'Jacks Face Razorbacks in Midweek Series
4/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin at Arkansas
Baum Stadium · Fayetteville, Ark.
Game One: Tuesday, April 14 · 6:30 p.m.
Game Two: Wednesday, April 15 · 3 p.m.
Records: SFA (12-23); ARK (20-16)
Live Video: Game One · Game Two
Live Audio: Game One · Game Two
Live Stats: Game One · Game Two
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a two-game midweek series against the Razorbacks Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network+ as well as through WatchESPN.
Probable Starters
· Game One: LHP Pat Day, SFA (0-1, 6.92 ERA) vs. RHP James Teague, ARK (2-2, 4.13 ERA)
· Game Two: LHP Eric Polivka, SFA (1-2, 9.31 ERA) vs. TBA, ARK
Scouting the Razorbacks
2015: 20-16, 16-9 home, 7-8 Southeastern Conference
Last Three Games: W vs. Kentucky (7-3), L vs. Kentucky (16-4), W vs. Kentucky (5-3)
Head Coach: Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, '82). 26th season overall (1,089-526, .674); 13th season at Arkansas (504-286, .638)
Synopsis: Arkansas has posted a 20-16 record in 2015 including a 7-8 mark in Southeastern Conference play, coming off a 2-1 series win over Kentucky. The Razorbacks are 16-9 at Baum Stadium this season as SFA will be the only Southland Conference Arkansas faces this season. As a team, the Razorbacks are batting .293 with a 5.65 ERA, limiting opponents to a .258 batting average and a 4.43 ERA. Six Razorbacks are batting .300 or better on the season with Andrew Benintendi spearheading the Arkansas offense, leading the country with 13 home runs with a team-high 39 RBI and 95 total bases. Tyler Spoon has added 30 RBI with 14 doubles and four homers, hitting .336 on the year.
Series Information
SFA is still searching for its first win against Arkansas as the Lumberjacks are 0-5 all-time against the Razorbacks. Four of those wins have come in Fayetteville, including last season's 7-2 Arkansas victory, as the `Jacks are 0-3 all-time against the Razorbacks under head coach Johnny Cardenas.
SFA Against the SEC
The two-game series against Arkansas marks the third Southeastern Conference opponent for the Lumberjacks during the 2015 season. SFA dropped a 6-0 decision at Texas A&M on February 17th, then had LSU on the ropes in the fifth inning before falling 8-1 to the Tigers in Baton Rouge on March 3rd.
Last Time Out
Stephen F. Austin ran into a Houston Baptist team that couldn't be tamed as the Huskies raced to a three-game series sweep over the Lumberjacks at Jaycees Field. HBU used a nine-run eighth inning in game one to break open a 3-3 tie, cruising to the 13-3 win, then took a 7-2 decision in the Friday doubleheader. The Huskies closed out the sweep with a convincing 13-3 win in seven innings Saturday as HBU outscored the `Jacks 33-8 and outhit SFA 46-24.
Thornell Shining in SLC Play
Since the start of Southland Conference play, junior Kyle Thornell has been one of the most productive players in the league. The SLC Hitter of the Week for March 30, Thornell is batting .418 in SLC play with a .536 OBP and a .709 slugging percentage. He has 23 hits in 55 at bats with four doubles, three triples and a pair of home runs, playing his best in leading SFA to back-to-back SLC series wins over A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston State.
`Jacks Among SLC Leaders
With just over a month remaining in the 2015 regular season, SFA has a number of players still sitting among the Southland Conference leaders. Kyle Thornell has emerged as one of the top bats for the Lumberjacks, tied for first with five triples, third in slugging percentage (.536) and is tied for eighth with four home runs on the year. Matthew Dickey remains tied for third in stolen bases with 14 with Garrett McMullen sitting sixth in runs scored (27). On the mound, Tyler Wiedenfeld remains third in saves (six), Patrick Ledet is tied for third in appearances (18) and Cameron Gann is eighth in strikeouts (49).
Challenging Slate Ahead
SFA's trip to Fayetteville marks the beginning of a grueling 17-game stretch to close out the final month of the 2015 season. Of the 17 games remaining on the Lumberjacks' schedule, 13 of them will be on the road, including trips to Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma. Nine of SFA's final 12 SLC games will be on the road as well, setting up crucial series at Incarnate Word, McNeese State and Lamar as SFA tries to qualify for the 2015 Southland Conference tournament May 20-23 in Sugar Land.
Looking Ahead
Following the two-game series at Arkansas, SFA heads back across Texas to the Alamo City, getting set to take on Incarnate Word in a three-game SLC series this weekend. Game one against the Cardinals is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch Saturday and a 1 p.m. start time for the series finale Sunday.
-SFA-
