Stephen F. Austin
Dallas Baptist
SFA Heads North to Face Dallas Baptist in Final Regular Season Non-Conference Tilt
5/6/2019 4:46:00 PM | Baseball
'Jacks and Patriots meet on the diamond for first time in five years
Game Forty-Nine
SFA (21-27) at Dallas Baptist (32-15)
Tuesday, May 7 | 6:30 p.m. | Joan & Andy Horner Ballpark (2,000) | Dallas, Texas
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Joseph Sgambelluri (2-4, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Parker Towns (1-1, 4.87 ERA)
LEADOFF HITS
• For its final non-conference game of the regular season, the SFA baseball team heads north to tangle with in-state adversary Dallas Baptist for the first time in a half-decade.
• Tuesday evening's battle between the 'Jacks and Patriots is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. from Horner Ballpark.
• The 'Jacks have gone 8-16 in non-conference games in 2019 and are hoping to post consecutive non-league wins for the first time since the month of February. In SFA's most recent non-conference showdown, the 'Jacks took down Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a 4-2 score behind an 11-strikeout performance by junior right-hander Joseph Sgambelluri.
• Following the events of last weekend, the 'Jacks sit in a tie with Northwestern State for fifth-place in the Southland Conference standings. SFA is just three games back of the top spot in the league standings which is continued to be held by both Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana who have 16-8 records in league play.
LAST TIME OUT
• SFA was outscored 13-2 in its three-game Southland Conference series at McNeese last weekend and suffered a sweep at the hands of the Cowboys for the third-straight season.
• The 'Jacks batted just .112 (10-for-89) over the course of the three-game set and the two runs scored were the fewest for the team in a three-game Southland Conference series since April 11-13 when SFA scored the same amount in a three-game sweep at the hands of former league member Oral Roberts.
SFA TRENDS
• Junior right-hander Alex Palmer has not allowed an earned run to cross home plate in his last 14 innings of work. In those two outings, the Arlington, Texas, product is 1-1 and has struck out 15 batters while giving up just eight hits.
• Senior infielder Antonio Lima is riding a team-leading four-game hitting streak. Over his last four games, Lima is batting .400 with six base knocks and two runs scored. During that four-game stretch, his season batting average has risen 40 points from .214 to .254.
• SFA is hoping to reach double-digits wins in road contests for the first time since the 2016 season when they challenge the Patriots Tuesday evening.
HE'S PRETTY UHSE-FUL
• Freshman outfielder Brandon Uhse has been one of the 'Jacks' best offensive players through his inaugural collegiate campaign.
• The Grand Prairie, Texas, product leads the team in batting average (.295), hits (54) and runs scored (29).
• His 54 hits are the second-most by any Southland Conference freshman this season
SAVE IT
• A strong bullpen has been a staple of SFA so far this season as the 'Jacks have recorded 17 saves throughout their 21 triumphs so far in 2019. Those 17 saves have helped the 'Jacks match the program record for saves in a season which was originally set by the 2011 club that won a program-best 37 games.
• A team-leading six of those saves have gone to senior left-hander Tyler Starks who has made 22 appearances out of the 'Jacks bullpen. Last Tuesday evening the Mesquite, Texas, product notched his sixth and most recent save by tossing the final frame of the 'Jacks' non-conference victory at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In Saturday's Southland Conference setback at McNeese, he added to his program-leading appearance total by tossing one inning of scoreless relief against the Cowboys. He's up to 100 appearances in an SFA uniform, making him the only Lumberjack pitcher in the history of the program to appear in 100 or more games.
• On SFA's all-time saves charts, Starks sits in third place with 19 for his career. He will tie the program record by recording two more saves.
• Five more of SFA's saves have been credited to junior right-hander Jeremy Rodriguez who ranks third in the Southland Conference and ranks 49th nationally with 24 total appearances out of the 'Jacks' bullpen.
• Senior righty Jesus Gamez has locked down four more saves in 2019 so far. He possesses the team's second-lowest ERA at a mark of 2.45 on the year.
• Austin Roth and Cully Mangus have each notched one save for the 'Jacks as well.
• Though he has not yet recorded a save in 2019, senior Austin Hearn has been steadily moving up SFA's all-time appearances chart since the year began. Hearn has pitched in 90 games which is the fourth-most by any single player in program history.
APPROACHING 100
• A group of SFA players are approaching the 100-hit mark for their respective careers.
• Junior Josh Campbell has 89 hits in his career and needs 11 more to get to triple digits.
• Senior Jarrod Huber has 77 hits in his career and needs 23 more to get to triple digits.
• Sophomore Jared Martin has 84 hits in his career and needs 16 more to get to triple digits.
