THIBODAUX, Louisiana -- The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team travels to Thibodaux, Louisiana, to play a three-game conference series against Nicholls State University on Friday-Sunday. First pitch of the first game is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
THE GAMES
Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, April 13, at 6 p.m. (CT)
Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. (CT)
 
HISTORY VS NICHOLLS

• The Colonels hold a 10-5 advantage over the Cardinals in the all-time series.
• The teams first played on March 17-19, 2014, when the Colonels took three in the three-game set.
• The squads last played on April 13-15, 2018, when the Cardinals took two of the three game series against the Colonels.

 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS WEEK

• UIW defeated Prairie View A&M in a dominating, 16-3 victory on Tuesday. 
• Antonio Valdez hit his first career home run. He went 3-for-6 with three runs, one RBI, a double and a home run.
• Eddy Gonzalez had a 3-for-5 outing with three runs, three RBI and a triple.
• Andrew Morgan earned the win, striking out five batters in 4.0 innings pitched.
• The Cardinals went 1-2 in their conference series against Abilene Christian (April 5-7), with their lone win being an extra-inning 4-2 win on April 5.
• UIW opened the series with a 14-inning 4-2 win (April 5).
• Lee Thomas led UIW, going 3-for-6 with a double, a home run, three RBI, and a run, while Ryan Flores had two hits and chipped in a double and a run. 
• Martinez earned the win, striking out five batters and allowing two hits through 6.0 innings pitched. Luke Taggart surrendered just four hits and two runs while striking out two in 8.0 innings.
• The Cardinals dropped game two, 6-5, after a back-and-forth battle on April 6.
• UIW fell, 9-3, in the final game of the series against ACU on April 7.

 
SCOUTING THE COLONELS

• Nicholls is 17-16 overall, 8-7 in the Southland Conference, after a 3-2 loss against Northwestern State on Sunday. 
• Dane Simon leads the Colonels with 31 hits, 30 runs, 17 RBI, and a .284 batting average.
• The Colonels lead the SLC with a 3.30 ERA.

 
ARNOLD'S SOLID PERFORMANCE

• Sean Arnold was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week on April 1 after guiding UIW to four wins, including a 3-2 win over No. 7 Texas, throughout the previous week.

• Arnold has played in 32 games, starting in 30. He has a .441 on-base percentage. 
• He has notched 39 hits, 28 runs and 19 RBI for a .315 batting average. 
• Arnold has recorded eight doubles, three triples and two home runs for a .476 slugging percentage.

 
MARTINEZ ON THE MOUND

• Martinez was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 5 after a successful week on the mound.
• He led the Cardinals to a 6-5 upset against No. 23 Texas A&M on Feb. 27.
• Martinez has four saves this season (6-2, UT-Arlington, March 3; 8-2, Sam Houston State, March 16; 15-7, New Orleans, March 29; 5-2, New Orleans, March 31).
• Martinez sports six wins and a 1.02 ERA, both tops in the conference.

 
THREE CHEERS FOR SMITH

• Freshman catcher Taylor Smith has started in 32 of 33 games so far. He has notched 38 hits, 30 runs and 34 RBI; he has a .328 batting average. 
• Smith has also tallied nine home runs and nine doubles for a .638 slugging percentage. He has amassed six two-hit games, a three-hit game, and two four-hit games. 
• His season has been highlighted by a 4-for-6 outing with two home runs and five RBI in UIW's 15-7 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 23. 
• Smith followed the Notre Dame game with a perfect 4-for-4 outing with two RBI in the Cardinals' 6-2 win over UT-Arlington on March 3.
• Smith recorded his second two-home run game in UIW's 11-6 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 10, blasting a solo home run as well as a three-run bomb for four RBI.
• Smith racked up his third two-home run game in the Cardinals' 19-4 win over UMass on March 12, hitting a three-run blast and a grand slam.

 
GO WITH THE FLO

• Ryan Flores leads the Cardinals with a .355 batting average overall and a .370 batting average in conference play. He has played in 28 games for the Cardinals, contributing 38 hits, 18 runs and 21 RBI.
• He has amassed 10 doubles, a triple and five home runs for a .607 slugging percentage.
• Flores has recorded nine two-hit games and three three-hit games.
• His season has been highlighted by a 3-for-4 outing with a home run, two runs and an RBI in UIW's 15-7 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 23.
• Flores went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBI and three runs in the Cardinals' 8-6 victory over McNeese on March 24.

