SFA To Open SLC Tournament vs No. 3 ORU
5/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 21, 2013
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Games 56 Constellation Field |
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| 9:00 a.m. - Wed., May 22 (Click HERE for Tourney Central) |
Statistics |
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Probable Starting Pitchers Thursday |
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Game Notes & What To Watch For:
- The 'Jacks will open up its fiftth straight berth in the Southland Conference Tournament on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas vs Oral Roberts. Fans can watch live on the Southland Conference Digital Network at southland.org, and are encouraged to follow @SFA_Baseball on Twitter for in-game updates.
- The game wil feature three of the top players in the Southland in league player and hitter of the year Hunter Dozier, reliever of the year Brett Higginbotham and the league's pitcher of the year, ORU starter Alex Gonzalez.
-SFA is 3-3 all-time against ORU, having swept the Golden Eagles in a three-game set in Nacogdoches earlier in the season. The three games were decided by just a total of four runs, including a pair of walk-off wins for SFA in extra innings in each of the first two games of the series.
- SFA’s Hunter Dozier was named the Southland Conference’s Player and Hitter of the Year on Monday, becoming the third Lumberjack to be named the league’s top player, all coming since 2007. He enters the SLC Tournament as also one of the top players in the nation as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy (nation’s top player) and the Brooks Wallace Award (nation’s top SS). He currently is riding not only a 14-game hit streak, but also a 45-game streak of reaching base safely.
- Since taking over a late-inning role early in the year, reliever Brett Higginbotham has been nearly unhittable. In his last 21 appearances entering the tournament, the sidewinding senior righty has the following numbers: 4-1 record, 9 saves, 0.50 ERA, 36.0 IP, 13 hits allowed, .118 opponent’s batting average, 2 runs allowed, 32 strikeouts and 10 walks.
- Hunter Dozier is cementing his name in the SFA record books this season, having already set the all-time doubles record and rapidly moving up in a number of other categories. The junior infielder is now just one of three Lumberjacks in school history with 200 career hits, and just one more hit to break a tie with Zach Gardner for SFA’s career hits record. Dozier also broke his own school single-season doubles record set last season, and needs six more two-baggers to tie UTSA’s Michael Rockett for the Southland Conference doubles record, both in a single-season and career.
- Not only is Dozier atop the league standings in multiple statistical categories, but also outfielder Ricardo Sanchez ranks fourth in the Southland with his .361 batting average. Should the two remain where they are in the league rankings, it would be the first time SFA has had a pair of hitters finish in the top five in the league in batting average.
- Senior right-hander Justin Choate has been key for the Lumberjacks in the past two months, rounding out the weekend rotation as a solid Sunday starter for SFA. Since a March 19 start at Rice, Choate is 4-0 in eight appearances (seven starts), tossing 48.0 innings with a 2.25 ERA, 37 strikeouts to just 11 walks while holding hitters to a .234 average in that span.
- This is the sixth-ever SLC Tournament for the Lumberjacks and fifth in a row, reaching in each of Johnny Cardenas’ years as head coach. SFA is 7-10 all-time in the tournament, having gone 3-2 last year in its advancement to the SLC Tournament semifinals.
- SFA comes into this year’s tournament as the No. 6 overall seed, the third time it’s been the No. 6 seed and second consecutive year. The ‘Jacks went 1-2 in 2007 as the No. 6 seed and 3-2 in last year’s tournament.
- The ‘Jacks have had six all-tournament selections with Bobby Loveless, Hunter Dozier and Max Lamantia earning the honor in 2012. Bryson Myles and Jarid Scarafiotti also made it in 2011, and David Jeans was named to the all-tournament squad in 2007.
- Since the league went back to playing a conference tournament in 1993, high seeds have not fared well. Only twice - Lamar in 2004, Texas State in 2011 - has the regular season champion won the tournament, while a No. 2 seed has never taken they tourney title. The No. 4 seed has won seven titles since 1993and No. 4 seed have each won six titles since 1993, while Sam Houston State and Lamar were the lowest to ever do it when they won the 2009 & 2010 tournament as No. 7 seeds.
-SFA-
