A delegation of Roanoke College baseball coaches and players will be making an unexpected and somber trip to Weddington, N.C., today for the funeral of 20-year-old Maroons' pitcher Drew Wallace.

Wallace, who set a school record this spring for saves in a season, died Tuesday in Conway, S.C., a Myrtle Beach suburb.

The coroner's office in Conway said it has not received results from an autopsy.

"What I've heard is that they tried to wake him [Tuesday] morning and that he was unresponsive," Roanoke coach Larry Wood said. "That's basically all that I've heard and I didn't feel it was my place to be asking a lot of questions. You've got to respect the family."

Wallace filled a variety of roles for the Maroons' pitching staff. He led the team in saves (five) despite starting nine times. He also led Roanoke (15-21) in games pitched and innings pitched.

"He was probably our hardest thrower and threw particularly hard for a small [5 foot 10, 170 pounds] guy, probably mid-80s, but that's hard for us," Wood said. "He was one of our top two pitchers."

Wood, a sophomore, was a graduate of Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., where he was president of the senior class. His family's home is in Waxhaw, N.C., close to the South Carolina border.

Wood said it was his understanding from one of Wallace's fellow North Carolinians on Roanoke's team that he was staying at a Myrtle Beach house with a friend from high school.

Sports information director Brad Moore said an e-mail from the Roanoke chaplain's office indicated that Wallace had an irregular heartbeat.

"That's the college's understanding from the family," said Teresa Gereaux, Roanoke's director of public relations.

Wood will be attending the funeral and believes that as many as 12 players will be there.

"As many as possible," he said.

"Drew was a jovial kid, well-liked by everybody. He was a character. He definitely kept us loose. If you saw the team picture, you could probably pick him out, just from his mannerisms."

Teammates said it didn't take long to warm up to Wallace's personality.

This was my first year on the team," said Maroons' pitcher Barrett Henderson, who shared weekend starting duties with Wallace. "I didn't know him that well, but he was a great guy, the life of the team. He was a key contributor, our ace you might say. To me, it was so surreal. When I first heard about it, I was speechless for about five minutes till I could get it confirmed. It was a reality check."