SFA Heads To Monroe For Three-Game Series
2/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin at Louisiana-Monroe
Warhawk Field • Monroe, La.
Records: SFA (1-4), ULM (1-2)
Game One: Friday, Feb. 20 • 2 p.m.
Game Two: Friday, Feb. 20 • 6 p.m.
Game Three: Saturday, Feb. 21 • TBD
Live Video: Warhawks All-Access
Live Stats: ULMAthletics.com
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin opens up its first series of the 2015 season, heading to Monroe, Louisiana for a three-game series against Louisiana-Monroe this weekend at Warhawk Field. The two teams will play a double header Friday followed by the final game Saturday as the original schedule was adjusted due to the expected bad weather forecasted to move into the Monroe area Saturday evening.
Projected Starters
• Game One: RHP Cameron Gann, SFA (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Hermeling, ULM (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
• Game Two: LHP Dillon Mangham, SFA (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Bell (0-1, 31.50 ERA)
• Game Three: LHP Eric Povlika, SFA (0-0, 20.25 ERA) vs. TBA
Scouting the Warhawks
2015: 1-2 overall (.333)
Last Three Games: W vs. Grambling State (7-3), L vs. Central Arkansas (10-4), L vs. Indiana State (11-6)
Head Coach: Bruce Peddie. Second season at ULM (15-17, .469)
Synopsis: ULM is 1-2 on the year coming off a 7-3 win over Grambling State Sunday. The series against SFA is part of a seven-game season-opening home stand for the Warhawks. Keelin Rasch, ULM’s returning leader in batting averae (.289) and hits (70), is hitting .364 on the year with a pair of homeruns and five RBI while Nathan Pugh is batting .500 with a homerun, a triple and three RBI. The Warhawk bats have been on point early this season for a number of players with four batters hitting over .300 as ULM is batting .245 as a team.
Series Information
SFA has posted a 15-28 record against ULM since the 1984 season as the two teams will meet for the first time since the 2010 season this weekend. The trip to Monroe marks SFA’s first trip to Warhawk Field since 2007 as the Lumberjacks are 6-15 in Monroe during that span. The game against ULM marks just the second meeting for head coach Johnny Cardenas, dropping a 10-9 decision to the Warhawks in Nacogdoches in 2010.
The Week That Was
SFA opened the 2014 season with a 1-4 mark over the five-game week to open up the season. The Lumberjacks opened the year in style, earning a 4-1 win over Washington State on opening night as part of the Tipton Ford Classic. The ‘Jacks then dropped nailbiters to Missouri State (5-4) and the Cougars (4-3) while suffering an 18-9 defeat to UT-Arlington during the tournament. The week closed out with a trip to College Station where SFA played well against 23rd-ranked Texas A&M, falling 6-0 to the Aggies to drop its fourth-straight.
Starting Off Strong
A number of Lumberjacks had strong performances to open up the 2015 season. Nick Ramos notched eight hits over the opening weekend, including a triple and a pair of doubles, hitting .381 on the year with five RBIs, while Matthew Dickey notched at least one hit in all five games, batting .333 on the season with a pair of doubles and leading the team with four runs scored. Dan O’Neill and Conner Fikes each recorded six hits over opening weekend as six ‘Jacks are hitting over .300 on the season.
Gann Paces ‘Jacks Past Cougars
Senior Cameron Gann got his final season off to a good start, pitching five innings as SFA defeated Washington State 4-1 in the 2015 season opener. Gann allowed just one run on one hit with seven strikeouts, earning the win as the ‘Jacks earned their first ever win against a Pac-12 opponent.
Looking Ahead
Following the three-game series at Louisiana-Monroe, SFA prepares for another busy week, playing five games in six days, including five at Jaycees Field. The Lumberjacks host Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday, February 24, before making the trek to Houston to face 15th-ranked Rice at Reckling Park on Wednesday, February 25. The week concludes with a three-game series against South Dakota State at Jaycees Field, getting underway Friday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m.
-SFA-
