MILLSAPS TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Rhodes (2/17) | Piedmont (2/18) | LaGrange (2/19)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
(All Games)
SOCIAL MEDIA
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FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas baseball team continues an eight-game swing away from home with three over at Millsaps College in the "Millsaps Tournament." Dallas will take on Rhodes College at 12 p.m. on Friday, Piedmont College at 6 p.m. (Time Change) on Saturday, and LaGrange College at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Last weekend was fun for the Crusaders, who improved to 4-2 overall on the young campaign and swept a trio of contests at AirHogs Stadium in the "Rusty Greer & Jackie Moore Collegiate Classic." UD started the stretch with a 5-4 victory over Hendrix College. The Crusaders were helped with three consecutive errors after a pair of walks to muster a four-run 9th inning. Dallas then walked off in the 10th against Concordia University, before completing the exciting weekend on a 13-strikeout performance from three pitchers en route to a 6-3 final versus Hardin-Simmons University.
UD NOTES
- Pitching has been the key these first pair of weekends. Overall the staff has 2.21 earned run average and has only walked 10 in 53 innings. The Crusaders have notched 54 strikeouts, including the highest total in a single game last Sunday since 2011.
- Individually Ryan Hammonds (Cedar Hill, Texas) has thrown two quality outings with seven innings in each. Hammonds last allowed two runs, both homers, and has logged a team-high 14 punch outs. He only has only surrendered six hits and a walk.
- Conrad Voss (Corona, Calif.) hurled a strong outing in his second turn on the mound last Sunday. He fanned eight and walked four while allowing just one earned run. So far only three-of-seven runs allowed by the freshman have been earned.
- William Marshall (Frisco, Texas), Abraham Griesbauer (Troy, Mo.), and Kyle Gamez (Burleson, Texas) makeup a trio of relievers to not have given up a run in multiple appearances.
- Marshall leads the staff with three and is 1-0 with a save (both decisions credited first two wins last weekend).
- Griesbauer picked up his first win of the year with 5 innings of relief against Hendrix. He has thrown seven total and produced nine strikeouts with no walks.
- Gamez earned his first save last Sunday and has gone four scoreless frames with a pair in both appearances thus far. He struck out four in his first collegiate save.
- Offensively, Dallas is hitting .174 but has played small ball to generate runs. UD has earned 31 free passes, with a quartet of players drawing at least four. That group includes: Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.), JP Fasone (Englewood, Colo.), Zach San Roman (Miami, Fla.), and Mark Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio).
- Seth Hanson (Apache Junction, Ariz.) and Fasone are tied for the team-lead in hits with six apiece. Hanson has five RBI and two doubles.
- Stickler has scored four runs and is 3-for-3 in stolen bases. Fasone has crossed home three times and is 2-for-2 in steals. The team as a whole is 9-for-13.
UD SEASON STATS
OPPONENT NOTES
(Rhodes College)
- The Lynx are 1-2 so far this year after starting last weekend.
- With three contests hosted at Huntingdon College, the Lynx prevailed over the host school 5-1 last Sunday. The utilized a four-run 6th to surge ahead to the first victory of the campaign. Jake Medich produced a multi-hit performance with two runs scored. Brady John added two ribbies.
- Prior to the triumph, Rhodes was defeated 7-6 by LaGrange, who the Crusaders play this Sunday. The Lynx also dropped a game to fellow Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) foe Southwestern University 7-3.
- Bill Munson and Brady each lead the team in hits with four. Munson has ripped one-of-two doubles by the team and scored three runs which matches team-high. Nick Bosma is the team leader in runs batted in (4) and the entire squad has combined for 12 of those.
- Pitching wise, Jacob Dubs (1-0), Blake Blauben (0-0), and Jack Mercer (0-1) have made starts. Alex Garrett has tossed four scoreless innings in a pair of appearances and has not allowed hit or free pass.
- Rhodes is coming off a 26-20 season that included 12-9 mark in Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play. Dallas did play its first ever SAA opponent last Friday with Hendrix College (since they changed leagues).
- This meeting is the first ever between the programs.
(Piedmont College)
-The Lions are 4-1 this season and have produced four straight victories since falling by a run (6-5) in the season opener. This includes the past three in a row last weekend at home.
- Piedmont is 3-1 in contests decided by two runs or less and 2-1 in one-run games. The most recent victory was a 4-3 walk-off over No. 6 Birmingham-Southern College. The Lions etched one run from the 6th inning on to complete a 3-0 deficit.
- Andrew Burden punched the game winner in that latest triumph, and has hit the game-winning knock in two games this year. He is the team leader in hits (9), launched the lone homers (2), and leads in RBIs (8).
- Brady Ballstadt has logged eight hits and leads the team in runs scored with six. He and Griffin Olson are tied with multiple doubles (2). Caleb Norton and Tyler Burdette round out top four hitters with seven and six, respectively. Burdette has six RBI for second on squad.
- Ben McCurley and Max Bening have made two starts each for the Lions. Riley Presnell threw in the other start and made six innings.
- George Seth has tossed 6.2 innings of relief across three appearances. He has not allowed a run. Matt Vonderschmidt has a save in three innings.
- Piedmont went 21-19 in 2016.
- The teams will play each other for the first time in history on Saturday.
(LaGrange College)
- The Panthers are 6-1 this season and 3-0 on neutral sites.
- The most recent contest was LaGrange's only setback this campaign at home versus top 10 Birmingham Southern, 8-5. LC also played fellow SCAC foe, Southwestern University, and prevailed 8-4.
- So far this early in the year, the Panthers are 2-0 in one-run games. They have scored at least five runs in every game, with the lowest output in the lone setback. The first three games of the year resulted in double-digit run totals.
- LaGrange will play Rhodes and Fontbonne University prior to the weekend finale.
- A quartet of Panthers are in double-digits for hits. Casey Bell (13), Blake Butcher (11), James Poropatic (11), and Tavin Thompson (10) form the group. Chad Pigg is right there at nine.
- Thompson leads the squad with 12 runs batted in. Poropatic and Butcher each have four doubles.
- Bell, Thompson, Butcher, Pigg, and Cain Sauls have all contributed to the team's five homers.
- The staff has posted a 4.57 ERA, 48 strikeouts, and 12 walks. Andrew Weekley and Ryan Broaderick are the top inning throwers with 15 and 10, respectively. Weekly has started three times and leads the way with 12 strikeouts.
- J. Fleckenstein has amassed a 2-1 record with four relief outings and 9.1 innings. He has the other double-digit strikeout amount (10).
- Last season, the Panthers boasted a 30-13 record and 13-5 mark in the USA South.
- Both programs meet on the diamond for the first time on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Dallas takes a weekend to rest before playing a doubleheader on February 28 at East Texas Baptist University. First pitch is slated at 1 p.m.