The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS his collegiate career nears its end, Trae Sweeting was recognised by the Mount Olive Trojans for his contributions to the baseball programme the past two seasons.

He was one of seven players honoured on Senior Day before the Trojans went on to sweep King University and successfully conclude the three-game series at Scarborough Field in Mount Olive, North Carolina, on Saturday.

In game one, Mount Olive scored a 3-0 shutout win.

Following a pair of scoreless innings, Sweeting started the Trojans’ rally in the third off with a double. After he advanced to third on a wild pitch, he was eventually played by a groundout RBI from Jose Lopez for the first score of the game.

In game two, Mount Olive escaped with an 8-7 win.

Sweeting finished 2-5, scored one run and drove in one RBI.

Mount Olive is currently at 29-11-1, 17-4 in Conference Carolinas and just outside the top 25 in the NBWCA Division II rankings.

With just five games left in the regular season, Mount Olive will host Chowan University in a short two-game, two-day series beginning tonight.

Through 34 games this season, Sweeting is hitting .292 with 14 RBI, 42 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, an OBP of .395 and Slugging .405.

In 2017, the Trojans won the 2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship with a 5-4 walk-off victory over Belmont Abbey.

Mount Olive, after falling in the opening round, won five straight elimination games to win the Trojans 14th Conference Carolinas Championship. Sweeting was named to the Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team.

As a catcher/outfielder, Sweeting played in 41 games for the Trojans with a .313 batting average.

In his 128-plate appearance during the season, he ripped 40 hits, including five doubles and a home run.

He had a total of 14 bases on balls (walk), was hit by a pitch 11 times, struck out 21 times, had 11 runs batted in (RBI), scored 32 times and stole 19 bases, while getting caught stealing twice.

Sweeting transferred to Mount Olive after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Georgia State Panthers in NCAA Division I.

With the Panthers he had a career batting average of .315 with 38 runs scored in 162 at-bats and was 12-14 on stolen bases.