 
CARDINALS SWOOP IN AND STEAL YOUR BASE

• Jordan Thompson and Antonio Valdez have amassed eight stolen bases in the first 29 games of the season, while Sean Arnold has registered seven.
• Eddy Gonzalez and Shea Gutierrez have recorded five stolen bases.
• Ridge Rogers has notched four stolen bases, while Ryan Gonzalez amassed three stolen bases.
• The Cardinals have 44 stolen bases this season, third in the SLC.

 
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

• The Cardinals have amassed 22 sacrifice flies, eighth in the nation.
• Ryan Gonzalez and Antonio Valdez lead the team with five sacrifice flies -- best in the conference and ninth in the nation -- while Ridge Rogers, Taylor Smith and Jordan Thompson have recorded three sacrifice flies.
• Kyle Bergeron has recorded two sacrifice flies, while Ryan Flores has chipped in one sacrifice fly.
• Shea Gutierrez leads the team with four sacrifice hits, while Eddy Gonzalez has notched three.
• Ryan Gonzalez and Ryan Flores has recorded two sacrifice hits, while Sean Arnold, Lee Thomas, Tyler Pettit, and Chance Medina have one sacrifice hit each. 

 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE

• UIW leads the conference in sacrifice flies (22).
• The Cardinals lead the conference with 225 runs, 206 RBI, 69 doubles and 13 triples.
• UIW has a .391 on-base percentage and a .977 fielding percentage, both second in the conference.
• The Cardinals rank second in the conference with 343 hits and 28 home runs.
• UIW is third in the conference with 44 stolen bases.

 
IN THE NATION

• The Cardinals have amassed 22 sacrifice flies, 10th in the nation. 

• UIW ranks No. 41 in the nation with 13 triples.
• The Cardinals are 19th in the nation with 69 doubles.
• Bernie Martinez is sixth in the nation with a 1.02 ERA and 10th in the nation with six wins.
• Ryan Gonzalez and Antonio Valdez are No. 13 in the nation with five sacrifice flies.
• Valdez is 17th in the nation with four triples.
• Eddy Gonzalez is the fourth toughest batter to strike out in the nation with a 20.4 strikeout rate.

 
SUCCESS AGAINST POWER FIVE OPPONENTS

• UIW has three wins over Power 5 opponents, tied for first in the conference.
• The Cardinals defeated No. 7 Texas, 3-2, on March 26. 
• This victory marked the first time in program history that the Cardinals have defeated two ranked teams in a season. This victory also marked the first time in program history that the Cardinals defeated three Power 5 opponents in a season.
• The Cardinals defeated No. 23 Texas A&M, 6-5, on Feb. 27. This win marked their second win over a Power 5 opponent in the same week, the first time the Cardinals have done so in program history. 
• The Cardinals lost, 2-1, against Notre Dame on Feb. 22 but exploded for a 15-7 win against the Fighting Irish on Feb. 23. 
• 15 runs in the 15-7 win against Notre Dame (Feb. 23) marks the most runs scored against a Power 5 opponent in program history. 

 
HALLMARK HITS FROM 2018

• In his first year as head coach, Patrick Hallmark led the program to its most overall (29) wins and most conference (13) wins -- and its first winning season -- since joining Division I and the Southland Conference.
• Ridge Rogers was selected Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after the 2018 season.
• Rogers was also named to the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team, becoming the program's first All-American since joining Division I in 2014.

 
WHAT'S IN A NAME
Sullivan Field, now sponsored by H-E-B, underwent renovations in the fall. Astroturf was
installed in the infield, and the stadium received new backstops, netting, and other visual
improvements. 
 
PRESEASON HONORS

• Kyle Bergeron and Eddy Gonzalez earned preseason first-team All-SLC, while Ryan Flores earned preseason second-team All-SLC.
• Cody Allen was named to the NCBWA 2019 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist.
• Bergeron was named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watchlist.

 
EXPERIENCED LINEUP
The Cardinals' entire starting rotation returns, and the team lost only one outfielder from
the starting lineup.
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return home for a three-game conference series against Houston Baptist on April 18-20. First pitch of game one is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Daniel Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.