ALBANY, GA -- Opening the GCAA region tournament, Darton College baseball is already down a man.

Cavaliers starting pitcher Tyler Oglesby and his 2.6 ERA have been shelved for the remainder of the season with tendinitis. As for the rest of the Cavaliers, they're pressing on without him.

Darton enters the Region 17 tournament Friday against East Georgia with the plan to get aggressive. The Cavaliers hope to erase a 3-9 record to end the regular season, and bring home a region championship.

“We’ve got to win the first game that's the biggest thing. If we go out and play our game like we had been in the beginning of the year, and how we've slowly been doing lately. I think we'll be alright. We just go in and produce runs and our pitching should hold them,” game two starting pitcher Matt Aldrich said.

East Georgia may be the right team at the right time for Darton. The Cavaliers outscored the Bobcats 36-12 in a mid-March sweep. Darton Head Coach Scot Hemmings has maintained confidence in his record-breaking team. It’s been a banner year for Darton baseball breaking the school’s single-season win total and several offensive school records.

“I feel good about this- they're really ready to go. They're fired up about playing and they're excited about getting in the state tournament. There should probably be 20 to 30 schools and scouts there, and if you can't get ready to play this weekend...then go home and don't get on the bus,” Hemmings said.

The Cavaliers hop on the team bus Friday morning for a 3:30 PM first pitch in Decatur.