Stephen F. Austin
Purdue University
'Jacks 2025 Season Outlook; SFA Open's 2025 Season this Weekend in Sugar Land
2/13/2025 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Lumberjacks 2025 Baseball Outlook
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball program begins a highly anticipated new era in the program's storied history in 2025. Following a three-year stint in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), the Lumberjacks return to the Southland Conference (SLC) where they spent 34 years prior to moving to the WAC for the 2021 season. The Lumberjacks return to the SLC looking to establish a new culture and environment as they seek their first Southland Conference Regular Season championship in program history.
The Lumberjacks' schedule this season features 25 home games and 28 on the road. First-year head coach Matt Vanderburg will begin the 2025 campaign in Sugarland, Texas, for a four-game series against Big 10 opponent Purdue University. The weekend series will run from February 14th to 16th, and a doubleheader on Friday will kick off the campaign. It will be the first time the Lumberjacks and Boilermakers will meet.
The Lumberjacks open their home schedule for the 2025 season the following week as they return home to Pilgrim's Park to host the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions in a four-game weekend series on February 21st - 23rd. The Lumberjacks start conference play in a weekend home series against New Orleans, February 28th-March 2nd, at Pilgrim's Park. The Lumberjacks will play 30 Southland Conference games (SLC.) Sprinkled into their non-conference play schedule are single games against former WAC foe Abilene Christian University (ACU) , the University of Houston, and Baylor.
"When we were scheduling, we wanted to schedule teams from different conferences around the region to fit into our schedule so we could expose our players to some diversity and to challenge them," said head coach Matt Vanderburg. "We feel our non-conference schedule early in the year will give us an opportunity to test the competitive spirit, set the expectations high, and prepare us for the 30-game Southland Conference play. Our expectations will always be top-tier, and we will never shy away from a challenging situation. We want to play for championships here at SFA, and we are excited about the season in front of us. This team can't wait to get out and compete."
Leading the Lumberjacks baseball program is first-year Head Coach Matt Vanderburg, who was hired as the ninth head coach in SFA baseball program history following the retirement of former Head Coach Johnny Cardenas after the 2024 season. Vanderburg comes to SFA from West Texas A&M, where he built the Buffs into both a regional and national contender, accumulating a 515-293 overall record and holds a career record of 614-359 over his 19 seasons coaching in collegiate baseball. Vanderburg's resume speaks for itself as he led the Buffs to their ninth consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament last season while recording his fourth consecutive season with 30+ win season and his 14th season overall. In addition to his unprecedented regular season success, Vanderburg's teams were just as successful in the postseason as he led West Texas A&M to three Lone Star Conference regular season titles, three Lone Star Conference Championships, and 12 Lone Star Conference Tournament appearances.
The Lumberjacks 2025 roster features a blend of both familiar faces and a large number of newcomers. Vanderburg and his staff were busy in the recruiting process as well, utilizing the transfer portal during the offseason. Anchoring the Lumberjacks' pitching staff this season will be returning seniors RHP Reid Boyett and LHP Elian Balmaceda. Boyett, a Nacogdoches local, tossed 73.1 innings last season for the 'Jacks and punched out 63 batters, while Balmaceda, a lefty heralding from Houston, showcased his wipe-out arsenal on the bump last season for SFA as he struck out 45 in 44.1 innings pitched.
The talent for the Lumberjacks goes far beyond just the returners, however, as the 'Jacks added a bevy of talent through the transfer portal and recruitment process. Dante Turgeon and Ben Hoshizaki join SFA from Chandler Gilbert Community College looking to build off successful sophomore seasons that saw Hoshizaki hit for a .367 average with 31 RBI's, while Turgeon slugged seven home runs and had 47 RBI's for the Coyotes. Jackson Benattar transfers to SFA from Glendale Community College looking to keep the momentum from his sophomore season where he slashed to the tune of a .326/.407/.514 line. Another name to watch in the Lumberjack lineup this season is Dalton Mullins, who comes to SFA from Angelina College, where he played 51 games for the Roadrunners, hitting for a .368 average while adding on 27 RBI's and eight stolen bases.
Joining Balmaceda and Boyett in the pitching staff for SFA this season are several pitchers who offer plenty of strikeout appeal for head coach Matt Vanderburg. Sean Farney, transferring from Pima Community College, was effective in his limited innings last year as he punched out 30 hitters in 23 innings for the Aztecs. Kadin Munson was a workhorse for the University of St.Thomas-Houston Celts the last two years as he has pitched in a combined 113 innings over two seasons and flashed an impressive arsenal as he struck out 127 hitters in those innings. Blaine Zeplin started in 13 games last season for Seminole Community College and was no stranger to winning, posting a 7-2 record with two complete games while striking out 59 batters in 64.1 innings last season. Cody Templeton rounds out the transfer pitching class for the Lumberjacks as he joins SFA from Texas A&M-International, where he pitched a team-high 82.1 innings last season for the Dust Devils, striking out 64 batters and throwing three complete games.
"This team has worked tirelessly this off-season to buy into the culture of SFA baseball," added Vanderburg. "The blend of the new players and returners have meshed perfectly together, and the team dynamic is electric. I am confident we have put together a group that will go out and compete every day at a championship level. The upcoming schedule is going to be a big test for this team."
Tickets to the Lumberjacks four-game series vs. Purdue at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit the following links:
Ticket Links:
2/14 - https://mlb.tickets.com/?agency=MILB_MPV&orgid=55531&pid=9514500
2/15 - https://mlb.tickets.com/?agency=MILB_MPV&orgid=55531&pid=9514501
2/16 - https://mlb.tickets.com/?agency=MILB_MPV&orgid=55531&pid=9514502
Weekend package
https://mlb.tickets.com/?agency=MILB_MPV&orgid=55531&packageId=
Ticket Information
Join SFA Baseball at Pilgrim's Park this season! Single-game tickets are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
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For all the latest information on SFA Baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
