'Jacks And Bearkats Tangle in Weekend Series
4/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston State
Jaycees Field · Nacogdoches, Texas
Game One: Thursday, April 2 · 6:30 p.m.
Game Two: Friday, April 3 · 2:00 p.m.
Game Three: Saturday, April 4 · 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Game One · Game Two · Game Three
Twitter Updates: @SFA_Baseball
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin begins a key six-game Southland Conference home stand this weekend, beginning with a three-game series against rival Sam Houston State. Game one of the series is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday night, followed by game two Friday at 2 p.m. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Jaycees Field.
Probable Starters
· Game One: RHP Cameron Gann, SFA (3-2, 2.80 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Godail, SHSU (1-4, 2.74 ERA)
· Game Two: LHP Dillon Mangham, SFA (1-5, 5.40 ERA) vs. LHP Logan Boyd, SHSU (3-2, 2.53 ERA)
· Game Three: LHP Jarred Greene, SFA (1-3, 6.95 ERA) vs. TBD, SHSH
Scouting the Bearkats
2015: 14-17 overall, 5-9 road, 7-5 Southland Conference
Last Three Games: L at Texas A&M (19-4); L at Central Arkansas (6-4); W at Central Arkansas (6-3)
Head Coach: Matt Deggs (Northwood, 1994). First season at SHSU (14-17, .452)
Synopsis: Sam Houston State enters the weekend with a 14-17 mark on the season, including a 7-5 record in Southland Conference play. The Bearkats are coming off a 19-4 loss to top-ranked Texas A&M Tuesday night, coming off the heels of dropping two of three at Central Arkansas last weekend. SHSU enters the weekend batting .282 as a team with a 4.15 ERA while its opponents is hitting .257 with a 3.70 ERA. Spence Rahm has lead the Bearkats hitting .355 on the year, leading the team in hits (43), doubles (nine), homeruns (five) and RBI (28). Travis Lee ranks second with a .337 batting average followed by Dylan Ebbs' .324 average with 13 RBIs.
Series Information
SFA and Sam Houston State enter this weekend series with the Bearkats holding a 42-21 edge in the all-time series, including sweeping the season series in Huntsville in 2014. SHSU has won four-straight in the series and are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. SFA has posted a 9-21 record against Sam Houston in Nacogdoches while the Lumberjacks are 7-11 against the Bearkats under head coach Johnny Cardenas.
Last Time Out
SFA had a great balance of timely hitting and strong pitching, notching an 8-0 win against Arkansas-Little Rock Tuesday night. The Lumberjacks managed 16 hits against the Trojans, scoring three runs each in both the first and sixth innings before adding a pair of insurance runs in the ninth. On the mound, Eric Polivka got his first win of the season, going five innings and allowing no runs on five hits, while the SFA bullpen combined to allow one hit with six strikeouts over the final four innings. It marked the first back-to-back wins of the 2015 season for the `Jacks.
Southland Standings
Beginning a six-game Southland Conference home stand, SFA looks to make some ground in the SLC standings. Heading into the weekend, the Lumberjacks sit at 4-7 and are ninth in the conference standings, two and a half games back of the Bearkats. SFA continues to fight to qualify for the 2015 SLC tournament, being held May 20-23 at Constellation Field in Sugar Land.
| School | SLC | Pct. | Overall | Pct. |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 9-3 | .750 | 22-8 | .733 |
| Northwestern State | 8-3 | .727 | 16-11 | .593 |
| Central Arkansas | 8-4 | .667 | 14-9 | .609 |
| Houston Baptist | 6-3 | .667 | 15-12 | .556 |
| McNeese State | 7-5 | .583 | 17-12 | .586 |
| Sam Houston State | 7-5 | .583 | 13-17 | .433 |
| Nicholls | 5-7 | .417 | 15-12-1 | .554 |
| Abilene Christian | 4-6 | .400 | 6-19 | .240 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 4-7 | .364 | 10-19 | .345 |
| A&M-Corpus Christi | 3-6 | .333 | 12-12 | .500 |
| Lamar | 3-6 | .333 | 13-15 | .464 |
| New Orleans | 2-7 | .222 | 12-17 | .414 |
| Incarnate Word | 2-7 | .222 | 11-16 | .407 |
Thornell Named SLC Hitter of the Week
One of the key figures in leading SFA to its series victory over A&M-Corpus Christi was junior Kyle Thornell, who registered a monster series against the Islanders. Thornell batted 9-of-11, registering three hits each in the three-game series, with a pair of doubles and a homerun. Thornell batted .818 against the Islanders with a 1.273 slugging percentage and an .842 on base percentage, earning SLC Hitter of the Week honors for his efforts. It was the first conference honor of the season for the `Jacks and the first of Thornell's career.
SFA Among SLC Leaders
A number of Lumberjacks rank among the Southland Conference leaders in a number of categories. Thornell, the reigning SLC Hitter of the Week, is tied for first with four triples on the year while sitting fifth in slugging percentage (.512), with Matthew Dickey ranking second with 13 stolen bases on the year. Among pitchers, Patrick Ledet is tops in the conference in appearances (15) while Dillon Mangham is tied for second in shutouts (one). Tyler Wiedenfield is sitting second in saves (six) with Cameron Gann ninth overall in strikeouts (37).
Looking Ahead
After the three-game series against rival Sam Houston State this weekend, SFA will prepare for a three-game series against Houston Baptist April 10-12 at Jaycees Field. Game one against the Huskies will be Friday as the `Jacks look to make a run up the SLC standings.
-SFA-
