SFA Opens Home Stand Facing Louisiana Tech
4/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Louisiana Tech at Stephen F. Austin
Tuesday, April 21 · 6:30 p.m.
Jaycees Field · Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (13-27), LATECH (17-19)
Live Video: SFA All Access
Live Stats: SFAJacks.com
Twitter Updates: @SFA_Baseball
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin returns to Jaycees Field to open up the final home stand of the 2015 season, hosting Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at Jaycees Field.
Probable Starters
· LHP Ryan Manz, SFA (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Braden Bristo (1-2, 6.83 ERA)
Scouting the Bulldogs
2015: 17-19 overall, 4-13 Conference USA, 4-12 road
Last Three Games: L vs. UAB (4-2), W vs. UAB (7-2), L vs. UAB (18-9)
Head Coach: Greg Goff (Delta State, 1996). First season at Louisiana Tech (17-19, .472)
Synopsis: Louisiana Tech heads to Nacogdoches with a 17-19 overall record and is 4-13 in Conference USA action. The Bulldogs have struggled on the road this season, posting 4-13 record, and are 4-4 this season against Southland Conference opponents, posting a pair of wins over A&M-Corpus Christi and victories against Northwestern State and McNeese State. Louisiana Tech is hitting .254 as a team with a 4.50 ERA, allowing its opponents to hit .277 with a 4.51 ERA. Bryce Stark has lead the Bulldogs in 2015, hitting .306 while leading the team in RBI (22) and tied for second in home runs (three). Brent Diaz and Taylor Love have both knocked four home runs for LaTech, sitting at 21 and 20 RBI respectively, with Taylor Nichols batting .299 with five doubles and 16 RBI.
Series Information
SFA and Louisiana Tech meet for the 27th time Tuesday with the Bulldogs holding an 18-8 record in the all-time series. LaTech took two of three from the Lumberjacks in Ruston in 2013 in a three-game series with SFA notching a 10-5 win at Jaycees Field earlier that season. The Bulldogs have won 10 of the last 12 against the Lumberjacks, dating back to the 1993 season, and are 4-2 against SFA since the program was reinstated in 2006.
Last Time Out
SFA dropped two out of three in a weekend series at Incarnate Word in the Lumberjacks first-ever trip to Sullivan Field. Playing a Saturday doubleheader, the Cardinals took the opener 6-2 before the Lumberjack bats erupted in a 19-2 win later in the day, matching the most runs since a 22-2 win over Centenary in 2011. The `Jacks then struggled to score runs in the Sunday finale, finally plating four in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 lead. But UIW rallied for two in the bottom of the inning, then held off SFA to take the series with a 5-4 win.
Hot Series For Thornell
Despite the series loss for the Lumberjacks at Incarnate Word, junior Kyle Thornell continued his hot play during Southland Conference action. Thornell went 6-for-11 against the Cardinals with seven RBI, including a pair of triples and a home run, including a 3-for-3 outing in game two with a career-best 5 RBI. Thornell remains one of the top hitters in the Southland Conference during conference play, hitting a conference-best .439 with 15 RBI and a .788 slugging percentage. The Magnolia native leads the SLC in both triples (seven) and slugging percentage (.567) and ranks fifth in home runs (five), seventh in total bases (72) and 10th in RBI (25).
Challenging Road Ahead
Heading into this week's home stand, SFA knows it has a challenging final month of the season ahead of it. Following the final four-game home stand, the Lumberjacks will play the final eight games of the season on the road, including SLC series at McNeese State and Lamar with single games at Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma.
Looking Ahead
Following Tuesday's one-game series against Louisiana Tech, SFA closes out the 2015 home schedule with a three-game series against SLC newcomer Abilene Christian this weekend. The opener against the Wildcats is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. start Saturday and a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday for the series finale. Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for the weekend so stay tuned to @SFA_Baseball and SFAJacks.com for any weather-related game alterations throughout the weekend.
-SFA-
