SFA Closes Out Home Schedule Facing ACU
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Abilene Christian
Jaycees Field ·Nacogdoches, Texas
Game One: Saturday, April 25 · 2 p.m.
Game Two: Saturday, April 25 · 5:30 p.m.
Game Three: Sunday, April 26 · 1 p.m.
Records: SFA (13-28, 7-13 SLC); ACU (9-29, 7-11 SLC)
Live Video:Game One · Game Three
Live Stats:Game One · Game Two · Game Three
Twitter Updates:@SFA_Baseball
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin closes out the home portion of its 2015 schedule, hosting a three-game Southland Conference series against Abilene Christian. Due to weather, the original series has been altered slightly as the Lumberjacks and Wildcats will play a Saturday doubleheader, getting underway at 2 p.m. Sunday marks Senior Day for the Lumberjacks with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Five `Jacks Take Final Bow
With the conclusion of the 2015 home schedule, SFA will honor five seniors who will be playing their final games at Jaycees Field this weekend. Pitchers Cameron Gann, Josh Keith, Dillon Mangham and Tyler Wiedenfeld and first baseman Dan O'Neill have eached played key roles during their time in Nacogdoches as the five will be recognized prior to the start of Sunday's series finale.
Projected Starters
· Game One: RHP Cameron Gann, SFA (3-3, 2.84 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Hanson, ACU (1-2, 3.68 ERA)
· Game Two: LHP Dillon Mangham, SFA (3-6, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Thomas Altimont (1-7, 4.28 ERA)
· Game Three: RHP Jarred Greene, SFA (1-4, 8.15 ERA) vs. RHP Garrett deMeyere (2-3, 4.98 ERA)
Scouting the Wildcats
2015: 9-29 overall, 7-11 Southland Conference, 4-15 road
Last Three Games: L at Texas Tech (10-2), W vs. Sam Houston State (3-2), L vs. Sam Houston State (8-2)
Head Coach: Britt Bonneau (Lubbock Christian, 1994). 19th season at ACU (698-389-1, .642)
Synopsis: Abilene Christian heads into the weekend series with a 9-29 record and 7-11 in Southland Conference play, sitting 10th in the SLC standings, one spot ahead of the Lumberjacks. The Wildcats are coming off a 2-1 series loss to Sam Houston State in Abilene last weekend, then a 10-2 loss to Big 12 foe Texas Tech. As a team, ACU is batting .241 with a 2.72 ERA, allowing opponents to hit .281 with a 4.60 ERA. Tyler Eager paces the Wildcat offense batting .285 with a team-high 22 RBI and 11 doubles. Aaron Draper is hitting .272 with 10 RBI with Marcelle Carter batting .257 and driving in 14 runs.
Series Information
SFA and Abilene Christian meet for just the second series in program history this weekend with ACU taking two of three from the `Jacks in 2014 in Abilene. SFA won the opener 12-8 over the Wildcats with ACU taking the final two games 8-6 and 3-0. This weekend marks Abilene Christian's first-ever trip to Nacogdoches.
Last Time Out
SFA spotted visiting Louisiana Tech a five-run first inning lead and never recovered, falling to the Bulldogs 9-2 Tuesday at Jaycees Field. LaTech raced out to a 7-0 lead after two and a half innings before SFA plated two runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 7-2. But the `Jacks managed just one hit over the final six innings as the Bulldogs pulled away, handing SFA its ninth loss in the last 10 games.
Hot Hitting Thornell
One of the major bright spots for SFA in 2015 has been the play of Kyle Thornell, especially in Southland Conference play. The junior leads the conference in hitting (.435), on base percentage (.535) and slugging percentage (.768) in conference games, ranking first in triples (five), fourth in home runs (three) and sixth in hits (30). Thornell has made his mark in the national rankings as well, sitting second nationally with seven triples, already setting the SFA single-season record for three-baggers.
Southland Standings
With four weeks remaining until the 2015 SLC Championship in Sugar Land, the race to be included in the final eight is in full force. Heading into the weekend, SFA currently sits 11th in the SLC standings but 10th in the race for the SLC tournament due to ACU and Incarnate Word being ineligible for postseason play. The `Jacks are two games back of eighth-place A&M-Corpus Christi and one game back of ninth-place Lamar, making the final three SLC series even more important.
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
SFA begins its season-ending eight-game road trip with a midweek trip to Ruston, La., facing Louisiana Tech to complete the home-and-home series on Tuesday, April 28. The `Jacks then head to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a three-game series at McNeese State next Friday through Sunday.
-SFA-
