Baseball Matt Jones

No. 14 Statesmen take streak into weekend series with Wonder Boys

Junior shortstop Chris Escobar will lead the No. 14 Statesmen into this weekend's series with Arkansas Tech.
Complete Delta State Baseball vs. Arkansas Tech Series Notebook [PDF]

CLEVELAND -
The No. 14/No.15/No. 21 ranked Statesmen (31-10-1, 11-3 GSCW) of Delta State University will put their 13 game winning streak on the line this weekend versus the Wonder Boys (30-14, 10-3 GSCW) of Arkansas Tech University at Ferriss Field. The three game Gulf South Conference series will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. (DH) and conclude Sunday at 2 p.m.

Delta State enter's the weekend after sweeping Arkansas-Monticello 17-2, 19-1 and 16-5 in last week's GSC series at Weevils Field. DSU also claimed a mid-week sweep at Montevallo (12-31) 9-3 and 11-1 at Kermit Johnson Field.

The Statesmen are batting .355 as a team in their last 13 games, while averaging 12.5 runs per game. Seven men in the DSU order are batting over .345 during the stretch.

Arkansas Tech swept Ouachita Baptist 10-5, 11-7 and 7-4 last weekend. The Wonder Boys also defeated Lyon College 13-7 on Tuesday.

The Statesmen have dominated the series with the Wonder Boys, leading the all-time standings 45-5. In fact, the Statesmen have won 10 straight against ATU. DSU took all three from ATU last season 13-7, 7-6 and 12-7 in Russellville, Ark. The Statesmen swept ATU in their last meeting at Ferriss Field in 2008, claiming 17-3, 7-3 and 7-4 victories.

STATESMAN TO WATCH - CHRIS ESCOBAR (SS)
Junior SS Chris Escobar (6-0/Stockton, Calif.) is this week's Statesman To Watch. The Stockton, Calif. native has been a major catalyst for the Statesmen in their 13 game winning streak, batting .475 with 19 hits and 19 RBIs in his last 13 games. This season, the University of San Francisco transfer is batting .328 with 40 hits, 37 runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and 37 RBIs. He has also stolen 5-of-6 bases this year.

STATESMEN SPORTS NETWORK
The Statesmen Sports Network will offer complete coverage of all three games this weekend versus Arkansas Tech from Ferriss Field. The broadcast starts 15 minutes prior to first pitch with the SouthGroup Insurance Dugout Report. Matt Jones and Jimmy Smith will have the call. This week's action may be heard on WMJW 107.5 FM and 930 AM in Jackson.

NIEMANN NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Delta State University junior centerfielder Michael Niemann has been named the Gulf South Conference West Division Player of the Week for the period ending Monday, April 12, as released by the league office on Tuesday. Niemann garners his first career honor and third for the surging Statesmen this season after a solid performance at the dish this past week.

In five games, the Yelm, Wash. native recorded at least one hit and plated one run, including two hits in each of Delta State's three GSC games at Arkansas-Monticello over the weekend. The junior also drove in 11 runs in the series' sweep of the Boll Weevils and set a new career high with five RBI in Sunday's finale.

For the week, Niemann batted .556 with two doubles, 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs. He also stole three bases to climb into fifth place on the career steals charts at DSU.

STATESMEN FIFTH IN NCAA SOUTH REGION POLL
The NCAA Division II Championship Committee released the first official round of regional rankings on Wednesday and the Statesmen (30-10-1) of Delta State University came in fifth in the South Region Poll. As expected, Southern Arkansas, the nation's No. 1 ranked team, came in at No. 1. Complete rankings are listed below.

1. Southern Arkansas 35-3/29-3
2. Tampa 37-6/30-6
3. Florida Southern 34-5/21-5
4. Valdosta State 31-12/26-11
5. Delta State 29-10-1/23-8-1
6. Florida Tech 30-11/17-10
7. West Florida 29-13/19-13
8. Barry 25-12/17-12
9. Nova Southeastern 25-17/15-17
10. Arkansas Tech 29-14/26-11

STATESMEN TO WELCOME TECH TO FERRISS FIELD
Since the two teams first met on the baseball diamond in 1990, Delta State has experienced its share of success against Arkansas Tech, leading the all-time series 45-5. The Statesmen swept the Wonder Boys in Russellville last season by scores of 13-7, 7-6 and 12-7.

