Stephen F. Austin
Incarnate Word
'Jacks Close Out March with Home Southland Conference Series against Incarnate Word
3/28/2018 5:30:00 PM | Baseball
SFA has won five in a row and three-straight in Southland play
Game Twenty-Five
Stephen F. Austin (9-15, 3-3 Southland) vs. Incarnate Word (16-11, 5-4 Southland)
Thursday, March 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Jake Norton (0-0, 4.91 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Miller (2-2, 2.62 ERA)
Game Twenty-Six
Stephen F. Austin (9-15, 3-3 Southland) vs. Incarnate Word (16-11, 5-4 Southland)
Friday, March 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Sean Beasley (2-1, 8.10 ERA) vs. RHP Luke Taggart (3-1, 4.25 ERA)
Game Twenty-Seven
Stephen F. Austin (9-15, 3-3 Southland) vs. Incarnate Word (16-11, 5-4 Southland)
Saturday, March 31 | 1:00 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Trevor Kiminski (1-2, 4.85 ERA) vs. TBA
LEADOFF HITS
• Riding a season-best five-game winning streak, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team closes out its four-game home stand this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Jaycees Field by hosting Southland Conference opponent Incarnate Word for a three-game series. Thursday and Friday's games are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. while Saturday's series finale has been slated for a 1:00 p.m. start time.
• Following the conclusion of Saturday's game, all children in attendance will be invited down to the field to take part in an easter egg hunt with the 'Jacks.
• In four of the 'Jacks' five-straight wins, they have put up 10 or more runs. The lone exception to that came Tuesday afternoon in the squad's 5-4 comeback win over Texas Southern at Jaycees Field.
• The 'Jacks' five-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the Southland Conference and the third-longest in head coach Johnny Cardenas' tenure at SFA. It's surpassed only by a nine-game winning streak in 2017 and an 11-game winning streak in the 2011 season.
• During their five-game winning streak, the 'Jacks have been busy adding to their impressive offensive numbers. SFA leads the Southland in runs scored (169) and walks (139), ranks second in RBI (150), home runs (22) and doubles (47) and is third in the league in both slugging percentage (.425) and on-base percentage (.395).
• Since the season started, freshman Jared Martin has been putting up some impressive numbers and the Katy, Texas, product hasn't slowed his production as of late. One of only two players who have started all of the 'Jacks' games this season, Martin leads the team in hits (32), doubles (12), home runs (four), extra-base hits (17), RBI (24) and slugging percentage (.624).
• As a result of his hitting skill, Martin has reached base in 22 consecutive games for the 'Jacks. His 12 doubles are the most by any player in the Southland Conference and the seventh-most by any NCAA Division I baseball player so far this season.
• Junior Nick Daley is the other player who has started each of the 'Jacks' 24 games this season and in that time he has continued to maintain his reputation as a threat to steal bases. His 12 stolen bases represent the second-highest total in the Southland Conference while his 0.50 thefts per game is the league's best average. Currently, Daley's six-game hitting streak is the longest by any SFA player.
• Since taking over as the 'Jacks' everyday third baseman, junior Jake Georgiades has been as effective at the plate as he has been at the hot corner. The College Station, Texas, product owns the Southland's highest on-base percentage (.493) and currently leads the 'Jacks with a batting average of .368.
• Despite having his four-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday afternoon, junior Manny Vasquez is still among the most potent offensive threats the 'Jacks have. The Naco, Ariz., native is batting .333 - the third-best on the team - and his 14 RBI represent the team's third-highest total.
• Senior first baseman Josh Evans has rediscovered the power hitting capabilities that made him one of the most feared bats in the nation last season. Through his last seven games, the Ponca City, Okla., product is hitting .366 with seven RBI and even extra-base hits. As a result, his batting average has gone up 61 points from .208 to .269.
SERIES HISTORY | SFA vs. Incarnate Word
Record vs. Incarnate Word | 7-6 (.538)
Streak | SFA won three
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 2-4 (.333)
Streak | Incarnate Word won one
In San Antonio, Texas | 4-2 (.667)
Streak | SFA won three
Last game | at Incarnate Word 6, SFA 19 (April 1, 2017)
SFA runs/per game | 126/9.7
UIW runs/per game | 70/5.4
Last Incarnate Word win | 4/24/16 (14-4, 7 inn.)
