SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team closes out its regular season, hosting conference foe Southeastern Louisiana for a three-game series on Thursday-Saturday. First pitch of game one is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday at Daniel Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B.
 
THE GAMES
Thursday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Friday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. (CT)
 
HISTORY VS SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA

• The Lions hold a 7-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Cardinals.
• The teams first played on April 11-13, 2014, when the Lions won two of the three-game series over the Cardinals.
• The squads last played on March 12-13, 2016, when SLU swept UIW in a three-game series.

 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST WEEK

• The Cardinals went 2-1 in their conference series against Northwestern State on May 10-12.
• UIW fell, 7-6, to Northwestern State on May 10 in the opening game of the series.
• The Cardinals swept their doubleheader against the Demons on May 12. 
• UIW took a 6-5 decision in game one of the doubleheader.
• Lee Thomas had a 2-for-4 outing, including a home run, a run and four RBI.
• Bernie Martinez (9-1) earned the win, striking out three in 4.1 innings pitched.
• The Cardinals then secured a 12-9 victory in game two of the doubleheader.
• Ryan Gonzalez led the Cardinals in game two, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBI.
• John Shull (2-0) earned the win in game two, striking out three in 2.1 innings pitched.
• UIW fell to Texas, 9-0, on Tuesday.

 
SCOUTING THE LIONS

• Southeastern Louisiana is 28-24 overall, 17-10 in the Southland Conference, after a 14-5 loss to Sam Houston State on May 12. 
• Kyle Schimpf leads the Lions with 57 hits, 27 runs, 44 RBI, and a .300 batting average.
• The Lions are second in the Southland Conference with 77 stolen bases.

 
SUGARLAND BOUND

• With a 6-5 victory over Northwestern State on May 12, UIW clinched their spot in the Southland Conference tournament for the first time in program history.
• The Cardinals' 34 wins overall and 17 wins in conference play is the most in both categories since 2011.

 
MIGHTY MILLER

• Tyler Miller was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team by CoSIDA on May 9. Sports Information Directors around the nation vote on this prestigious honor. 
• The Conroe, Texas, native earned a 3.95 cumulative GPA as an undergraduate in finance and currently sports a 4.0 as a graduate student in accounting.

• Miller has 64 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched; He holds a 3.88 ERA in 16 appearances this season.

 
HEY ARNOLD

• Sean Arnold has played in 49 games, starting in 47. He has notched 65 hits, 42 runs and 35 RBI for a .330 overall batting average. 
• Arnold has recorded 11 doubles, four triples and five home runs for a .503 slugging percentage. He has amassed 16 two-hit games and four three-hit games. 
• The Bryan, Texas, native 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.

 
MARTINEZ ON THE MOUND

• Martinez has seven 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; 6-4, Nicholls, April 12; 4-3, Houston Baptist, April 19; 15-11, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, April 28).
• The Laredo, Texas, native also sports a conference-leading nine wins. He also has a 1.88 ERA, second in the conference.
• 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.

 
THREE CHEERS FOR SMITH

• Freshman catcher Taylor Smith has started in 51 of 52 games so far. He has notched 62 hits, 46 runs and 51 RBI; he has a .333 batting average. 
• Smith has also tallied 14 home runs and 12 doubles for a .624 slugging percentage. He has amassed 11 two-hit games, a three-hit contest, two four-hit games and a five-hit contest. 
• 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. 
• The Georgetown, Texas, native 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.
• He 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.
• He logged his fourth two-home run game in UIW's 14-6 win against Central Arkansas on May 3, blasting two solo home runs, while having a perfect 5-for-5 outing.

 
GO WITH THE FLO

• Ryan Flores leads the Cardinals with a .341 overall batting average. He has played in 46 games for the Cardinals, contributing 62 hits, 35 runs and 37 RBI.
• He has amassed 15 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs for a .635 slugging percentage.
• Flores has recorded 19 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

• Antonio Valdez has notched 10 stolen bases, while Jordan Thompson, Ridge Rogers, and Sean Arnold have each amassed eight stolen bases.
• Eddy Gonzalez has recorded seven stolen bases, while Shea Gutierrez has logged five.
• The Cardinals have 57 stolen bases this season, fourth in the SLC.

 
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

• The Cardinals have amassed 33 sacrifice flies, 18th in the nation.
• Antonio Valdez leads the team with six sacrifice flies -- second in the conference and 21st in the nation -- while Ryan Gonzalez has recorded five sacrifice flies.
• Taylor Smith notched four sacrifice flies, while Ridge Rogers, Sean Arnold and Jordan Thompson have registered three sacrifice flies.
• Kyle Bergeron, Lee Thomas and Eddy Gonzalez have each logged two sacrifice flies, while Ryan Flores, Shea Gutierrez and Tyler Pettit have chipped in one sacrifice fly.
• Gutierrez leads the team with seven sacrifice hits, while E. Gonzalez and Flores have notched three.
• R. Gonzalez and Rogers have recorded two sacrifice hits, while Arnold, Thomas, Pettit and Chance Medina have one sacrifice hit each. 

 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE

• UIW leads the conference with 114 doubles, 22 triples, 60 home runs, 33 sacrifice flies, 564 hits, 369 runs and 340 RBI.
• The Cardinals have a .310 batting average, a .398 on-base percentage, a .496 slugging percentage and a .977 fielding percentage, all tops in the conference.
• UIW is third in the conference with a 4.23 ERA.  

 
IN THE NATION

• The Cardinals have amassed 33 sacrifice flies, good for 19th in the nation. 
• UIW is sixth in the nation with 564 hits and 22 triples.
• The Cardinals have a .496 slugging percentage, good for 10th in the nation. 
• UIW is No. 11 in the nation with 114 doubles.
• Bernie Martinez is 22nd in the nation with a 1.88 ERA 
• Martinez is also No. 6 in the nation with nine wins.
• Eddy Gonzalez is the 12th toughest batter to strike out in the nation with a 13.9 strikeout rate.

 
SUCCESS AGAINST POWER FIVE OPPONENTS

• UIW has three wins over Power 5 opponents, tied for first in the conference.
• 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. 
• 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 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.

 
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 head to Sugarland, Texas, to participate in the Southland Conference tournament. The tournament will run from May 22-25 at Constellation Field. UIW's opponent is TBD.
 
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.