Lynchburg, Va. -- Forget the statistics. Trash the old lineup cards. Replace the cleats; a new season has arrived.

The University of Lynchburg baseball team opens postseason play on Friday with an ODAC Tournament best-of-three series against Bridgewater. Both squads met in the same round last season with the Hornets stealing a decisive Game 3 to book their spot in the final weekend.

In March, the teams split the regular-season double-header in Bridgewater, Va. The Eagles capped Game 1 with a walk-off 10th-inning sacrifice fly to score Luke Tomajczyk and stamp a 7-6 victory. Lynchburg responded in Game 2 with a sixteen-hit slaughter to defeat Bridgewater 12-4. Five Hornets tallied multiple hits.

Despite dropping back-to-back games heading into the postseason, Lynchburg solidified the No. 4 seed and home-field advantage with a 13-9 conference record. 

Bridgewater looks to return to the second round and emulate the squad's 2022 opening-round success, bouncing Washington and Lee in two games. While expectations remain high, Lynchburg hopes to rekindle some postseason steam from last season's national championship run.

Postseason success in America's pastime often requires great timing; for the Hornets, Joe Munitz's hot bat could be a difference maker. The freshman from Virginia Beach, Va. earned a hit in eleven straight games to conclude the regular season with 16 RBI. Brandon Garcia and Ben Jones each tallied a hit in seven consecutive games heading into the series.

Veteran leadership will also play a crucial role if Lynchburg makes an ODAC run. Head coach Travis Beazley will rely on the services of Wesley Arrington (5-2) and Nick Mattfield (4-2) on the bump with each earning eleven starts this season. Don't forget Mattfield's 2022 ODAC rookie of the year honor, or perhaps Arrington's final strikeout to clinch the national title. Rest assured, the rotation will be ready to go.

The Eagles enter Friday having defeated Randolph-Macon, Roanoke, Guilford, and the hometown Hornets during ODAC play. Expect Joe Christopher (4-1) and Reid Long (6-4) to earn starts with a combined 112 2/3 innings pitched this season. On the hitting side, the former Third-Team All-ODAC honoree Brendan Hartman and sophomore Nick Stavros each boast batting averages over .360 and 25 or more RBI.

With seasons on the line, both teams hope to put their past behind them and punch a ticket to Capital One Park in Tysons Corner, Va.

The Hornets will play a double-header against Bridgewater on Friday, May 3 beginning at 12 p.m. As the No. 4 seed in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament, Lynchburg hosts No. 5 Bridgewater in a three-game series. If Lynchburg and Bridgewater both win a game Friday, then an elimination game will be played on Sunday, May 5 to decide who advances to the championship weekend of the tournament. There will be no game Saturday due to Bridgewater's graduation ceremony back on campus in Bridgewater, Va. All three games will be played at Fox Field on the campus of University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Va.

Lynchburg and Bridgewater were originally scheduled to play one game Friday, none Saturday, and up to two games on Sunday. See the new schedule below:

Friday, May 3 - Game 1

No. 4 Lynchburg vs No. 5 Bridgewater, 12 p.m. 

Friday, May 3 - Game 2

No. 4 Lynchburg vs No. 5 Bridgewater, 3 p.m. 

Sunday, May 5 - Game 3 (If necessary)

No. 4 Lynchburg vs No. 5 Bridgewater, 12 p.m. 

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--LYN--