Six members of the High Point University baseball team are currently playing in collegiate summer leagues. Sophomore Nick Schumaker (Charleston W.V./Charleston Catholic) and junior Spencer Andrews (Broadway, N.C./Chatham Central) are playing together for the Kernersville Bulldogs Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League (CVCL). Sophomore Hank Patterson (Charlotte, N.C./Blair Academy) and junior Drew Geissinger (Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon) are playing for the Sanford River Rats in the Florida Collegiate League. Junior Kyle Mahoney (Patterson, N.Y./Carmel) is playing in the Valley Baseball League for the Staunton Braves and junior Murray White (High Point, N.C./Ledford) is playing for the Thomasville Hi-Toms in the Coastal Plain League.
Schumaker and Andrews helped the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record and the CVCL regular season title. Schumaker is 2-0 with 11 strikeouts in seven appearances. He has a 5.50 ERA in 18 innings. The relief pitcher made six appearances for High Point last season. Andrews is batting .314 with 10 RBI for the Bulldogs. Andrews played in 35 games for the Panthers in 2009. He played primarily in right field but also made seven appearances out of the bullpen, going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA. The Broadway, N.C. native hit .298 with a homerun and 11 RBI. Kernersville has one more regular season game before the CVCL Tournament Aug. 1 in Hickory N.C.
Patterson and Geissinger are playing in Sanford, Fla. for the Sanford River Rats. They are in second place in the Florida Collegiate League with a 20-14 record. Patterson is hitting .250 in 21 games with nine stolen bases. He is second on the team with a .418 on-base percentage. Patterson has been playing third base for Sanford but played the majority of his 19 games for the Panthers in left field. Geissinger has started 23 of the 29 games he has played for Sanford at third base. He is batting .258 with 14 RBI. As a right fielder for High Point last season, Geissinger hit .195 with three RBI in 11 starts.
Mahoney has played 16 games as the catcher for the Staunton Braves in Staunton, Va. He is hitting .220 with three RBI and has thrown out five runners. The Patterson, N.Y. native started all 53 games at first base for the Panthers in 2009, hitting .387 with three home runs and 38 RBI.
White hit .182 with a home run and six RBI for Thomasville. The Hi-Toms finished the season 21-23. The High Point native served as a utility player for the Panthers last season with starts at third base, right field and as the designated hitter. He also appeared in four games out of the bullpen.
High Point went 21-32 overall and 11-12 in the Big South in their first season under head coach Craig Cozart. The Panthers had a win over No. 4 North Carolina, the highest ranked opponent HPU has ever beaten and two wins over Coastal Carolina, who were ranked 14th in the nation at the time. In the Big South Tournament High Point had wins over Winthrop and Charleston Southern, which marked the first season a Panther team has won two games in the conference tournament. The Panthers also set the school record in hits (605) and doubles (118). http://www.highpointpanthers.com/
Erika Carrubba
(336) 841-4640