Lumberjacks Host Mountaineers Tuesday
3/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin vs. West Virginia
Tuesday, March 24 • 2 p.m.
Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (7-17); WVU (10-10)
Live Video: SFA All-Access
Live Stats: SFAJacks.com
Twitter Updates:@SFA_MBB
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin takes a step out of Southland Conference play, hosting Big 12 foe West Virginia for a Tuesday matinee at Jaycees Field. The Lumberjacks and Mountaineers throw out the first pitch at 2 p.m.
Projected Starters
LHP Patrick Day, SFA (0-0, 3.09 ERA) vs. RHP Adam Keller, WVU (0-1, 8.10 ERA)
Scouting the Mountaineers
2015: 10-10 overall, 2-4 Big XII, 8-8 road
Last Series: L at Baylor (L, 5-4; L, 10-4; W, 8-2)
Head Coach: Randy Mazey (Clemson, 1988). Third season at WVU (71-62, .534); Ninth season as head coach (257-222-2, .536)
Synopsis: West Virginia heads to Nacogdoches boasting a 10-10 record, coming off dropping a three-game series to Bayor 2-1. The Mountaineers have played 16 of their 20 games on the road, boasting an 8-8 mark, including a 2-4 mark in the state of Texas. The Mountaineers are batting .277 as a team, led by Cam O'Brien's .371 and Taylor Munden's .352 as Munden ranks second on the team in RBIs (14). Kyle Davis is batting .349 with a team-best eight doubles and 15 RBIs. The Mountaineers post a 3.93 ERA, allowing a 4.91 ERA to its opponents, posting 137 strikeouts on the season with 71 walks.
Series Information
SFA and West Virginia meet for the first time in program history as the Mountaineers make their first trip to Nacogdoches. WVU is the third Big XII opponent the Lumberjacks have faced in 2015 with one more game against the conference coming on May 12th, traveling to Norman to face Oklahoma.
Weather Forecast
After a week of rainy and wet weather, Tuesday's game looks like ideal baseball conditions. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid or upper 70s with sunny skies throughout the day.
Last Time Out
SFA split a Friday doubleheader against Southland Conference foe Northwestern State, taking the opener 5-3 before falling in game two 6-3. SFA held off a Demon ninth inning rally in game one, then fell behind early in game two before a ninth inning rally of its own came up short. The final game of the series was washed out due to heavy rains in the Nacogdoches area that left Jaycees Field unplayable.
Conference Standings
With three series complete, SFA knows it has its work cut out for it in the Southland Conference baseball race. The Lumberjacks currently sit 11th in the standings at 2-6, a half game better than New Orleans and percentage points ahead of Incarnate Word. Southeastern Louisiana sits on top at 7-2 with McNeese State and Northwestern State a half game back at 6-2. Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State are tied for fourth overall, sitting at 6-3 in conference action.
Looking Ahead
Following Tuesday's game against West Virginia, SFA hits the road for another key three-game SLC series down in the Coastal Bend. The Lumberjacks take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Chapman Field as the Islanders currently sit a game ahead of the `Jacks in the SLC standings at 2-4.
-SFA-
