The Bucs (2-3) vs. Georgia (0-0)

Feb. 17-18, 2001 - 2 p.m., 1:30 p.m.

Foley Field (3,291) - Athens, Ga.

Buccaneer Baseball ... East Tennessee State is competing in its 56th season of baseball ... The Bucs have compiled a 746-844-7 (.469) after 1,597 games ... ETSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice -- 1980 and 1981 ... The Bucs highest national ranking was No. 17 in 1981. Last Weekend ... After dropping the first game of a three-game series at Troy State, the Bucs rebounded to win their first series of the season ... Junior Reid Casey lifted the Bucs to their first win of the year with a complete-game eight hitter in the middle game of the set ... The series finale was a 10-innning, 15-11 shootout ... ETSU took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the second before the Trojans scored six to take the lead ... Back and forth into the 10th when the visitors exploded for four runs ... Junior catcher Scott Rose had the game-winning RBI with a solo shot. A Hot Start ... Senior Nathan Copeland has collected at least one hit in every game this season ... The outfielder leads the team with a .421 batting average (8-of-19) after five games. The Long Ball ... ETSU has belted eight home runs to its opponents five so far this season ... Three Bucs -- Brandon Cross, Scott Rose and Andy Baxter -- have stroked two homers ... Baxter hit one in each of the first two games while both of Cross came in the Bucs 15-11 win at Troy State. The New Ace ... With the graduation of Matt Baber, junior Reid Casey assumes the Bucs top pitcher status in the 2001 campaign ... After two starts, Casey is 1-0 and carries a 2.08 ERA in 13.0 innings ... The Kingsport, Tenn. native, went 5-9 last spring with a 7.48 ERA in 98.2 innings pitched ... He ranked second on the team in strikeouts (66) and complete games (5). Win Streak ... The Bucs have won their last two games ... ETSUs longest win streak of the 2000 campaign was four games -- from April 14-19 -- with a series sweep against Western Carolina and a win against Radford. Hit Streak ... Last season, shortstop Jeremy Terry compiled a team-best 14-game hit streak from April 8-29, 2000 ... Terry had 19 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games last spring. Record Setter in the Bullpen ... Junior Jackson Simerly set an ETSU single-season record with 28 appearances -- 26 from the bullpen ... He had a 5.30 ERA in 56.0 innings pitched. Road Warriors ... The Bucs begin the 2000 season with eight straight away games before opening the home schedule on Feb. 23 against Xavier ... Last season, ETSU opened the season with 12 consecutive road contests. Quite a Recruiting Class ... Second-year head coach Tony Skole and his staff compiled the 47th-best recruting class for the 2001 season according to the Collegiate Baseball News. Homegrown Talent ... Senior Andy Baxter returns home after playing three seasons at North Carolina State ... The Erwin, Tenn. native will play his senior season at third base for ETSU ... Baxter hit .321 in 107 career games for the Wolfpack. Power Surge ... Sophomore Chad Boruff led the Bucs with 10 home runs in his freshman season ... Senior Ryan McKinney notched four homers while Nathan Copeland and Jeremy Terry both hammered three. Non-Conference Opponents ... The Bucs went 6-16 against non-conference opponents last season ... ETSU is 2-3 this season. Second Year Skipper ... Head Coach Tony Skole led the Bucs to a 21-31 record in his first season at ETSU ... Skole has a 118-91 career record in four seasons as a collegiate manager.