SFA Baseball to Face UTSA, UTPA, Illinois in Tournament
3/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 1, 2007
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks will face three teams in the Al Ogletree Classic this weekend at Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. The Lumberjacks, who have one three straight and four of their last five, sit with a 6-8 overall record. SFA completed its first sweep of the 2007 season and their first at Jaycees Field since the return of baseball when they defeated Youngstown State on Friday, 8-1, Saturday, 12-1, and Sunday, 9-5. SFA saw eight Lumberjack home runs over the weekend, including four on Saturday and three on Sunday. Noel Trevino hit a grand slam and Steven Hill hit three home runs in two days, including two on Sunday.
This weekend: SFA heads down south for a tournament at Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. The Lumberjacks will start the weekend with a 2 p.m. game Friday against Texas-San Antonio in non-conference play. Saturday, the 'Jacks will play tournament host team, Texas-Pan American at 11 a.m. before closing the weekend against the Big Ten's Illinois at 9 a.m. Sunday.
The Roadrunners: Texas-San Antonio is off to a slow start with a 1-7 record and losing its last six. Trent Lockwood and Zach Etheredge are both batting .333, tops on the team, with Lockwood taking the team's three home runs and a team-high eight RBI. The duo are two of four Roadrunners batting over .300. On the mound, brothers Mark and Josh Ruffin are leading UTSA. Mark has the lowest ERA on the team at 1.93 in 9.1 innings of relief. Josh has 15 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched and has a 1-2 record.
Against the Roadrunners: UTSA took a three-game sweep of SFA last season in San Antonio. That sent the all-time record between the two teams to 4-11.
The Broncs: Texas-Pan American currently sits with a 5-11 overall record. The Broncs were swept at Sam Houston State last weekend, and were outscored 34-10 in the three games. UTPA is being led by Abraham Garcia and Osiel Flores who are batting .327 and .305, respectively. They are the only two on the Broncs roster batting over the .300 mark. On the mound, Josh Wymer is 2-3 with 2.12 ERA in five starts. He has 18 strikeouts in 34.0 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .191 batting average.
Against the Broncs: The Lumberjacks will look to even out their all-time record against the Broncs, who have the upside of a 4-3 record after taking two-of-three from SFA last season.
The Illini: Illinois just recently got the 2007 underway last weekend. The Illini were swept at Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend. In the three-game set, Shawn Roof batted .417 (5-12) with three runs scored, a double and two stolen bases. Michael Giller and Daniel Webb are each batting .400. Giller scored three runs and drove in three. On the mound, Mike Stankiewicz was Illinois' only starter to pitch more than three innings, pitching six, giving up eight hits and five runs.
Against the Illini: It is the first meeting between Illinois and SFA.
The Coaches: SFA's Donnie Watson is in his second season at the helm of the Lumberjacks baseball program. In his time with the 'Jacks, Watson has put together an 21-49 (.300) record. In his first season with SFA, Watson's troops posted a 7-23 SLC record. UTPA is coached by Willie Gawlik, Dan Hartleb is the head coach of the Illini and UTSA's head coach is Sherman Corbett.
Friday - Lance Luetge: Senior Lance Luetge will be making his fourth start of the season. This season, he is leading the 'Jacks with three wins. He has 16 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work. He earned his third win of the season last Friday with an 8-1 win over Youngstown State. He pitched seven complete innings, giving up only four hits and one run while striking out six.
Saturday - Jared Schrom: Sophomore Jared Schrom is second among SFA starters with a 1.86 ERA through four starts. The Gregory-Portland native earned his first win Friday when he threw 5.0 innings giving up six hits and only one run in SFA's 12-1 win over Youngstown State. He struck out five in the outing. Schrom has 17 strikeouts on the year, second on the team.
Sunday - Erich Lehmann: Sophomore ace Erich Lehmann earned two wins last week against Centenary and Youngstown State. They were his first wins of the season and he now has a 2-1 record. On Sunday, he pitched 5.0 innings, giving up six hits and three runs, one earned. He also struck out two. Lehmann is leading the staff with 20 strikeouts and four walks in 27.0 innings of work.
Hitter of the Week: Steven Hill earned SFA's first Aeropostale Hitter of the Week award this season after batting .429 in five games played last week. He had nine hits, including six extra base hits. He hit an extra base hit in every game played and averaged one stolen base per game. He had two doubles, a triple and three home runs. He also scored seven runs and drove in 15 RBI. He had a career-high five RBI off two home runs -- his only hits of the day -- Sunday afternoon.
Newcomers Make Impact: The Lumberjacks have a list of newcomers that have been a welcome addition to this season's roster. Noel Trevino, Jeff Brewer, and Heath Konesheck have each made themselves a mainstay in the 'Jacks lineup. Second baseman Trevino sat out the early part of the season with a foot injury. In eight games played, he is batting .457 with four doubles and two home runs. He also has 12 RBI and nine runs scored. Brewer, the lead-off hitter, is currently batting .326 in 12 games played. He has 14 hits and 12 runs scored with two doubles. Konesheck, a lefty out of the 'Jacks bullpen, has an ERA of 3.86 in 14.0 innings of work in seven appearances. He has 13 strikeouts and has issued eight walks.
Home Runs: The Lumberjacks crushed the ball this past weekend against Youngstown State, hitting eight home runs in the three-game set. After Jared Pitts started off with a two-run dinger Friday afternoon, Noel Trevino, Steven Hill, Kevin Crabtree and Jeremy Arterburn joined the hit parade Saturday. Trevino's second home run of the year was a grand slam, the first for SFA this season. It was Crabtree's second home run and Arterburn's first of his Lumberjack career. On Sunday, Hill added two more and Chris Smith chimed in with one. Hill's three home runs in two days sends his season total to four, sharing the team high with Pitts.
Streaking: Noel Trevino is on an eight-game hitting streak, the longest for SFA this season. The longest hitting streak in recent 'Jacks history is Steven Hill's 22-game stretch. He ended 2006 hitting safely in 18 games and did the same in his first four games of 2007.
Up Next: SFA will face the Broncs on its own turf next week when UTPA comes to Nacogdoches for a three-game series March 9-11. The Lumberjacks will then hit the road for a four-game road swing the following week, starting with a single game at Centenary March 13.
