SFA Begins Final Push With Series Against Mavs
4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2009
vs UTA (23-17, 14-7 Southland) - April 24, 2009
vs UTA (23-17, 14-7 Southland) - April 25, 2009
vs UTA (23-17, 14-7 Southland) - April 26, 2009
JAYCEES FIELD (1,000) - NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS
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Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: SFA - Erich Lehmann, RHP (4-3, 4.60 ERA, 47.0 IP, 35 K, 7 BB) UTA - Ryan Robinson, LHP (4-1, 47.2 IP, 26 K, 8 BB)
Saturday: SFA - Jared West, RHP (2-2, 5.62 ERA, 24.0 IP, 29 K, 20 BB) UTA - Nathan Long, RHP (4-2, 3.39 ERA, 61.0 IP, 68 K, 20 BB)
Sunday: SFA - Brett Rogers, RHP (2-2, 5.02 ERA, 37.2 IP, 21 K, 9 BB) UTA -TBD
THIS WEEKEND SFA opens up its longest homestand of the season this week with seven straight games at Jaycees Field starting Friday vs UTA.
AGAINST THE MAVS UTA leads the all-time series 26-11 since 1984, but it is SFA that has controlled the series as of late. The `Jacks have won five of the last seven meetings dating back to 2007, including a 12-6 win in Edinburg back on Feb. 27. Last year SFA took two of three from UTA at Jaycees Field.
FOLLOW THE 'JACKS RADIO: Saturday and Sunday's games can be heard live on KSFA 860 AM with Ben Rikard on the call.
LIVE STATS: Livestats will be available via Gametracker for each game vs the Mavs at www.sfajacks.com
UPDATING THE 'JACKS The `Jacks lost four of six games last week, but rebounded with an 11-7 win at Houston on Tuesday. It was the first-ever win for SFA at Cougar Field and only the third time in recorded history that SFA had defeated UH. The `Jacks are currently just a half-game behind McNeese State for the final spot in the SLC Tournament with 12 league games remaining on the schedule.
UP NEXT There is no waiting around before the `Jacks get another difficult metroplex opponent with Dallas Baptist coming to Nacogdoches on Monday. The Patriots took two games from SFA last year on their way to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
What To Watch For
- The `Jacks have won five of seven meetings with UTA dating back to 2007, but oddly enough SFA has never swept the Mavs. In 2008 UTA came to Nacogdoches with the `Jacks having won eight straight games and halted that streak at nine with a win in the second game of the series.
- Since being asked to hit for himself on April 14 at Louisiana-Lafayette, Ryan Priest has come alive at the plate. He has at least one hit in his last five games, and at least one RBI in four of those. His best game was in the second game against UTPA, going 4-for4 with three RBI. Overall he is 12-of-25 (.480) in his last seven games.
- SFA took a 12-6 win over the Mavs on Feb. 27 in Edinburg after scoring five runs in the first two innings off of UTA starter Rett Varner. Zach Gardner hit his first home run of the season that day and has since set a new career high with four, including a home run in each of his last two games. Five Lumberjacks scored two runs that afternoon as SFA pitching held UTA to eight hits.
- This weekend begins the final month-long push for the Lumberjacks to get into the SLC Tournament. In the last two seasons SFA is 16-8 in its final four league series. More importantly the `Jacks are 9-3 at home in those games as three of the final four series this season will be played at Jaycees Field.
-SFA-
