SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team heads back to the diamond on Thursday for the start of a three-game series with Southland Conference rival Nicholls State. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Sullivan Field.
The Cardinals (11-22, 4-5) have played competitive ball this year against SLC opponents. Despite a losing record, they have outscored their opponents, 38-33 in conference games. Second baseman
Dustin Cole (Tomball/Tomball HS) leads the team with a .393 batting average and seven runs scored in those nine games. Overall,
Slade Brown (Keller/Keller HS) leads the team with a .321 batting average and 22 runs batted in.
The Cardinals will be pitching
Geno Encina (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) on Thursday,
Dylan Boss (Boerne/Boerne HS) on Friday and
Jacob Potts (Glendale, AZ/Browne HS) on Saturday. Encina is 4-5 with a 2.79 earned run average and he boasts an impressive 5.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Boss has won his last two starts and is now 2-3 with a 4.14 ERA on the year. He needs nine strikeouts to move into fourth place on the UIW career list. Potts is 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA and is third on the team with 38.0 innings pitched.
The Colonels (19-19, 10-5) are currently tied for first place in the conference despite an offense that is only hitting .240. Keith Cormier is the top threat at the plate with a .297 average, 10 doubles and 29 batted in.
The strength of the Colonels lies in their pitching staff. They have a 2.54 team earned run average and are holding opponents to a .244 batting average. Their rotation for the weekend will be Ryan Deemes, Taylor Byrd and Grant Borne. Deemes is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 35.1 innings of work. Byrd leads the rotation with a 5-2 record and a 1.40 ERA while averaging a strikeout per inning. Borne is a solid 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA. They also have four relief pitchers with below a 2.00 ERA and three more than have an ERA better than 3.30.
The series finishes with a 3 p.m. game on Friday and a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
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