• Senior Jake Georgiades has 84 hits in his career and needs 16 more to get to triple digits.
• Senior Manny Vasquez has 88 hits in his career and needs 12 more to get to triple digits.
SOUTHLAND SHUTOUTS
• Just two other teams in the Southland Conference have racked up more shutout wins than the 'Jacks this season. SFA ranks 59th in the nation in shutout victories with a trio of them.
• Those three shutout wins have all come in Southland Conference play and have helped SFA tie the program mark for the highest number of shutout wins in conference play in a single season.
PALMER POWER
• Junior right-hander Alex Palmer made program history last Friday night in Lake Charles, La., by taking over as SFA's single-season strikeout leader. In his second complete-game effort of the year, Palmer fanned nine and did not allow an earned run against McNeese.
• The Arlington, Texas, product has been SFA's staff ace this season as he leads the team and ranks second in the Southland in complete games (two). Palmer tops the team charts and ranks second in the Southland in games started (12). The junior has also racked up 85 strikeouts through his team-leading 81 innings of work.
• Palmer's 85 punchouts are the most in a single season in program history and the most by a Lumberjack arm since Chase Greening racked up 78 in the 2013 season. He is one of just two SFA pitchers to have amassed 80 or more strikeouts in a single season and he currently ranks second in the Southland and 47th nationally in total strikeouts.
SIX-WIN STOBART
• Junior left-hander Jacob Stobart recently upped his team-leading win total to six games after tossing seven innings of one-run baseball in the 'Jacks' series opener at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, April 20.
• Stobart's six wins on the hill represent the team lead and are the seventh-most by any Southland Conference pitcher so far this season. Those six wins also help Stobart rank 88th nationally in pitching wins.
DALEY DOSE
• In his final season as a collegiate baseball player, senior outfielder Nick Daley has shown some speed that gives him an edge in the outfield and on the base paths.
• The Gilbert, Ariz., native leads the team with 13 stolen bases this season. That works out to a per-game average of 0.32 which is the sixth-best among all Southland players.
• For his career, Daley has swiped 34 bags in an SFA uniform - the fifth-most in program history.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
• One of just three statistical categories where the 'Jacks rank among the top five in the Southland is in terms of fielding percentage.
• SFA's team mark sits at .974 which is the 68th-best in the nation and the fifth-highest among all Southland squads.
SERIES HISTORY | SFA vs. DALLAS BAPTIST
SFA vs. Dallas Baptist | 3-11 (.214)
Streak | Dallas Baptist won two
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 1-6 (.143)
Streak | Dallas Baptist won five
In Dallas, Texas | 2-5 (.286)
Streak | Dallas Baptist won one
Last Game | at Dallas Baptist 7, SFA 6 (10 innings, April 22, 2014)
SFA runs/per game | 92/6.6
Dallas Baptist runs/per game | 134/9.6
Last SFA win | April 16, 2013 (at Dallas Baptist 3, SFA 8)
Last Dallas Baptist win | April 22, 2013 (at Dallas Baptist 7, SFA 6 | 10 inn.)
Cardenas vs. Dallas Baptist | 1-6 (.143)
SCOUTING DALLAS BAPTIST | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Owners of a 20-7 record at Horner Ballpark this season, the Patriots are hoping to make a strong final push over their seven regular season games to capture a spot in their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament. Dallas Baptist is also going after its sixth-straight season of 40 or more wins.
• Boasting one of the nation's top offenses, the Patriot rank 39th nationally in home runs (50), 40th in home runs per game (1.06), 37th in runs scored (327), 44th in scoring (7.0 runs per game) and 43rd in slugging percentage (.446).
• Five Patriots have amassed 10 or more doubles this season and leading the way in that group of junior infielder Jackson Glenn. He leads the squad with 15 two-baggers and is also tops on the team charts with 46 RBI through 47 games played.
• Other top hitters in the Patriots' regular lineup include Luke Bandy who leads the team with a batting average of .353 to go along with 14 of the squad's 69 stolen bases.
• Bryce Ball is one of the Patriots' biggest power threats having blasted a team-leading 10 home runs to power an impressive .291/.417/.523 slash line. His 40 walks are the most on the team, too.
• Augie Isaacson leads the MVC and ranks 30th in the nation with 24 stolen bases. He's also in a three-way tie for first in the MVC with a runs scored per game average of 0.98.
• On the mound, the Patriots rank among the top 20 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (19th, 2.81) and strikeouts per nine innings (11th, 10.1).
ON DECK
• For its final Southland Conference regular season road trip of 2019, SFA heads southeast to Thibodaux, La., for a three-game set at longtime league foe Nicholls. The series begins Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. with junior right-hander Alex Palmer getting the ball for the 'Jacks.
-SFA-
