SERIES PREVIEW: Dallas vs. No. 22 Trinity University (4/10; DH) | (4/11)
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas baseball team (6-22, 2-10 SCAC) plays its last Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) home series April 11-12 versus No. 22 Trinity University (19-9, 4-5 SCAC).
First pitch on Saturday is at 12 p.m. for a doubleheader, and Sunday's finale is slated for 1 p.m. Dallas is looking to snap a 10-game slide, and is 2-10 at Crusader Field this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Crusaders were unable to get past a stout offense by the University of Texas-Dallas on Tuesday, falling 14-9. UD pounded six-straight hits to erupt for a five-run fourth inning that lifted them in front 5-4 at the time.
An extra run in the fifth gave the Navy and White a two-run edge, but the Comets would post four and five runs in the sixth and seventh, respectively, to nip the margin and claim the non-conference affair.
Senior (Anthony Armstrong) gave a stellar performance, going three-for-five at the plate, with a double and home run. The designated hitter drove in five total and scored twice for the home team.
Also displaying solid days at the dish with multiple knocks were sophomore Alex Stack (Keller, Texas), freshman Patch Healy (Plano, Texas), and senior Jake Pierce (Tucson, Ariz.).
IMPACT PLAYERS
Senior Luciano Villanueva (San Antonio, Texas) leads the way with 31 hits and a .333 batting average. He has also driven in a team-high 14 RBI, and scored 16 times to rank second on the squad.
Pierce is hitting .313 through 32 at bats since returning to the lineup last month. He is batting .500 (4-8) in the past two games with a pair of RBI occurring in Tuesday's contest.
Rounding out the top trio of hitters over .300 is senior Trevor Keele (Edgewood, Texas) with a .309 clip. He is second on the team with 30 hits and has cracked six doubles and two homers, which matches Villanueva for tops on the club.
Stack is hitting .284 overall, and .295 at the home confines this campaign. The third baseman has collected 29 hits to be right behind the top two hitters.
Sophomore Ryan Hammonds (Cedar Hill, Texas) leads the pitching staff with 50.2 innings pitched. He tossed 15.2 innings in the last two starts, including a career-high eight in a 1-0 defeat at Centenary College last weekend. Hammonds has posted a 3.55 ERA and has struck out a team-high 41.
Senior's Martin Cronin (The Woodlands, Texas) has made nine starts and gone 41.2 innings, and is tied with junior Denton Martin (Denton, Texas) with 29 punch outs apiece. Keele has spun a 1.12 ERA in eight innings, picking up three saves and fanning eight.
SCOUTING TRINITY
The nationally ranked Tigers have been in the top-25 all spring. Last week, then No.13 Trinity split a home-and-away game versus No.15 Concordia University. TU prevailed 11-3 at home before dropping an 8-3 decision on Friday in its most recent action.
Leading the Maroon and Gold offensively are: Colin Serkowski (.386 average), Jeremy Wolf (.379), Drew Butler (.359), Nick Jewett (.355), Austin Singer (.323), and Connor Moore (.310). Serkowski tops the hit category with 39, while Wolf has provided 10 of his 36 knocks for doubles.
Singer paces the SCAC with six long balls. He also leads the conference and boasts a team-best 30 RBI, while Butler and Wolf have provided 25 and 22 to complete the top three, respectively.
On the pitching side, Zack Speer has made the most starts with eight, and has hurled 47.2 frames, while reflecting a 5-2 mark and 3.78 ERA. He has struck out 53 batters to go with 13 walks. Trent Rape and Mike Walker have each toed the bump in five games, and have notched earned run averages of 2.92 and 3.32.
Trinity is 7-6 on the road compared to 12-2 at the friendly confines.
FAMILIAR FOE
The two programs have met on the field for a three-game set once this year back in San Antonio, Texas. Trinity swept the non-conference series, taking the matchups: 6-5, 7-3, and 12-0.
In the opener, UD rallied for two in the ninth inning with the go-ahead run coming off the bat of Keele for an infield fielder's choice. The Tigers answered with a pair in the home half to walk-off.
The second contest of the twinbill that day favored TU, as the squad utilized a three-run first to build early momentum. Keele homered and drove in two, while Villanueva added an RBI in the seventh.
ON DECK
Dallas travels to LeTourneau University on Apr. 14 for a pair of seven-inning contests. First pitch is at 5 p.m. The Crusaders will be in SCAC action on Apr. 18-19.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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