SFA Heads To Alamo City Facing UIW
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin at Incarnate Word
Sullivan Field · San Antonio, Texas
Game One: Saturday, April 18 · 3 p.m.
Game Two: Saturday, April 18 · 6:30 p.m.
Game Three: Sunday, April 19 · 1 p.m.
Live Audio: UIWCardinals.com
Live Stats: UIWCardinals.com
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin remains on the road, heading to the Alamo City for a three-game weekend series at Incarnate Word this weekend. The series schedule has been altered due to weather with the two teams playing a Saturday doubleheader, followed by the series finale Sunday afternoon.
Probable Starters
· Game One: RHP Cameron Gann, SFA (3-2, 2.75 ERA) vs. RHP Geno Encina, UIW (1-3, 3.18 ERA)
· Game Two: LHP Dillon Mangham, SFA (2-6, 5.77 ERA) vs. LHP Garrett Cooper, UIW (4-4, 3.86 ERA)
· Game Three: RHP Jarred Greene, SFA (1-4, 8.51 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Anderson, UIW (1-4, 4.93 ERA)
Scouting the Cardinals
2015: 11-24 overall, 2-13 Southland, 5-6 home
Last Three Games: L at Baylor (2-1), L at Sam Houston State (5-0), L at Sam Houston State (7-5)
Head Coach: Danny Heep (St. Mary's, 1978). 18th season at Incarnate Word (559-392, .588)
Synopsis: Incarnate Word enters the weekend with an 11-24 record, sitting tied for 12th in the Southland Conference standings with a 2-13 record. The Cardinals have lost eight-straight, coming off a 2-1 loss at Baylor Tuesday, and have dropped seven-straight SLC contests. As a team, UIW is batting .241 with a 3.13 ERA, with the opposition batting .305 with a 5.69 ERA. Christian Divelbiss is batting .310 for the Cardinals with 16 RBI with Austin Hoffman leading the team in RBI (20), batting .241 on the year. Matt Morris leads UIW with three home runs and 37 hits on the year, hitting .278 with 17 RBI.
Series Information
SFA and Incarnate Word have met four times previously with the Cardinals holding a 3-1 edge in the all-time series. The first three meetings came in 1994 when UIW swept a three-game series in Nacogdoches, then the series resumed last year when the Lumberjacks took a 12-5 decision at the season-opening UT-Arlington tournament. This weekend marks the first time SFA will head to San Antonio to face the Cardinals.
Last Time Out
SFA dropped a two-game series at Arkansas earlier this week, falling to the Razorbacks 8-2 in game one and 15-3 in game two. SFA fell to 0-7 all-time against the Razorbacks and 0-6 in Fayetteville, despite solo homeruns from both Dan O'Neill and Nick Ramos in the series.
Southland Standings
With one month remaining until the 2015 Southland Conference tournament, both SFA and Incarnate Word have a lot of work to do if they want to qualify for the postseason. SFA is currently 11th in the standings with a 6-11 SLC record with Incarnate Word tied with New Orleans at 12th at 2-13 as the top eight teams qualify for the postseason.
Ramos Keeps Streak Alive
Sophomore Nick Ramos extended his hitting streak to eight consecutive games, going 4-for-7 in the two-game series against the Razorbacks. After a 1-for-4 outing Tuesday, Ramos went 3-for-3 Wednesday afternoon, including his first home run of the season in the sixth inning. Ramos leads the Lumberjacks in hitting, batting .295 on the season with 15 RBI and six doubles.
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.
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 three-game series at Incarnate Word, SFA begins its final home stand of the 2015 season, beginning with a Tuesday night game against Louisiana Tech on April 21. First pitch against the Bulldogs is set for 6:30 p.m. at Jaycees Field.
-SFA-
