CLEVELAND, Miss. -- No. 23 Delta State baseball (8-2, 2-1 GSC) hits the road for a GSC showdown against No. 21 Lee University at Olympic Field in Cleveland, Tenn. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and wraps up with a single game on Sunday 12 p.m.
The Series: Lee and Delta State have met nine times previously with the Statesmen leading the all-time series 6-3, taking 2-of-3 last season in Cleveland, Miss.
About The Statesmen: The Statesmen are hitting .288 with 14 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. Zack Shannon leads a list of five Statesmen with a .300 plus average, hitting .410 with 10 RBIs, two doubles, and a home run. Juwan Burney has a .368 average followed by Emil Ellis (.359), Jason Popovich (.349) and Brian Lane (.316). Clay Casey, Tyler Brown and Nussbaum each have two home runs. Corey Beard has drawn the game one start in all three series, garnering a 2-0 record with a 4.76 ERA, 16 strikeouts and three walks in 17 innings. Zach Osbon is 2-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA while striking out 12 in 9.2 innings as the top reliever.
Scouting Lee: Lee enters the series 9-1 in their last 10 games including winning 2-of-3 against Alabama Huntsville and an 11-2 midweek win over Young Harris. Geremy Walton leads the Flames with a .413 average, four home runs and 12 RBIs. Jordan Howard follows with a .412 average and has two doubles, a triple and a home run and nine RBIs. Miguel Pimentel has three home runs and 11 RBIs and is hitting .381. As a team, Lee is hitting .307 with 23 doubles, six triples and 11 RBIs. Art Vidrio is 3-0 in three starts with a 2.12 ERA, 12 strikeouts and four walks in 17 innings. Corbin Lamb has made six relief appearances and is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA, five strikeouts and four walks. The Flames have a 3.09 ERA with 81 strikeouts to 42 walks in 102 innings pitched.
Last Time Out: Delta State pounded out 15 hits in a 8-4 win over Southern Arkansas on Wednesday at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. Junior Zack Shannon went 4-for-4 with four RBIs while Jason Popovich, Justin Nussbaum and Brian Lane had two hits apiece. Emil Ellis belted his first home run of the season and all eight position starters collected a hit in the win. Brady Chambley (1-0) earned the victory in his first start of the season, allowing one unearned run on two hits in four innings. Shannon saw his first action on the mound allowing an unearned run while striking out the side in the ninth.
ROAD WARRIORS
Delta State started the season with nine straight road games before hosting Southern Arkansas on Wed., Feb. 22. The Statesmen embark on a four game road swing that includes three games at Lee and one a Mississippi Valley State before returning for eight game home stand. The home stand begins with a three-game conference series against Union University on March 4-5. Delta State enters the Lee series 8-1 on the road.
BEARD SETTLING INTO LEAD ROLE
Senior Corey Beard followed up the tough no decision against Harding with wins over nationally ranked Florida Southern and West Alabama. Beard is 2-0 with a 4.76 ERA and 16 strikeouts against three walks. The senior has allowed nine runs, all earned, in 17 innings.
THE FIREMAN
Senior Zach Osbon has been the go to arm out of the bull pen through the first 10 games. Osbon has made five appearances including two outing in the West Alabama series. The Monroe, La., native is 2-0 with a save and has a 0.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts.
TWO OUT MAGIC
Delta State has been able to produce 25-of-57 runs scored with two outs. The Statesmen scored five of its eight runs with two outs versus Southern Arkansas on Wednesday. Brian Lane boasts a .350 batting average when hitting with two outs and Jason Popovich has a .625 (5-of-8) average with two outs. The Statesmen are hitting .310 with two outs as a team.
DUCKS ON THE POND
Juwan Burney, Emil Ellis and Jason Popovich have been top hitters with runners in scoring position. Burney is hitting .375 (3-for-8) followed by Ellis at .357 (5-for-14) and Popovich at .333 (4-for-12). As a team, the Statesmen are hitting .257 with runners in scoring position and have a .542 average with runners at third and less than two outs.
TENNESSEE CONNECTIONS
Cody Young (Collierville, Tenn./Austin Peay St.), David Pimentel (Brentwood, Tenn./East Miss. CC), Seth Birdsong (Brownsville, Tenn./Dyersburg State CC), Tyler Brown (Friendship, Tenn./Lipscomb University), Darek Sargent (Smyrna, Tenn./Central Magnet HS), Juwan Burney (Arlington, Tenn./Arlington HS) and Sam Williams ( Ripley, Tenn./Ripley HS) make up the seven Statesmen who hail from the state of Tenn. on the 2017 roster.
K ZONE
The Statesmen pitching staff notched nine strikeouts for the sixth time against Southern Arkansas on Wednesday. Brady Chamblee, Peyton White and Zack Shannon had three strikeouts apiece. The Green-and-White has recorded eight-plus strikeouts in 9-of-10 games this season. Corey Beard and Seth Birdsong have 16 strikeouts followed by Tre Hobbs with 15 and Zach Osbon and Chambley with 12.
COACH K, BASEBALL STYLE
In his 20 seasons at the helm of the Statesmen, Mike Kinnison has posted 12 40-plus wins, including five 50 win seasons, and has averaged 42.6 wins per season. Kinnison has guided the Statesmen to one national, six GSC and five south/south central region championships during his tenure.
KINNISON 40 PLUS WIN SEASONS
2016 42-17 2004 54-11
2013 44-11-1 2003 52-10
2012 49-15 2002 50-8
2008 48-1 2001 50-11
2007 45-16 2000 48-12
2005 52-10 1999 41-12
2017 OPPONENTS IN CBN PRESEASON POLL
The Lee series marks nine straight game against opponents ranked in preseason or weekly national polls. Delta State enters the UWA series 2-1 against teams ranked in preseason national polls. Overall, the Statesmen will face 10 opponents, five from the GSC, that are ranked or received votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper or NCBWA preseason polls. 2017 Preseason Ranked opponents: West Florida (19), Florida Southern (20), West Georgia (26), Arkansas-Monticello (31), Mount Olive (33), West Alabama (34). Received Votes: Alabama Huntsville (RV), Lee University, Southern Arkansas (RV), Henderson State (RV), Valdosta State (RV)
STATESMEN IN D2BASEBALL NEWS RANKINGS
Delta State is ranked No. 25 in this week's D2Baseball News National Poll. This weekend's opponent Lee University is ranked 28th while past opponents Mount Olive is 15th and Florida Southern is 20th.
FAMILY TIES
Delta State has a long history of family ties and the 2017 season is no exception. Junior Tyler Milligan,who transfers from Mississippi Delta Community College, is the younger brother of former Statesmen pitcher Drew Milligan (2012-2015). Drew Milligan was drafted in the 22nd Round by the Kansas City Royals after posting an 11-6 career record with 114 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA in 136.2 innings pitched.
CUMMINS INKS WITH THE CUBS
The Southern Illinois Miners announce that Brandon Cummins has been picked up by the Chicago Cubs. The outfielder, is the 47th former Miner to join a Major League organization and second this offseason after 2016 Frontier League Rookie of the Year Shane Kennedy. Coming to the Miners after concluding his career at Delta State, Cummins initially struggled, but then got his footing and proceeded to tear up the Frontier League, batting .340 in his final 19 games in 2016. Overall, Cummins batted .269 in 25 games with three doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and six stolen bases with Southern Illinois last year. Memorably, his first professional home run was an inside-the-park shot on August 17th against the Gateway Grizzlies at Rent One Park. Cummins joins former Statesmen Trent Giambrone in the Cubs system.
