Game Notes | Live Stats | Statesmen Sports Network/Video
CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University Athletics encourages fans to Pack the Park for the No. 12 Statesmen baseball doubleheader against No. 17 West Florida on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Reserved chairback seats have been reduced to $8 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 7-18), while general admission tickets at baseball and softball will be $6 for adults and $3 for youth.
The First Pitch: Delta State University (27-11,18-6 GSC) hosts the University of West Florida (26-12, 18-6 GSC) in a battle of first place teams in the Gulf South Conference. The series winner will take over first place in the GSC and become the front runner for hosting the 2016 GSC Baseball Touranment on May 7-10. The Statesmen have won 12 of their last 13 GSC games after taking 2-of-3 from Shorter University on the road last weekend. West Florida won 2-of-3 games against West Alabama at home to create the first place tie.
Inside The West Florida Series: The Statesmen and Argonauts have met 55 times on the diamond. West Florida has won two straight games, taking a doubleheader by the scores of 2-0 and 7-6 last season in Pensacola, Fla. The first meeting in the series took place in 1983 with the Argos winning 7-6 win in Pensacola. Delta State has won five of the last six meetings in Cleveland, Miss. The Green-and-White used a five-run ninth to rally from a 5-1 deficit to claim a 6-5 win in game one. The Statesmen went on to earn 4-0 and 7-4 victories en route to the series sweep.
Hat Trick!: Delta State University
Dalton Moats was named the GSC Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. Moats tossed a five-high shutout with 10 strikeouts against GSC foe Shorter last weekend. The outing marked his sixth-straight victory and his 10 strikeouts was the fifth time in his last six starts the lefty has struck out at least nine batters in a start.
Getting Offensive: The Statesmen lead the GSC in nine offensive categories: batting average (.345/9th NCAA), runs (309/22nd), hits (435/21st NCAA), slugging percentage (.533/15th NCAA), doubles (98/7th NCAA), RBIs (298), total bases (672/17th NCAA), runs per game (8.1/35th NCAA), on base percentage (.434/7th NCAA). The Statesmen are second in the GSC in home runs (39/37th NCAA) and foyrth in triples (11/53rd NCAA).
Last Time Out For The Statesmen: Ethan Gill,
Trent Giambrone and
Ben Pickard each belted two-run home runs to lead Delta State University (26-11) to a 12-4 win over Mississippi Valley State University (4-23) on Tuesday at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. The Statesmen scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie added four more runs in the eighth to close out the scoring.
Scouting the Argos
West Florida is hitting .303 with 56 doubles, seven triples and 22 home runs. The Argos have stolen 33 bases in 49 attempts. Justin Ambrosino leads UWF with a .364 average along with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. Nic Strasser has a team-high 13 doubles and is tied with Jean Figueroa for the team lead with 31 RBIs. Figueroa has six home runs followed by Stasser with five.
The UWF pitching staff has a GSC leading 2.73 team and its 126 runs and 99 earned runs allowed are the fewest in the league. JT Granat, Walker O'Connor and Brandon Nagem are the top three starters for the Argos. Granat is 6-3 with a 2.79 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. O'Connor is 7-2 with a .288 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 50.1 innings while Nagem is 5-1 with a 4.11 and team-high 54 strikeouts.
What We Love About Sundays
Delta State is 9-1 overall and 9-0 in the GSC in game threes. The Statesmen are hitting .363 with 28 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. On the mound, the Green-and-White has a 2.25 ERA with four complete games, 100 strikeouts, 15 walks, and allowed 27 runs, 21 earned, in 84 innings. Junior
Dalton Moats is 6-1 in game threes with 63 strikeouts, eight walks,13 runs, eight earned, in 52.1 innings.
Fast Starts
The Statesmen have outscored opponents 49-11 in the first inning. DSU is 13-3 when scoring in the first inning and 20-5 when scoring first. The Statesmen have outscored opponents 91-34 in the first two innings.
The Close Ones
Delta State is 8-4 in games decided by two runs or less. The Statesmen are 6-3 in one-run games and 2-3 in games decided by two runs.
Danger Will Robertson
Will Robertson continues to swing a hot bat over the last five games, hitting .545 (12-for-22) with six doubles, one home run, 13 RBIs, a .955 slugging percentage and a .565 on base percentage. Robertson's .446 average is currently tops the single season batting average list and his .416 career average tops the DSU career batting average list. The senior entered the season with six doubles and no career home runs but has had a banner season with 23 doubles, five home runs and 54 RBIs. His 23 doubles is two away from tying the DSU single season record and nine shy of the GSC single season doubles mark.