The 2009 series with Arkansas Tech yielded similar results to the 2008 series, the last time the Statesmen faced the Wonder Boys in Cleveland. Tech struggled in their last visit to Ferriss Field, as the Statesmen pummeled the Boys 17-3, 7-3 and 7-4.

The Statesmen have won their previous 10 meetings with the Wonder Boys dating back to 2006, when Arkansas Tech defeated Delta State 4-2 in the middle of a three-game series at Ferriss Field. That game marks the Wonder Boys' only victory over the Statesmen this decade.

AGAINST RANKED COMPETITION
The Statesmen enter this weekend's series with unranked Arkansas Tech boasting a 4-2-1 record against ranked competition this season. Delta State's four wins against the top 30 rank second to Ouachita Baptist's five among GSC teams.

CURRENT 13-GAME STREAK FUELED BY DSU-O
The Statesmen have claimed wins in 13 straight games dating back to an 8-7 (10) loss to Harding. The 13 game streak tops a seven game streak from Feb. 20-28.

Statesmen batters and pitchers have been firing on all cylinders during the team's current 13-game winning streak. Statesmen hitters have batted .355 during the 13-game stretch and recorded an on-base percentage of .487. Delta State has scored 162 runs during the streak, an average of 12.46 per game.

Meanwhile, opposing hitters have been unable to keep up with the Statesmen's torrid offense. As a team, Delta State has given up only 4.8 runs per contest, while Statesmen hurlers have accumulated a 3.55 ERA during the 13-game winning streak.

COATS AND KELLEY DOT NCAA STATS LEADERBOARD
While they may not be donning the green jacket Phil Mickelson put on last week, Statesmen pitchers Jason Coats and Cody Kelley find themselves ranked among the nation's elite pitchers wirh seven games left in the regular season.

Coats (7-0), a senior from Starkville, is currently tied for 14th in the country in wins with seven, while Kelley, a senior from Louisville, ranks 21st in NCAA DII with a 1.20 walks per nine inning ratio.

MOORE AND BRANSTETTER IMPRESS IN MIDWEEK STARTS
Two freshmen hurlers made the most of their starts in Delta State's mid-week non-conference sweep of Montevallo earlier this week. Redshirt freshman Jordan Moore (6-3 / 214 / Calhoun City, Miss.) gave up only one run over seven complete innings to lead the Statesmen to 9-3 victory in the series opener Tuesday. The win was Moore's second of the season, as he has compiled a 2-0 record with a 2.63 ERA.
True freshman Josh Branstetter (5-11 /186 /Pensacola, Fla.) continued the trend of baffling Falcon hitters in Delta State's 11-1 victory Wednesday. Branstetter scattered seven hits and struck out five while tossing six scoreless innings en route to his third victory of the season. He is 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA this season.

PALASINI SHINES IN FIRST CAREER DSU START
Junior outfielder Hunter Palasini (6-2 / 205 / Leland, Miss.) embraced the spotlight in his first career start for the Statesmen in their 11-1 victory at Montevallo on Wednesday. Palasini, a transfer from Mississippi Delta Community College, scored two runs and went 2-for-3 with a walk, giving him his first career multi-hit game for the Statesmen.

A Palasini starring at Delta State is nothing new to Statesmen fans, as Hunter's older brother Anthony was the team's starting catcher last season, hitting .278 and slugging .418 for the Statesmen in 2009 Anthony Palasini also split the catching duties on the Statesmen's 2008 GSC championship team.

BASEBALL MAGNETS
The Statesmen might feel like baseball magnets this season, ranking second in the NCAA in hit-by-pitches with 98 this season. Southern Arkansas leads the NCAA with 99.

In a19-3 rout at CBU on March 21, the Statesmen were hit nine times by Buccaneer pitching, establishing a new school record for the Statesmen and were just one off the GSC's single-game record. The previous record for HBPs in a game was eight versus St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Feb. 23, 2008 at Ferriss Field.

Through 42 games, the Statesmen have been hit by a pitch 98 times. The school record for single season HBPs is 152.

