Thursday, April 2
Corpus Christi, TX
6:00 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Photo by: Sarah Williams
Jacks Hit Road for SLC Series at Texas A&M-CC
4/1/2026 4:23:00 PM | Baseball
SFA in thick of Southland standings to open final full month of regular season
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The calendar turns to the final full month of the regular season, and the first action of April sends Stephen F. Austin to south Texas for a three-game Southland Conference series with A&M-Corpus Christi. First pitch in Thursday's opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. SFA enters the weekend 7-5 in league play, and just three games back of the current two-team tie for first, while the Islanders are 3-8 in SLC play.
SFA (16-14, 7-5 SLC) is coming off a run-rule victory over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday. The Jacks produced 15 runs, the eighth game this season with 10+ runs scored, and collected 13 hits, the eighth game this spring with a dozen or more base knocks, to move to 7-2 this season against SWAC opposition, while improving their home record at Pilgrim's Park to 10-6.
The Jacks enter the weekend series with the Islanders, two wins shy of matching last season's overall win total and SLC win total, and one win shy of matching its 2025 road success.
THE SERIES
The first of the three weekend tilts will be the 59th matchup all-time between the two programs. SFA holds a narrow advantage in the series with 30 wins over the previous 58 matchups. The Jacks are 19-14 on the road against the Islanders but have lost three-straight games to A&M-CC and are 4-6 in their last ten at Chapman Field. A&M-CC swept the Jacks last season in Nacogdoches which included a game two, 16-inning marathon.
ON ISLAND TIME
A&M-CC (13-14, 3-8 SLC) recently took two of three from UTRGV, claimed one win over Lamar, beat the ACC's Pittsburg in late February and on Tuesday tied the Houston Astros' Double A-Affiliate and hometown minor league club Corpus Christi Hooks 4-4.
The Islanders swipe bags at a top three rate in the SLC. A&M-CC's 1.46 steals per game rates third as do the squad's 41 total stolen bases. Additionally, the Islanders' 15 sacrifice bunts are the third-most in the SLC. A&M-CC comes into the SLC series with a collective slash of .271/.366/.364.
Cade Sanchez's .390 average paces the Islanders at the plate and he ranks second in the SLC in hits (41) and doubles (9). Christian Smith-Johnson is the top base stealer with 13 at .5 per game; both second in the SLC.
On the mound, penciled-in Friday night starter Chase Mayer (SLC-best 3 saves) is slated to make his first start of the season after appearing in a staff-high nine games in relief. Seven A&M-CC arms have reached 20+ strikeouts this season, helping the squad to a 9.4 strikeouts per 9 rate which ranks fourth in the SLC. Game two starter Easten Smith paces with 25 strikeouts and leads the team in innings pitched with 25.2. He sports a 1.75 ERA and is 3-0 this season.
LUMBERJACK LOWDOWN
The Jacks have won two-straight games and head to Corpus Christi winners of five of their last six Southland series dating back to last season. This spring, SFA is 6-8 on the road with a 2-4 mark in SLC action.
Through 30 games, SFA leads the SLC in walks drawn with 166, a top 25 mark nationally, and has earned eight or more free passes eight times this season. That effort has helped produce the league's second-high OBP at .393 and has aided in 205 runs scored which ranks third leaguewide. SFA leads the SLC with 49 stolen bases.
Three Jacks own averages north of .300, six have 25 or more hits, nine have 10+ RBI this season and all are led by Julian Swift (.352, 44 H, 38 RBI) who, as the lone Jack to see action in all 30 games so far this spring, leads the Southland Conference in hits, doubles (10), RBI, total bases (71) and triples (3), while being the league's toughest player to retire via strikeout (12.5).
Swift has nine hits in his last five games, tied for the second most of any five-game stretch for the infielder this season. He leads the Jacks with 13 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games.
Jhett Creel has helped power SFA's efforts in drawing free passes with the second-most walks in the SLC (29), while Cooper Schneider follows in seventh (22). Creel paces the SLC in OBP at .492. Mark Henning currently carries the team's longest active reached safely streak at 10 games.
On the mound, SFA's 4.29 walks per nine rate is the third lowest in the league, while the staff's K-to-BB ratio of 2.12 rates fourth and its 9.1 Ks per nine is fifth.
After matching his career-high in strikeouts with nine to give the Jacks game three over HCU, Dylan Mulcahy took over the team strikeout lead with 37. Cody Templeton follows with 34, while four other Jacks have 15+ punchouts this season. Kadin Munson's dozen appearances are a top five total in the SLC, while fellow reliever Jack James is tops among non-starters in innings thrown (23.0), ranks second in strikeouts (22) and appearances (10) and leads the entire staff in ERA at 1.17 with a WHIP south of 1.0.
