NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team travels to Natchitoches, Louisiana, to face Northwestern State on Friday-Sunday. First pitch of game one is slated for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
THE GAMES
Friday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, May 11, at 2 p.m. (CT)
Sunday, May 12, at 1 p.m. (CT)
 
HISTORY VS NORTHWESTERN STATE

• The Demons hold a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series over the Cardinals.
• The teams first played on May 2-4, 2014, when the Demons took two of the three-game set.
• The squads last played on May 5-6, 2018, when the Demons won two of the three-game series.

 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST WEEK

• UIW went 2-1 in its series against conference opponent Central Arkansas on May 3-5.
• The Cardinals opened the series with a 14-6 victory over the Bears on May 3.
• This gave UIW 14 wins in league action. This marks the most conference victories since 2011 (16).
• UIW tied its team single game record for home runs in a game (6). This is the first time the Cardinals have hit six home runs in a game since 2003.
• Taylor Smith had a perfect 5-for-5 outing with two runs, two RBI, a double and two home runs. 
• Andrew Morgan earned the win, holding the Bears to two runs in 5.0 innings pitched.
• UIW then dropped game two, 5-4, to Central Arkansas on May 4.
• The Cardinals ended the series with a 10-7 win to secure the series victory over the Bears on May 5.
• Bernie Martinez (8-0) earned the win, striking out seven batters in 5.0 innings pitched.
• UIW then fell to UTSA, 6-4, on May 7.

 
SCOUTING THE DEMONS

• Northwestern State is 28-19 overall, 13-11 in the Southland Conference, after a 5-4 win against Grambling on Sunday. 
• Sam Taylor leads the Demons with 51 hits, 28 runs, 26 RBI, and a .302 batting average.
• The Demons lead the SLC with a .978 fielding percentage.

 
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 61 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched; He holds a 4.04 ERA in 15 appearances this season.

 
HEY ARNOLD

• Sean Arnold has played in 47 games, starting in 45. He leads the team with a .365 batting average in conference play.
• He has notched 64 hits, 41 runs and 34 RBI for a .337 overall batting average. 
• Arnold has recorded 11 doubles, three triples and five home runs for a .505 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 eight wins and a 1.46 ERA, both tops 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 47 of 48 games so far. He has notched 58 hits, 43 runs and 48 RBI; he has a .335 batting average. 
• Smith has also tallied 13 home runs and 12 doubles for a .630 slugging percentage. He has amassed 10 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 .349 overall batting average. He has played in 43 games for the Cardinals, contributing 59 hits, 33 runs and 37 RBI.
• He has amassed 15 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs for a .657 slugging percentage.
• Flores has recorded 18 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 nine stolen bases, while Jordan Thompson and Sean Arnold have each amassed eight stolen bases.
• Ridge Rogers has recorded seven stolen bases, while Eddy Gonzalez has logged six.
• Shea Gutierrez has posted five stolen bases, while Ryan Gonzalez has documented three stolen bases.
• The Cardinals have 53 stolen bases this season, fourth in the SLC.

 
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

• The Cardinals have amassed 33 sacrifice flies, 13th in the nation.
• Antonio Valdez leads the team with six sacrifice flies -- second in the conference and 19th 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 six 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 109 doubles, 20 triples, 54 home runs, 33 sacrifice flies, 527 hits, 345 runs and 318 RBI.
• The Cardinals have a .314 batting average, a .401 on-base percentage and a .499 slugging percentage, all tops in the conference.
• UIW is third in the conference with a .976 fielding percentage and a 3.95 ERA.

 
IN THE NATION

• The Cardinals have amassed 33 sacrifice flies, good for 13th in the nation. 
• UIW is seventh in the nation with 527 hits.
• The Cardinals have 20 triples, good for 10th in the nation. 
• UIW is No. 11 in the nation with 109 doubles.
• Bernie Martinez is ninth in the nation with a 1.46 ERA 
• Martinez is also No. 9 in the nation with eight wins.
• Antonio Valdez is 21st in the nation with six sacrifice flies.
• Eddy Gonzalez is the 13th 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 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 to the Lone Star State to face Texas on May 14 in Austin. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
 
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.