Stephen F. Austin
Prairie View A&M
SFA Takes On Prairie View A&M, Grambling State in Mid-Week Matchups
3/19/2018 5:52:00 PM | Baseball
'Jacks travel to Prairie View Tuesday before hosting Tigers Wednesday
Game Nineteen
Stephen F. Austin (4-14) at Prairie View A&M (2-12)
Tuesday, March 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Tankersely Field (512) | Prairie View, Texas
Live Stats | Watch | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Jake Norton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kaelon Woods (0-0, 27.00 ERA)
Game Twenty
Stephen F. Austin (4-14) vs. Grambling State (13-9)
Wednesday, March 21 | 4:00 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Jordan Powell (0-0, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Elijah Saunders (0-2, 6.46 ERA)
LEADOFF HITS
• Before reengaging in Southland Conference play this coming weekend, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team is set to take on a pair of non-conference foes from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The road is where the 'Jacks will begin that two-game stretch as they travel to Prairie View, Texas, for a Tuesday afternoon tilt at Prairie View A&M that's scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.
• Following their showdown with the Panthers in Prairie View, SFA returns to Jaycees Field to match up against Grambling State. The start time of Wednesday's non-conference tilt with Grambling State at Jaycees Field has been changed to 4:00 p.m. rather than the originally scheduled 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday's game signals the return of junior Jake Norton to the mound for the 'Jacks. In his SFA debut at UTRGV back on Feb. 17, the Waxahachie, Texas, product tossed just one-third of an inning before exiting the game with an injury. Wednesday afternoon in Nacogdoches, freshman Jordan Powell gets the ball and will make the first start of his collegiate career.
• One of the best freshmen in the Southland Conference, Jared Martin continues to swing a hot bat for the 'Jacks. The only player to rank among the top five in the Southland in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, Martin leads SFA in all three of those categories with his slash line of .382/.506/.662. His on-base percentage is the highest in the Southland and ranks 53rd nationally while his eight doubles represent another team-leading mark and are the third-most by any Southland player.
• Martin's 10-game hitting streak is the longest by any SFA player this season and is one of three hit streaks on the team at this point. Both Jake Georgiades and Manny Vasquez have hit safely in each of the 'Jacks' last three games.
• Joining Martin with a batting average of .300 or better are Georgiades (.324/.457/.358) and Skylar Black (.317/.391/.550). Black ranks second in the team behind Martin in both hits (19) and RBI (14). Between Black and Martin, 29 of the team's 99 RBI are represented.
• A great defensive player in center field, junior Nick Daley is one of only two Lumberjacks (Martin is the other) who has started all 18 games. The speedster leads SFA in stolen bases with six and of his 16 hits seven have gone for extra bases including four doubles and three home runs.
• Despite being swept in its first Southland Conference series of the year last weekend against McNeese, SFA watched Vasquez produce some fine numbers at the plate. The junior shortstop out of Naco, Ariz., batted .545/.643/.818 against the Cowboys last week and led the team with six hits. Vasquez launched a solo home run in SFA's middle game against McNeese and added the first three-hit game of his SFA career in the series finale Sunday.
• Keeping a watchful eye in the batter's box, the 'Jacks have drawn 101 walks through 18 games this season. That total is the second-highest in the Southland Conference and the 36th-most in all of NCAA Division I baseball.
• Trevor Kiminski has been the team's most consistent pitcher this season and has put in 21 innings of work through five games (all starts). The senior out of Brooklyn Park, Minn., has totaled a team-high 15 strikeouts through those 21 frames, too.
• SFA is shooting for its first road win since May 6, 2017, Tuesday afternoon. Dating back to last season, the 'Jacks have lost 12 true road games in a row.
SERIES HISTORY vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Record vs. Prairie View A&M | 4-2 (.667)
Streak | SFA won two
In Nacogdoches | 4-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won four
In Prairie View, Texas | 0-2 (.000)
Streak | Prairie View A&M won two
Last Game | at SFA 13, Prairie View A&M 6 (March 13, 2018)
SFA Runs/Per Game | 64/10.7
Prairie View A&M Runs/Per Game | 38/6.3
Last Prairie View A&M Win | Feb. 21, 2007 (17-7)
Last SFA Win | March 13, 2018 (13-6)
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• As they prepare to match up with the 'Jacks for the second and final time in 2018, the Panthers are hoping they their first home game of the season will be the one that ends a six-game losing skid that started back on Tuesday, March 6, at Sam Houston State.
• During their six-game losing streak, the Panthers are averaging just 1.7 runs per game compared to 8.8 by their opponents. In four of those setbacks, Prairie View A&M has give up 10 or more runs to opposing teams.
• Only three players have appeared in 13 or more of the Panthers' 14 games so far this season and included among that trio is Corbin Jamison who leads the team with seven RBI. Jamison is also one of four Panthers who have accumulated 10 or more hits in 2018 and he is joined in that category by Daniel Lingua (13), Jalyn Baker (11) and Ezekiel Bear (10).
• Bear continues to be the lone Panther batting north of .300 on the season. His team-leading batting average of .313 includes a team-best three triples and one of Prairie View A&M's three home runs.
• No Prairie View A&M starting pitcher possesses an ERA lower than 5.19 and the Panthers' staff ERA currently sits at 7.30.
• There isn't a team in the SWAC that has a better fielding percentage than Prairie View A&M. The Panthers' team mark of .972 ranks 101st nationally and in 14 games games they have committed only 13 errors.
SERIES HISTORY vs. GRAMBLING STATE
Record vs. Grambling State | 10-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won 10
In Nacogdoches | 8-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won eight
In Grambling, La. | 2-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won two
Last Game | at SFA 9, Grambling State 2 (March 7, 2017)
SFA Runs/Per Game | 95/9.5
Grambling State Runs/Per Game | 25/2.5
Last Grambling State Win | none
Last SFA Win | March 7, 2017 (9-2)
SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• One of the top teams in the SWAC, Grambling heads into Nacogdoches Wednesday afternoon having won five of its last six games. Four of those five wins came at home in Grambling, La., and the Tigers' tilt with SFA represents the starting point of a four-game road trip.
• Four of the Tigers' top players are batting .300 or higher and that list is headlined by Rafael Ramirez, III who owns a slash line of .420/.500/.960. Ramirez III's team-leading 13 extra base hits include seven home runs and six doubles - both of which represent team-best marks. One of the nation's best hitters as of this writing, Ramirez III ranks 31st nationally in batting average, 60th in on-base percentage and second in slugging percentage.
• Richard Ortiz leads Grambling with 22 RBI and Ramirez III isn't far behind having driven in 19 runs. Other top bats for the Tigers include Isaiah Torres (.328/.438/.443, 20 hits, 14 RBI) and Marshawn Taylor (.354/.459/.367, 28 hits, nine RBI, 18 runs scored).
• A threat on the base paths as well as in the batter's box, Taylor leads the Tigers and ranks 25th nationally with 10 stolen bases on the season. Close behind him is teammate D'Quan Matthews who has swiped nine bags and together they have racked up more than half of the team's 37 stolen bases.
• Grambling leads the SWAC in 10 statistical categories including walks (115), double plays turned (19), hit by pitch (35), hits (194), home runs (16), on-base percentage (.409), runs (146), sacrifice bunts (20), sacrifice flies (13) and runs per game (7.0).
COMING UP NEXT
• SFA heads out on its lengthiest Southland Conference road trip of the season this weekend for a three-game league series at Abilene Christian. Winners of seven in a row against the Wildcats, the 'Jacks begin their set in Abilene at 6:00 p.m. Friday night from Scott Crutcher Field.
-SFA-