The Statesmen are led by junior catcher Patrick Taylor, who ranks 14th nationally with 21 HBPs.

NIEMANN MOVES INTO TOP FIVE IN CAREER STEALS
Junior centerfielder Michael Niemann has vaulted up the career top 10 list this season for the Statesmen, moving all the way to No. 5 after his steal of second in DSU's 13-11 at William Carey.
In his 148 game career, the Yelm, Wash., native has swiped 54 bases in 70 attempts, moving past Timbo Baird (41), Eric Patten (42), Casey Myrick (43), Jud Thigpen (47), Hunter Jobes (48) and Paul Wright (50).

Heath Bailey (1994-96) stole a school-record 71 bases during his career for the Statesmen.

KELLEY MOVES INTO SEVENTH IN CAREER APPEARANCES
Senior righthander Cody Kelley (5-0, 4.45 ERA) has moved into seventh place on the career appearances chart for the Statesmen with 56.

In Kelley's four-year career, the Louisville native has posted a 17-3 record in 57 appearances with a 4.45 ERA.

The former reliever made a relatively smooth transition into the starting rotation last year, going 6-3 on the mound with 5.08 ERA in 11 starts and five relief appearances. This season, Kelley is 5-0 with a 4.45 ERA in eight starts and boasts a 50 strikeout to eight walks ratio.

HALL OF FAME OPENS DOORS TO McCLAIN & HOLMAN
Delta State will induct 10 former Statesmen athletes into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame, including two ballplayers from the DSU's 1996 College World Series team.

Current DSU athletics director Jeremy McClain finished with a career record of 45-9, which included a sterling 15-0 record during his senior season in 1999. He holds five Delta State pitching records, and his 45 wins rank first in Gulf South Conference history and second all-time in the NCAA. McClain also notched a victory over Tampa in the 1996 College World Series.

McClain's former teammate Spencer Holman was an All-GSC selection in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and was also an All-South Region honoree in 1995 and 1996.

McClain played a key role in guiding the Statesmen to the College World Series his junior season, and was named to the event's All-Tournament team.

As a senior in 1997, Holman received the N.L. Cassibry MVP award from his fellow teammates after hitting 23 doubles and recording 65 RBIs.

STATESMEN IN THE PROS
With two players on active Major League Baseball rosters and a bevy of young talented up-and-coming talent, the future looks bright for Delta State's professional players.

Currently, the Statesmen have Eli Whiteside (1999-2001) of the San Francisco Giants and Dusty Hughes (2001-03) of the Kansas City Royals on active MLB rosters.

After a successful spring training Brent Leach (2005) of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. However, Leach remains on the club's 40-man roster.

Edwin Maysonet (SS/Houston Astros) was optioned to the Round Rock Express in Triple-A and he remains a constant on the Astros 40-man roster.

Several Statesmen are fighting their way up the Minor League ranks as well, including Kenny Smalley (P/Oakland) and Devin Goodwin (SS/St. Louis).

50-YEARS WITH FERRISS
The Delta State Statesmen Baseball program is celebrating 50 years of service from one of college baseball's greats. Coach Dave “Boo” Ferriss has been a part of the Green-and-White for a half century. Ferriss started as the Statesmen baseball coach In 1960 and would amass 639 wins, five Gulf South Conference titles, nine NCAA regional appearances and three trips to the College World Series in his 26 year tenure.

After coaching, the man they call “Boo” was a guiding light for coaches Bill Marchant and current Statesmen skipper Mike Kinnison. He was there when the field with his namesake get lights in 1996 and when the Statesmen won the 2004 National Championship.

Ferriss was there in 2007 when the Ferriss Museum, which celebrates his life and career opened to the public. And he will continue to be there, as one of the most celebrated figures in Delta State University history.

KINNISON TOPS 600 CAREER WINS
In sports, milestones are everything. On Feb. 27, 2010, Delta State University baseball coach Mike Kinnison (621-176-1) had one of his own. After sweeping a two game set with Gulf South Conference rival West Alabama, Kinnison recorded his 600th win as DSU skipper. In only 14 seasons with the Statesmen, Kinnison now has 621 career wins, which is only 18 away from tying the mark set by the legendary Dave “Boo” Ferriss, who skippered the Statesmen for 26 seasons.


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