SEASON NOTABLES
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts match the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. It was the sixth inning of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure and the fourth through the first 17 games of the season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all remaining SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
SFA (16-14, 7-5 SLC) is coming off a run-rule victory over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday. The Jacks produced 15 runs, the eighth game this season with 10+ runs scored, and collected 13 hits, the eighth game this spring with a dozen or more base knocks, to move to 7-2 this season against SWAC opposition, while improving their home record at Pilgrim's Park to 10-6.
The Jacks enter the weekend series with the Islanders, two wins shy of matching last season's overall win total and SLC win total, and one win shy of matching its 2025 road success.
THE SERIES
The first of the three weekend tilts will be the 59th matchup all-time between the two programs. SFA holds a narrow advantage in the series with 30 wins over the previous 58 matchups. The Jacks are 19-14 on the road against the Islanders but have lost three-straight games to A&M-CC and are 4-6 in their last ten at Chapman Field. A&M-CC swept the Jacks last season in Nacogdoches which included a game two, 16-inning marathon.
ON ISLAND TIME
A&M-CC (13-14, 3-8 SLC) recently took two of three from UTRGV, claimed one win over Lamar, beat the ACC's Pittsburg in late February and on Tuesday tied the Houston Astros' Double A-Affiliate and hometown minor league club Corpus Christi Hooks 4-4.
The Islanders swipe bags at a top three rate in the SLC. A&M-CC's 1.46 steals per game rates third as do the squad's 41 total stolen bases. Additionally, the Islanders' 15 sacrifice bunts are the third-most in the SLC. A&M-CC comes into the SLC series with a collective slash of .271/.366/.364.
Cade Sanchez's .390 average paces the Islanders at the plate and he ranks second in the SLC in hits (41) and doubles (9). Christian Smith-Johnson is the top base stealer with 13 at .5 per game; both second in the SLC.
On the mound, penciled-in Friday night starter Chase Mayer (SLC-best 3 saves) is slated to make his first start of the season after appearing in a staff-high nine games in relief. Seven A&M-CC arms have reached 20+ strikeouts this season, helping the squad to a 9.4 strikeouts per 9 rate which ranks fourth in the SLC. Game two starter Easten Smith paces with 25 strikeouts and leads the team in innings pitched with 25.2. He sports a 1.75 ERA and is 3-0 this season.
LUMBERJACK LOWDOWN
The Jacks have won two-straight games and head to Corpus Christi winners of five of their last six Southland series dating back to last season. This spring, SFA is 6-8 on the road with a 2-4 mark in SLC action.
Through 30 games, SFA leads the SLC in walks drawn with 166, a top 25 mark nationally, and has earned eight or more free passes eight times this season. That effort has helped produce the league's second-high OBP at .393 and has aided in 205 runs scored which ranks third leaguewide. SFA leads the SLC with 49 stolen bases.
Three Jacks own averages north of .300, six have 25 or more hits, nine have 10+ RBI this season and all are led by Julian Swift (.352, 44 H, 38 RBI) who, as the lone Jack to see action in all 30 games so far this spring, leads the Southland Conference in hits, doubles (10), RBI, total bases (71) and triples (3), while being the league's toughest player to retire via strikeout (12.5).
Swift has nine hits in his last five games, tied for the second most of any five-game stretch for the infielder this season. He leads the Jacks with 13 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games.
Jhett Creel has helped power SFA's efforts in drawing free passes with the second-most walks in the SLC (29), while Cooper Schneider follows in seventh (22). Creel paces the SLC in OBP at .492. Mark Henning currently carries the team's longest active reached safely streak at 10 games.
On the mound, SFA's 4.29 walks per nine rate is the third lowest in the league, while the staff's K-to-BB ratio of 2.12 rates fourth and its 9.1 Ks per nine is fifth.
After matching his career-high in strikeouts with nine to give the Jacks game three over HCU, Dylan Mulcahy took over the team strikeout lead with 37. Cody Templeton follows with 34, while four other Jacks have 15+ punchouts this season. Kadin Munson's dozen appearances are a top five total in the SLC, while fellow reliever Jack James is tops among non-starters in innings thrown (23.0), ranks second in strikeouts (22) and appearances (10) and leads the entire staff in ERA at 1.17 with a WHIP south of 1.0.
SEASON NOTABLES
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts match the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. It was the sixth inning of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure and the fourth through the first 17 games of the season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all remaining SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#AxeEm x #LogByLog
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball3.29.26 | BSB v HCU Series Press Conference
Monday, March 30
3.8.26 | BSB v Lamar Series Press Conference
Monday, March 09
2.17.26 | Baseball Opening Week Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, February 18
5.10.25 | BSB v UIW Series Press Conference
Monday, May 12
