb. 4 against Concordia University, Irvine. After earning their milestone Pacific West Conference victories last season, the Urban Knights are poised to build on the past two years with a host of returning talent.
FIRST PITCH
Academy of Art and Concordia open up their respective seasons with a single game on Friday, Feb. 4 at 2:00 PM. The series then concludes on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 12:00 PM with another single game. Both contests are scheduled to be held at CU Baseball Field in Irvine, CA. All games in this series will carry Live Stats and live score updates will also appear on the Academy of Art University Athletics Twitter.
KNIGHT WATCH
Senior outfielder Ryan Worley and senior infielder/pitcher Darnell Quinney have both been selected to the 2011 Preseason All-PacWest Team as announced on the PacWest Baseball Media Day this week (click here for the full release). Worley is a season removed from his 2010 All-PacWest Second Team honor which came for his team-best .316 batting average, 12 doubles, 19 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Quinney, a versatile athlete who posted strong offensive numbers in addition to his pitching, was chosen as a reliever for his preseason honor. He earned the first two saves in ART U program history a season ago while leading all Urban Knight pitchers with 51 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Similarly to the Urban Knights, Concordia is looking to its veteran leadership to guide the team this year. CU is a member of the NAIA and Golden State Athletic Conference where they posted a 17-19 record last season, making the GSAC playoffs. The Eagles gained momentum heading into the playoffs with victories over Vanguard, but were ultimately eliminated by The Master's College. Concordia, who only loses one regular starter from its 2010 season, returns a potent offensive group highlighted by catcher John Hill and outfielder Matt Ivanoff. Hill led the team in batting average (.362), home runs (6), and RBIs (58) while Ivanoff was close behind with a .335 batting average, 48 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. On the mound, righty Dean Persinger will likely play a major starting role. He finished with a 4-3 record and leads all returners with a 3.67 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched a season ago.
2010 SEASON IN REVIEW
The 2010 Academy of Art University baseball campaign was a significant stepping stone in the program's development. After a difficult inaugural year, the Urban Knights broke through for their first PacWest victories early in the conference season and later added more impressive highlights. ART U traveled to Grand Canyon for its second PacWest series in 2010 and shocked the 'Lopes with not one but two wins on the trip. Riding the momentum of those victories, Academy of Art pushed Hawaii Pacific, the eventual PacWest Champions, to numerous close games in the subsequent series. The Knights would later sweep St. Joseph's College (NY) and unload an incredible amount of offense in a 23-7 victory over Bethany University. The season's final highlight was A 9-7 extra-inning win over Hawaii-Hilo on the Islands. For the year, Academy of Art had four batters hit over .300 (three return) with Worley gaining conference recognition by way of his 2010 All-PacWest Second Team honor.
LOOKING AHEAD
With their 2011 campaign underway, the Knights are scheduled to next travel to Cal State Stanislaus for a four-game series (Feb. 11-13). The teams will open with a single game at 2:00 PM on Feb. 11.