Last SFA win | 4/1/17 (19-6, 7 inn.)
Cardenas vs. Incarnate Word | 7-6 (.538)
SCOUTING INCARNATE WORD | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• The owners of a three-game winning streak - one that started last Saturday in an 8-3 Southland Conference home win over Lamar - Incarnate Word heads to Nacogdoches just four wins away from matching their total from the 2017 campaign.
• When the Cardinals' starting lineup is penciled in for each game of the series, it will likely feature two of the top offensive performers in the Southland Conference in Kyle Bergeron and David Anaya. In possession of the best batting average in the league and the 58th-best in all of NCAA Division I baseball, Bergeron leads UIW by swinging at a .391 clip.
• Another area in which Bergeron is tops in the Southland is in terms of total hits. The sophomore's 43 hits through 27 games are the ninth-most in the nation and work out to an average of 1.59 hits per game - another Southland Conference-leading figure. Nine of those hits have been of the extra-base variety and include a team-best four homers.
• Bergeron's 25 RBI rank second on the team to only Anaya who has driven in 26. One of three Cardinals who have started each of the team's 27 games, Anaya has posted a slash line of .326/.398/.442 with five doubles and a pair of long balls. His 26 RBI represent the highest total in the Southland and his seven sacrifice flies are the most by any player in the nation.
• Two other Incarnate Word regulars - Ridge Rogers (.380/.486/.435) and Eddy Gonzalez (.368/.459/.453) - are both batting above .300.
• Thursday night starter Tyler Miller is the ace of the Cardinals' staff, possessing the fourth-lowest ERA (2.62) in the Southland Conference. Through 34.1 frames, Miller's strikeout count stands at 33 and with only seven walks given up his strikeout-to-walk ratio sits at an impressive 4.71 : 1.
• Both Bernie Martinez (3.77 ERA) and Luke Taggart (4.25 ERA) have a team-leading three wins to their credit on the hill, but Martinez has been the staff's workhorse. A likely choice to start Saturday's finale, Martinez has tossed a Southland Conference-best 45.1 innings thus far and has surrendered just one home run through that span.
LAST TIME OUT
• Having mustered only two hits through the game's first seven innings, the 'Jacks got all the offense they needed to knock out visiting Texas Southern in the bottom of the eighth as senior Josh Evans socked a go-ahead three-run homer to help the 'Jacks secure a 5-4 victory over the Tigers at Jaycees Field Tuesday afternoon.
• Five of SFA's seven hits on the day came in the eighth and two of those five were of the extra-base variety.
• Junior Luis Santiago pushed the eventual game-winning run across home plate when his two-out RBI single scored Eric DeJesus and made matters 5-3 in favor of the 'Jacks.
• Making his first appearance in a save situation, junior Jesus Gamez ran into a little bit of trouble in the top of the ninth before settling down and locking up his first save in an SFA uniform. Gamez gave up three consecutive hits to start the frame - including an RBI double which pulled the Tigers within one run.
• With runners on the corners and nobody out, Gamez watched Jake Georgiades field a ground ball at third and keep the runner stationary while starting a double play that put the 'Jacks just one out away from victory.
• Evans' homer was his fifth of the season and his second in as many games. Additionally, the senior's three RBI in SFA's win represented a season-high as well as his fourth multi-RBI game of the season.
• DeJesus finished with two of the 'Jacks' seven hits - both of which were singles. That helped the senior out of Diboll, Texas, extend his streak of games with at least one hit to five. Since he started his five-game hitting streak back on March 21 against Grambling State, DeJesus has raised his batting average over 80 points, hiking it from .205 to .286.
COMING UP NEXT
• A stretch of six-straight Southland Conference matches for SFA concludes next weekend in Natchitoches, La., when the 'Jacks head to Northwestern State for a three-game set. Game one at Brown-Stroud Field has been set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 6.
-SFA-
