Stephen F. Austin
Portland
SFA Welcomes WCC Foe Portland to Jaycees Field for Four-Game Series
2/27/2019 10:38:00 PM | Baseball
'Jacks and Pilots duke it out for first time since 2012
Game Nine
SFA (3-5) vs. Portland (6-2)
Thursday, Feb. 28 | 6:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | TBA vs. RHP Eli Morse (1-0, 2.03 ERA)
Game Ten
SFA vs. Portland
Friday, March 1 | 6:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Alex Palmer (0-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Nate Packard (1-0, 1.38 ERA)
Game Eleven
SFA vs. Portland
Saturday, March 2 | Noon | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Trayson Kubo (0-0, 5.14 ERA) vs. RHP Kevin Baker (0-1, 2.70 ERA)
Game Twelve
SFA vs. Portland
Saturday, March 3 | 4:00 p.m. (approx.) | Jaycees Field (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live) | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Joseph Sgambellri (0-2, 14.21 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Clements (2-0, 2.84 ERA)
LEADOFF HITS
• After a lengthier break between games than originally expected, the SFA baseball team finally hits the diamond of Jaycees Field Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. to start a four-game non-conference series against the West Coast Conference's Portland.
• Originally the 'Jacks were supposed to do battle with Prairie View A&M Tuesday evening, but poor weather conditions forced a postponement of that non-conference tilt. The teams will now play on Wednesday, April 24, at Jaycees Field.
• SFA is hoping to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since April 8-10, 2018. In its most recent action, the 'Jacks posted an 11-9 10-inning victory over host UT-Arlington in the final game of the 2019 UTA Classic Sunday night. SFA went 2-2 overall at the classic, getting a win over Wichita State in addition to its triumph over the Mavericks.
• SFA is 0-2 (.000) all-time against Portland with the only two meetings between the clubs before this weekend coming in 2012. That year, the 'Jacks and Pilots played a pair of games in Beaumont, Texas, with the Pilots earning an 11-0 triumph in the first game and a 10-5 victory in the second one. Portland is the only current WCC program SFA has played in program history.
SCOUTING PORTLAND | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Winners of six of their first eight games this season, the Pilots head to Nacogdoches to wrap up an eight-game stretch in the Lone Star State. Last week the squad captured wins in three of its four game in the Al Ogletree Classic at UTRGV. Portland took down North Dakota State twice and went 1-1 against the host Vaqueros.
• Though their batting average sits at a middle-of-the-road .260, the Pilots have been excellent in producing extra-base power so far this season. Portland ranks sixth nationally with 21 doubles and five players have notched three or more through the team's first eight games. Dutton Elske and Hunter Montgomery have posted four each while Cody Hawkins, Daniel Lopez and Trayce Tammaro have rapped three each.
• Lopez (.320/.433/.440), Tammaro (.308/.400/.423) and Montgomery (.300/.300/.633) are the three Portland regulars who are batting .300 or better. Montgomery's eight RBI lead the team as do his nine hits and two home runs.
• The Pilots' pitching has been almost as good as its offense through the early stages of 2019. Collectively, Portland's staff ERA of 2.28 is the 24th best in the nation and none of the team's four starters possesses and ERA north of 2.84. Each of those four starters has racked up 10 innings of work, making life easy for the Pilots' capable bullpen.
• Headlining that bullpen is Connor Knutson who has been frighteningly efficient when it comes to closing the door. He has racked up all three of the Pilots' saves and has given up just four hits through six innings.
GIMME MOORE
• Since making his Lumberjack debut in the team's series finale against Arkansas State on Sunday, Feb. 17, junior infielder Sean Moore has been one of the most integral parts of SFA's offense.
• In that time, the Waxahachie, Texas, product owns a team-leading six-game hitting streak and has posted multiple hits in three of those contests.
• Moore's 10 RBI lead the team and rank third among all Southland Conference players while his 1.67 RBI per game is the second-highest figure in the league and the 46th-highest nationally.
• Sunday against UT-Arlington, Moore went 4-for-5 with four RBI. It marked the first four-hit outing by a Lumberjack this season and the junior's four RBI were also the most in a single game by an SFA player in 2019.
• For the year, Moore has posted a slash line of .440/.481/.520 and has struck out just one in 25 at-bats. That .440 batting average currently ranks as the third-highest in the Southland.
MAKE YOURSELF UHSE-FUL
• Leading the way for SFA with 13 total hits, freshman outfielder Brandon Uhse has notched a hit in seven of the first eight games of his collegiate career.
• The Grand Prairie, Texas, product is batting .382/.432/.471 and ranks second on the team in each of those three categories behind Moore.
• In all, Uhse has tallied 13 hits - a mark that's the second-most by any Southland Conference player. Those 13 hits are also the 25th-most by an NCAA Division I baseball player in 2019 thus far.
• Sunday against UT-Arlington, Uhse went 3-for-5 and produced two of his team-leading three doubles.
SAVE IT
• Senior left-hander Tyler Starks has notched two saves in four chances this season.
• That puts his career save total at 15 which is tied for the third-most in program history.
• Those two saves are the second-most in the Southland as well as the 14th-most in all of NCAA Division I baseball this year.
ON DECK
Following its stretch of four consecutive home games, the 'Jacks set out on the road once again. SFA's next four games will take place in the Lone Star State but outside of the Nacogdoches city limits and that run begins on Tuesday evening in Fort Worth when SFA is set to tangle with TCU. First pitch at Lupton Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.
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