Plunked!
The Statesmen have been hit by a pitch 70 times, ranking second in the GSC and sixth nationally. The University of Montevallo leads the NCAA with 67 while West Georgia leads the GSC with 75.
Ethan Gill and
Will Robertson have been hit 12 and 10 times, respectively, ranking fifth and ninth in the GSC.
Have a Seat!
Delta State's pitching staff is tied for second in the GSC with 245 strikeouts.
Dalton Moats struck out 10 batters over seven innings in 9-0 win over Shorter to bring his GSC leading total to 77, eighth nationally. The Falkner, Miss., native ranks second in the GSC and 41st in the NCAA with 10.61 strikeouts per nine innings. Moats has been named the GSC Pitcher of the Week three times (3.28.16/3.7.16/4.12.16)) and NCBWA South Region Pitcher of the Week once (3.8.16).
Hobbs In Control
Tre Hobbs leads the GSC and NCAA in wins (9-1) and complete games (7). The Greenville, Miss., ranks ninth in the GSC with 56 strikeouts after a 10-6 complete game two win against Shorter.
Extra, Extra
The Statesmen rank second in the GSC with 148 extra base hits behind Lee University (152). West Alabama (126) is third followed Alabama Huntsville (122), West Georgia (122), Valdosta State (118), North Alabama (94), West Florida (85), Shorter (80), Union (69) and Christian Brothers (47).
Will Robertson has a team-best 28 extra base hits (23 2Bs, 5 HRs).
Trent Giambrone follows with 26 extra base hits (17 2B, 1 3B and 8 HRs) and
Ethan Gill has 20 (14 2Bs, 1 3Bs, 5 HRs).
Double the Fun
Delta State 98 doubles and 2.57 doubles per game leads the GSC and ranks seven nationally, respectively.
Will Robertson's leads the Statesmen with 23 doubles and needs three doubles set the DSU single season record.
Trent Giambrone's 17 doubles is third in the GSC and 26th nationally.
Diggin' for Three
Senior centerfielder
Brandon Cummins' six triples leads the GSC and ranks 22nd nationally. Cummins had two triples in the Christian Brothers series to move into a tie for third on the DSU single season triples list. Cummins is tied with Steve Adams (1970), Ricky Hearn (1979), Heath Bailey (1995), Rodney Batts (1996) and Eli Whiteside (2001). The Drew, Miss., native pushed his career total to 11 and is tied for second with Jordan Chovanec (2011-14),
Eric Patten (2002-2005), and Heath Bailey (1994-96). Cummins needs two triples to move into a tie for first in career triples and one triple to take over second on the single season list.
The Long Ball
The Statesmen got three two-run home runs from
Ethan Gill,
Trent Giambrone and
Ben Pickard against Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. DSU is are second the GSC and 37th in the NCAA with 39 home runs. DSU hit a season-high seven home runs in game one against Lee University (2.27.16). Eight of the total are lead off home runs, six have come with two outs and nine have happened in the sixth inning or later. Giambrone (8), Pickard (8), Will Roberston (5), Gill (5), and
Colton Welch (5) lead the Statesmen.
Better at the End
Jake Brumfield's has been solid since moving to the bullpen. The Natchez, Miss., native is 1-0 with one save in 5.2 scoreless innings. and has 12 strikeouts with only one walk and no extra base hits since the move.
Statesmen In NCBWA Region Poll
Delta State is ranked second in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Poll (NCBWA) and is ranked 12th in the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national polls.
1. Tampa
2. Delta State
3. West Florida
4. Nova Southeastern
6. Valdsota State
7. West Alabama
8. West Georgia
9. Alabama Huntsville
10 . Lynn
Five Statesmen to Open Spring with MLB Clubs
Delta State Baseball will have five active players and one coach open Spring Training this February with MLB clubs.
Witt Haggard (Mets) and
Drew Milligan (Royals), a pair of 2015 draftees, and Garrett Pickens (Blue Jays) and Carlos Leal (Brewers) have reported to Minor League training, while Brent Leach (Dodgers), who recently signed a contract with L.A., is awaiting assignment.
