Cary, N.C. —- The 9th-ranked and third-seeded Catawba College baseball team (44-16, 24-6 SAC) will look to stave off elimination at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., facing 16th-ranked and seventh-seeded UIndy at 1:30 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION - UPDATE!! GAME TIME HAS MOVED TO 11 A.M. ET
When: Tuesday, June 4, 11 a.m.
Where: USA Baseball National Training Complex, Cary, N.C.
Links: Live Stats | Video | Tickets | Catawba Baseball fundraiser
Previous matchups: Catawba leads all-time series 1-0 (5/27/12, 2-1)
All-time records at Cary: UIndy 2-7 | Catawba 5-7
Projected pitching matchup: Carter Nowak (5-2, 6.23 ERA) vs. Austin Fine (9-3, 3.89 ERA)
HOW THEY GOT HERE
UIndy
- Like Catawba, the UIndy is making their fourth all-time trip to the NCAA DII National Championships; the Greyhounds are making their second straight trip to Cary after punching their ticket in 2023
- UIndy was the opponent in Catawba's first-ever game to Cary, a 2-1 win for Catawba.
- The Greyhounds are looking for their first win at the DII championship site since their first trip in 2000
- Can't spell UIndy without 'eye': The Greyhounds ranked second in the country with a whopping 369 walks, boosting their on-base percentage to .440, good for 12th in the country
- Like Catawba, UIndy lost the opening game of their Regional before rattling off four straight wins to punch their ticket to the Supers; the Greyhounds defeated Saginaw Valley State in the Supers in two games, both decided by a single run
Catawba
- Catawba is making its fourth all-time appearance in Cary, all since 2012 and first since 2019
- The Catawba Indians are looking to snap a four-game skid in Cary, dating back to 2015
- Catawba claimed its eighth SAC regular season crown in the last 12 full seasons before falling in the Opening Round of the SAC tourney
- Catawba dropped its first game of the NCAA Southeast Regional vs. 25th-ranked Young Harris before winning back-to-back elimination games vs. 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke and Young Harris again to clinch a spot in the Southeast Supers
- The Catawba Indians won both games against Georgia College, holding the Bobcats scoreless for 16 of 18 innings
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Indianapolis
Carter Nowak (P, Jr, Fairbury, Ill.)
- The projected second starter for the Greyhounds will look to bounce back from a Super Regional performance that saw him allow six earned runs in 3.1 innings of work. The righty threw five scoreless innings in the team's game against Southeast Region foe Georgia Southwestern back in February.
E.J. White (P, Gr., Carmel, Ind.)
- Expect the Greyhounds to deploy E.J. White out of the bullpen, as the side-armer did not pitch in the Greyhounds' opening loss to Tampa. The NCBWA First Team All-Midwest selection has made 31 appearances for UIndy with 13 saves on the campaign
Drew Donaldson (INF, Sr., Hilliard, Ohio)
- The program's all-time hits leader in just three years with the team, Donaldson was a First Team All-American in 2023 with 96 hits. While he hasn't quite produced to that level in 2024, Donaldson still remains a tough out, hitting .353 with 84 hits and 16 doubles for an offense that scores over eight runs a game.
Catawba
Austin Fine (SP, Sr, North Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
- Fine impressed in the Super Regional against Georgia College, tossing six shutout innings, allowing just five hits and striking out six, including back-to-back Bobcats to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning. Fine leads the team with a 1.16 WHIP with nearly three times as many strikeouts as walks
Drew Robertson (LF, Sr, Goodlettsville, Tenn..)
- Robertson enters Tuesday's game with a team-leading five-game hit streak, and can wreak havoc for opponents in the field and on the base paths, with a SAC-high 30 stolen bases through the regular season. In a close contest, Robertson could come up with the clutch bunt single and stolen base to get key runs in scoring position.
Bo Rusher (C, Gr., Salisbury, N.C.)
- UIndy ranks top 10 in the country in stolen bases, one of just a handful of teams that steals more than Catawba, so Rusher could be pivotal in controlling the Greyhounds' run game, throwing out 18 runners on the bases this year to go along with a team-high 68 RBI. It was Rusher that came up with key early RBI base hits in the Supers to get Catawba on the board, who would love to put up a run or two in the top of the first, as they'll be the visiting team on Tuesday.
