SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team will travel to the Piney Woods this week for a three-game Southland Conference matchup with Stephen F. Austin.
In reverence of Easter, this weekend's series will begin Thursday at 6:30 p.m., with game two scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. The series finale is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
FIRST PITCH
UIW has proven up to the challenge of a difficult schedule this season. The Cardinals faced difficult matchups with No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 30 Texas State, Purdue and Kansas State, while earning arguably the biggest win in school history over No. 30 Notre Dame earlier in the year. UIW heads into the weekend riding a three-game winning streak but the Cardinals are 0-6 on the road this season.
The Lumberjacks currently hold a five-game win streak and have picked up series wins against Grambling State, Texas Southern and Abilene Christian.
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Record: 9-15 Overall, 3-3 SLC
Head Coach: Johnny Cardenas
Leaders:
No. 33 Fr. 1B Jared Martin – .344 AVG, 32 H, 24 RBI, 22 R, 4 HR, 2 SB
No. 13 Jr. INF Manny Vasquez – .333 AVG, 25 H, 17 R, 14 RBI, 3 HR
No. 30 So. C Skylar Black – .269 AVG, 22 H, 12 R 15, RBI, 3 HR
Probable Starters:
Friday: No. 31 Jr. RHP Jake Norton (0-0) – 4.91 ERA, 3.2 IP, 6 SO, 1 BB
Saturday: No. 34 Fr. RHP Sean Beasley (2-1) – 8.10 ERA, 16.2 IP, 14 BB, 8 SO
Sunday: No. 35 Sr. RHP Trevor Kiminski (1-2) – 4.85 ERA, 26.0 IP, 17 SO, 15 BB
Summary: The Lumberjacks finished the 2017 season with a 29-28 overall record and a 17-13 mark in Southland Conference action. SFA reached the Southland Conference Tournament but was eliminated after consecutive losses to Sam Houston and New Orleans. The Lumberjacks are currently 9-15 overall and 3-3 in league play, hoping to improve on their 6-4 home record this weekend.
SFA leads the conference in runs (169).
Jared Martin is first in the Southland and seventh in the nation in doubles (12).
THE CARDINAL FILE
Record: 16-11 Overall, 5-4 SLC
Head Coach: Patrick Hallmark
Leaders:
No, 24 So. C
Kyle Bergeron – .391 AVG, 43 H, 25 RBI, 20 R, 4 HR, 3 SB
No. 5 Fr. OF
Ridge Rogers – .380 AVG, 35 H, 18 R, 12 RBI, 8 SB
No. 21 Jr. OF
Eddy Gonzalez – .368 AVG, 35 H, 16 R, 13 RBI, 5, SB, 1 HR
Probable Starters:
Thursday: Tyler Miller (2-2) – 2.62 ERA, 34.1 IP, 33 SO, 7 BB
Friday: Luke Taggart (3-1) – 4.25 ERA, 36.0 IP, 26 SO, 9 BB
Saturday: TBD
Summary: The Cardinals finished their 2017 campaign with a 20-36 overall record and an 8-22 mark against Southland Conference opponents. UIW is currently 16-11 overall and 5-4 in the SLC. The Cardinals enter Thursday's contest riding a three-game winning streak but will look for their first road win of the season on Thursday.
UIW is first in the Southland and seventh in the nation in sacrifice flies (16), paced by the country's individual leader,
David Anaya (7).
Kyle Bergeron is first in the league and ninth in the nation in hits (43).
SERIES HISTORY
SFA holds a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series with UIW. The Lumberjacks swept last year's three-game series in decisive fashion, outscoring the Cardinals by a combined score of 62-17.
UP NEXT
UIW welcomes Texas Southern for a three-game home stand, Apr. 6-7.
STAY TUNED
The Cardinals host a midweek matchup with Prairie View A&M, Apr. 10.
To purchase tickets to any UIW Athletics home event, contact Ticket Sales Coordinator
Alma Lara at 210-805-3012.
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.
