SFA Heads To Lamar For SLC Finale
5/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin at Lamar
Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas
Game One: Friday, May 8 • 6:00 p.m.
Game Two: Saturday, May 9 • 2:00 p.m.
Game Three: Sunday, May 10 • 1:00 p.m.
Records: SFA (15-33, 9-17 SLC); LU (19-28, 8-16 SLC)
Live Video: Game One • Game Two • Game Three
Live Stats: Game One • Game Two • Game Three
Opening Pitch
Stephen F. Austin closes out the 2015 Southland Conference schedule, heading to Beaumont for a three-game series against Lamar. The Lumberjacks and Cardinals open the series Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday leading into Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.
Probable Starters
• Game One: RHP Cameron Gann, SFA (3-3, 3.20 ERA) vs. LHP Chase Angelle, LU (5-5, 2.15 ERA)
• Game Two: LHP Dillon Mangham, SFA (3-8, 5.21 ERA) vs. RHP Collin Chapman, LU (0-1, 3.72 ERA)
• Game Three: RHP Jarred Greene, SFA (2-4, 6.56 ERA) vs. RHP Eric Foshee, LU (2-6, 6.38 ERA)
Scouting the Cardinals
2015: 19-28 overall, 8-16 Southland Conference, 14-13 home
Last Three Games: L at Southeastern Louisiana (6-0); L at Southeastern Louisiana (5-2); L at Southeastern Louisiana (6-0)
Head Coach: Jim Gilligan (Lamar, 1969). 38th season at Lamar (1,308-862-7, .602)
Synopsis: Lamar enters the weekend series on a six-game losing skid, including a series sweep by SLC leader Southeastern Louisiana. The Cardinals are 8-16 in SLC play, currently 12th in the conference standings behind SFA and 10th in the race for the SLC tournament. As a team, Lamar is hitting .291 with a 4.05 ERA, allowing its opponents to bat .272 with a 4.22 ERA. Three Cardinals are hitting over .300 on the year, led by Jake Nash's .335 with 18 RBI and 55 hits on the year. Stijn van der Meer is hitting .332 with Mason Salazar batting .311 to pace LU's offensive attack with Kyle Markum leading the team in RBI with 26.
Series Information
Heading into the weekend, Lamar leads the all-time series against SFA 48-14 as the Cardinals hold a commanding 24-4 edge in the series in Beaumont. The `Jacks dropped two of three against the Cards in 2014 at Jaycees Field and have dropped six of seven against their Texas founding father rival. Since the program was reinstated in 2006, SFA is 9-19 against Lamar and 8-11 against the Cardinals under head coach Johnny Cardenas.
Last Time Out
SFA pushed host McNeese State to the edge, but the Cowboys came through with the key hits when it counted, earning a three-game series sweep of the Lumberjacks. Down two heading into the ninth in game one, SFA rallied to tie the game 8-8, only to see McNeese win it on a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth. After a 6-3 win by the Cowboys in game two, SFA once again rallied late to tie game three 6-6 after regulation in the series finale. But once again it was McNeese getting the victory off a walkoff single in the bottom of the 11th inning to complete the sweep.
Southland Standings
This weekend is a crucial one for both SFA and Lamar as the two teams try to keep their slim SLC postseason hopes alive. The `Jacks enter the weekend at 9-17 in SLC play, one game ahead of Lamar's 8-16 record, as SFA currently trails A&M-Corpus Christi (11-13) for the final playoff spot. What it means for Lumberjack fans is that SFA would need to sweep the Cardinals this weekend, improving to 12-17 to close out the 2015 regular season schedule, then have the Islanders lose five of their last six to finish the year at 12-18, a half game back of the `Jacks. In essence, the Islanders' magic number is two as two wins, two SFA losses or one win and one SFA loss would eliminate the `Jacks from postseason contention.
O'Neill Named Academic All-District Selection
Senior first baseman Dan O'Neill was recognized for his work both on and off the field, being named a Capital One first team Academic All-District VII selection Thursday. One of just three Southland Conference players to be named to the list, O'Neill has been a constant for SFA in 2015, ranking second on the team in doubles, home runs and RBI while sitting fourth in both runs scored and hits. He has also been a strong defensive leader for the `Jacks, posting a .985 fielding percentage this season.
Thornell Remains Hot Against SLC Foes
Heading into the final weekend of the Southland Conference season, junior Kyle Thornell remains among the SLC leaders in a number of categories. The Magnolia native is the SLC leader in batting (.437), on base percentage (.537), slugging percentage (.736) and triples (six) and total bases (64), while ranking third in hits (38), fourth in runs scored (19), fifth in walks (13). Thornell also ranks among the national leaders when it comes to triples, tied for the NCAA lead with eight on the season and is second in triples per game at 0.18.
Final Bow For SFA Seniors
With this weekend marking the final series of the season for SFA, a handful of Lumberjacks will be making their final bows in an SFA uniform. Starting pitchers Cameron Gann and Dillon Mangham look slated to make their final collegiate starts this weekend in Beaumont with first baseman Dan O'Neill and pitchers Josh Keith and Tyler Wiedenfeld making the final SLC road trip of their Lumberjack careers.
Looking Ahead
SFA closes out the 2015 regular season on Tuesday, May 12th, making the trek north to face Big 12 foe Oklahoma in Norman. Opening pitch against the Sooners is scheduled for 6 p.m. as the Lumberjacks will have their SLC bye week over the final weekend of the 2015 regular season.
-SFA-
