'Jacks Close Out Season in Huntsville
5/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 18, 2006
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack baseball team enters the final week of the season with a 12-41 (.226) overall record and a 4-23 (.148) Southland Conference mark. SFA will wrap up the 2006 season with a three-game series against Sam Houston State in Huntsville. The series will begin Thursday with a 7 p.m. game, followed by a 7 p.m. game on Friday. SFA will close out the series against the Bearkats on Saturday with a 1 p.m. game. All three games will be played at the SHSU Baseball Complex. The 'Jacks won the final game against Southeastern Louisiana, 8-1, and have now won four of their last six contests.
SFA vs. the Bearkats: The Lumberjacks are 5-19 (.208) all-time against Sam Houston State. It is the first meeting between the two schools since the 1995 season when SFA closed out the year with a three-game series against the Bearkats in Huntsville. The Lumberjacks have dropped the last seven meetings between the two schools. The last SFA victory was a 4-1 decision during the 1993 season.
Win Streak: Despite having their three-game win streak snapped against Southeastern Louisiana over the weekend, the 'Jacks are still playing some of their best ball of the season. SFA has won four of its last six games.
In Lehmann's Terms: First-year pitcher Erich Lehmann is making a strong push for Southland Conference Freshman of the Year. Lehmann currently leads the team with a 7-3 (.700) overall record and has done some of his best pitching in his last three starts. During that time, Lehmann is 2-0 with a 1.23 earned run average. He has recorded complete-game victories, including a shutout in his last start. He also got the start in the 'Jacks' 3-2 upset victory against No. 10 (Baseball America Top 25 poll) Houston. Lehmann is currently tied for the school single-season record with (7) wins, has the sixth-best single-season mark in strike outs (57) and his 3.59 ERA is currently the sixth-best single-season mark in SFA history.
Batting Average on the Rise: The Lumberjacks hit .314 as a team in its recent three-game series against Southeastern Louisiana. The 'Jacks are now hitting .242 on the season. Another impressive stat from the series against the Lions is the SFA pitching staff held Southeastern Louisiana to a .233 batting average.
Round-Trippers: After not recording a home run in the first 51 games of the season, junior Chris Smith became the 'Jacks' top slugger against Southeastern Louisiana. Smith belted his first career home run in Saturday's game against the Lions. He came right back Sunday afternoon to belt his second homer in as many days.
Not Over the Hill: Junior catcher Steven Hill is among the Southland Conference leaders in several offensive categories. Hill is currently tied for the top spot in home runs (14), is second in slugging percentage (.661), is tied for fifth in doubles (15) and is second in total bases with 127.
Numbers Watch: Junior Steven Hill has already placed his name in some of the school's career top-10 lists despite being in his first season in the purple and white uniform. Hill's 14 home runs are currently fourth all-time in school history. He needs only two more doubles to move into the school's all-time record books. Hill currently owns the second-best single-season mark in home runs with 14. He is currently tied for second on the school's single-season RBI top-10 list (42), and needs only two more RBI to move onto the school's all-time top 10 in that category. He is also currently in a two-way tie for the second-best single-season mark in doubles (15). Hill is not the only current Lumberjack in the record books. Junior Brian Steinocher has tied the school's single-season mark for strike outs (69). The 69 Ks are also the sixth-best career mark in school history. Freshman Erich Lehmann has tied the school's single-season mark for wins (7) and is currently sixth all-time with 57 strike outs this season. If Lehmann pitches 2.1 more innings he will also be on the school's all-time top-10 list in that category.
Tough Luck: The Lumberjacks have been involved in 15 one-run games this season. Of those games, the 'Jacks are 6-9 (.400), which includes a 3-2 victory over 10th-ranked Houston.
