Stephen F. Austin
Nicholls
SFA and Nicholls Do Battle Saturday and Sunday at Jaycees Field
5/3/2018 6:23:00 PM | Baseball
'Jacks sit three games back of the playoff picture with nine league games remaining
Game Forty-Four
Stephen F. Austin (14-29, 6-15 Southland) vs. Nicholls (20-26, 9-12 Southland)
Saturday, May 5 | 1:00 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Game sponsored by Nacogdoches Memorial Health
Live Stats | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Jake Norton (0-2, 5.82 ERA) vs. LHP Alex Ernestine (3-4, 6.41 ERA)
Game Forty-Five
Stephen F. Austin vs. Nicholls
Saturday, May 5 | 4:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Weather Forecast
Game sponsored by Nacogdoches Memorial Health
Pitching Matchup | RHP Sean Beasley (2-3, 5.93 ERA) vs. RHP Cayden Hatcher (3-5, 4.17 ERA)
Game Forty-Six
Stephen F. Austin vs. Nicholls
Sunday, May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats | Watch | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Trevor Kiminski (2-5, 5.54 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob Bedevian (2-6, 5.68 ERA)
LEADOFF HITS
• Three games back of the eighth and final spot for the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team has nine more regular season league games to work itself into the postseason picture. This weekend the 'Jacks play three of those games against league foe Nicholls at Jaycees Field. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. Saturday and finish the three-game set Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with a single game. Saturday's games are sponsored by Nacogdoches Memorial Health.
• Originally, the plan was to play the series opener at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening at Jaycees Field but heavy rain in the area forced Friday's game to Saturday where it will serve as the front end of the day's doubleheader.
• Currently, it's the Colonels who sit in eighth place in the Southland Conference standings - the spot the 'Jacks need to be to punch a ticket to the league's tournament for the third-straight season.
• The 'Jacks and Colonels meet at Jaycees Field for the first time in almost four years this weekend. Last season in Thibodeaux, the Colonels took two out of three to win the series against SFA. Those three games in the Pelican State were the first between the two squads since 2014.
• Junior catcher Jarrod Huber is one of 124 NCAA Division I catchers from around the nation who are on the watch list for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award which recognizes the top catcher in all of DI baseball. Huber's inclusion on the list marks the second time in as many years that the 'Jacks have posted a player on the watch list after Clark Kahawaii saw his name appear on the list in 2017.
• Freshman Jared Martin and junior Manny Vasquez are tied for the team lead in batting average. Both are batting .299 but it has been Martin, a native of Frisco, Texas, who has distinguished himself throughout the season.
• Martin leads SFA in multiple statistical categories including hits (50), runs scored (36) and doubles (16). His 16 doubles are the second-most by any Southland Conference player and represent the second-highest total by any NCAA Division I freshman in the nation.
• Providing the 'Jacks with a powerful one-two punch in the third and fourth spots in the order, senior Josh Evans compliments Martin's power with that of his own. SFA's leader in RBI (31), home runs (seven) and slugging percentage (.516), Evans ranks second on the team with 13 doubles and is the only other SFA player besides Martin with 20 or more extra-base hits in 2018. In the Southland Conference statistical rankings, Evans is sixth in home runs, seventh in doubles, 12th in slugging percentage and 13th in RBI.
• Senior infielder Eric DeJesus leads all SFA regulars with an on-base percentage of .401 this year. He is one of only two 'Jacks in program history who have amassed 80 or more walks in a a career and with six more he will break Nick Ramos' program walks record which stands at 85.
• Among the pitching staff, junior Jesus Gamez possesses the 'Jacks' lowest ERA with a figure of 3.42 through 24 relief appearances. Fellow reliever Cody Adams ranks fourth nationally and second in the Southland Conference in terms of total pitching appearances with 27.
SERIES HISTORY | SFA vs. NICHOLLS
Record vs. Nicholls | 23-35 (.397)
Streak | Nicholls won one
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 15-17 (.469)
Streak | Nicholls won two
In Thibodaux, La. | 8-18 (.308)
Streak | Nicholls won one
Last game | at Nicholls 3, SFA 1 (5/7/17)
SFA runs/per game | 297/5.1
Nicholls runs/per game | 352/6.1
Last Nicholls win | May 7, 2017 (at Nicholls 3, SFA 1)
Last SFA win | May 6, 2017 (at Nicholls 2, SFA 4)
Cardenas vs. Nicholls | 12-9 (.571)
SCOUTING NICHOLLS | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Beginning with their series against the 'Jacks in Nacogdoches, the Colonels are playing five of their next six games on the road. Nicholls heads to Jaycees Field having won three straight and four of its last five games.
• Four Colonels regulars are batting above .300 with Joey Morales (.347/.410/.443) leading the way in terms of batting average. Morales is one of four Nicholls players who have driven in 25 or more runs, ranking fourth on the squad with 28 RBI.
• The Southland's leader in on-base percentage and the Colonels' best in terms of slugging percentage, Chet Niehaus (.335/.490/.506) has socked a team-high six of Nicholls' 21 homers and has also drawn a team-best 34 walks in 46 games played (all stats).
• Both Ethan Valdez (.313/.435/.375) and Brady Bell (.313/.354/.440) sit in third among the Colonels' ranks in terms of batting average. The former leads the squad in runs scored with 43 while the latter ranks second on the team with a pair of triples that add to his extra-base hit total of 13.
• Lee Clark (.265/.337/.475) and Kyle Knauth (.256/.389/.419) may not have batting average's in the .300's, but what they lack in that department they make up for in terms of power at the plate. Clark's 22 extra-base hits lead the team as do his 15 doubles while Knauth ranks second on the club with 12 two-baggers. Those two have helped Nicholls rise to the top of the Southland Conference in terms of doubles with 83.
• Once the Colonels do get baserunners on, they do their best to move them into scoring position. Nicholls leads the Southland and ranks fifth in the nation in terms of sacrifice bunts (44).
• Game two starter Cayden Hatcher earned the title of Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week Monday afternoon following the first complete game of his collegiate career. Hatcher allowed just one run on six hits while striking out four to help Nicholls defeat Lamar 6-1. His 45 strikeouts lead the team and his 4.17 ERA is the second-lowest on the team. As a squad, the Colonels have an ERA of 4.96 which ranks 10th in the Southland Conference.
COMING UP NEXT
• For their final non-conference away game of the regular season, the 'Jacks head south to Houston, Texas, to take on Houston at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2012.
-SFA-
