GAME NOTES: West Florida at Delta State (3.23-24.19)
CLEVELAND, Miss. -- No. 2/6 Delta State University (19-5, 11-3 GSC) hosts Gulf South Conference leader No. 23/12 the University of West Florida (19-8, 11-1 GSC) for a key three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
AROUND THE HORN: STATESMEN BEGIN SEVEN-GAME HOMESTAND AGAINST UWF
RANKED OPPONENTS: The Statesmen face two nationally ranked opponents this week starting with the UWF series prior to a midweek home game against Southern Arkansas at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.  The Argonauts have climbed to No. 12 in the latest NCBWA poll and to 23rd in the Collegiate Baseball Top 25 while SAU is ranked ninth by CBN Poll and 19th by the NCBWA. The Statesmen are 2-0 this season against ranked teams with both wins coming against Southern Arkansas.

INSIDE THE UWF SERIES: The Statesmen and Argonauts have previously met 61 times on the diamond coming into the weekend with the Statesmen holding a 33-28 advantage in the series.  This will be the first meeting since a three-game series on March 14-15, 2017 in Pensacola, Fla., where Delta State swept the the series by the scores of 7-5, 8-0 and 6-8. Since the first meeting in 1983, Delta State and UWF have played 11 times when both schools are ranked in the national polls with UWF holding a 7-4 advantage.

STATESMEN BIG 3:  Hunter Riggins (RHP), Melvin Frazier (LHP), and Dalton Minton (LHP) make up a solid starting rotation for the Statesmen. The three have combined for a 14-3 record with 138 strikeouts and  1.47 ERA while allowing 28 runs, 19 earned runs in 116.2 innings pitched.  Riggins leads the GSC with a 1.19 ERA and six wins and ranks second in innings pitched (45.1). Minton is 2nd with 1.44 ERA and 1st in fewest runs allowed (5) and earned runs allowed (5).  Frazier is 1st in opponent batting average (.123) and hits allowed (16) and 3rd in ERA (1.80).  See full list of statistical rankings on page four.

PACESETTER:  Jake Barlow is first or second in seven statistical categories, leading the team in batting average (.362), triples (4), home runs (5), doubles (7) and slugging percentage (.681). The Jonesville, La., native is second on the team in runs scored (17) and RBIs (24).

HOT SPOTS: The Statesmen have seen its best plate production out of the two and five spots in the batting order have been the batting order. Four players have combined to hit .389 with six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 23 RBI while slugging .656 with  .450 on base percentage. Jake Barlow hit fifth in 14 games, batting .411 with five doubles, three triples, four home runs and 22 RBIs. Out of the two spot, three Statesmen have combined for a .337 average with five doubles a triple and  15 RBIs while slugging .411 with a .432 on base percentage.  David Herrington on has a .342 average with two doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs in 20 games.

QUEST FOR 1000: Statesmen skipper Mike Kinnison is in his 23rd season at the helm and needs 42 wins to reach 1000 career wins. The Benton, Miss., native has an unbelievable career record of 958-303-2 (.756), averaging 42.4 wins per season as head coach. His all-time career record, including high school, is an astounding 1,248-385-2 (.768).

STATESMEN REWIND: The Statesmen could not overcome a 3-2 deficit in a midweek loss to Miles College at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. on Wednesday.  Trailing 3-2, The Golden Bears plated the go-ahead run off a sac-fly in the fourth. Jake Barlow doubled with one out before a ground out and a fly out ended the threat in the ninth inning. Barlow finished the day 2-for-4 with a double and Weber Herbison was 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate for the Statesmen.

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
The Statesmen are ranked 1st in the Gulf South Conference and 23rd in the nation with a .972 fielding percentage.  Through 24 games, the Statesmen have posted 10 error free games this season including a streak of five straight games without committing an error.

STATESMEN vs. the GAC
The Statesmen are 8-1 this season and 362-83 all-time record against the Great American Athletic Conference.  East Central (3-0), Arkansas Monticello (1-0), Arkansas Tech (1-1), Ouachita Baptist, Southern Arkansas (2-0) and Henderson State (1-0) are on the 2019 Statesmen Schedule.

STATESMEN PLAY AT RICKWOOD FIELD
Delta Stave's midweek game against Miles College was played Historic Rickwood Field which is the "Oldest Baseball Park".  Parts of the movie 42 were shot at the historic park that was the longtime home to the original tenant the Coal Barons followed by simultaneous tenants the Birmingham Barons and the Black Barons.  Modeled primarily after Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Rickwood Field dazzled with play by some of the greatest players in baseball history over the year. Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Honus "The Flying Dutchman" Wagner, Burleigh Grimes (last legal spitball pitcher in the Big Leagues), George "Mule" Suttles, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Dizzy Dean, Ray Caldwell, Billy Bancroft, Pie Traynor, Stan "The Man" Musial, Leroy "Satchell" Paige, and Lorenzo "Piper" Davis, Willie Mays, who grew up just minutes from Rickwood Field.