GAME NOTE: West Alabama at Delta State (4-15-16.19)
CLEVELAND, Miss. -- No. 18/21 Delta State University (27-10, 15-8 GSC) hosts the University of West Alabama (22-12, 7-9 GSC) for a Gulf South Conference series starting with a single game on Sunday at 3 p.m. and concluding with a doubleheader on Monday at 1 p.m.
 

SENIOR DAY: Delta State University will honor its eight seniors prior to Saturday's doubleheader against West Alabama. The 2019 senior class includes Melvin Frazier (LHP), Weber Herbison (OF), David Herrington (3B), Seth Hougesen (LHP), Payton Lane (1B/DH), Dalton Minton (LHP), Josh Russell (C), and Brett Young (CF).

MINTON EARNS WEEKLY HONOR: Dalton Minton was named the Gulf South Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Minton tossed a complete game shutout in the series-clinching win over Lee University on Sunday. The Horn Lake, Miss., native tied his season-high with eight strikeouts against two walks while scattering six hits over nine innings. Minton has a 6-2 record with a 2.75 ERA, 46 strikeouts, 16 walks in 52.1 innings of work this season. The senior, lefty is tied for 2nd in wins and is 8th in ERA in the GSC statistics.

THE STATESMEN REPORT: The Statesmen have won three straight and five of the last six games, sitting in third place in the GSC standings entering the weekend. Jake Barlow leads the team with a .341 average, seven home runs, 11 doubles and a .630 slugging percentage and his second with 34 RBIs. Darek Sargent's 36 RBIs leads the team while his five home runs are second.  Weber Herbison has been heating up of late, hitting .365 with one double, a triple a home run and four runs scored while slugging .896 over the last five games. The Cleveland, Miss., native has raised his from .217 average prior to the Alabama Huntsville series to an even .300 coming into the UWA series.

ARMED & DANGEROUS: Delta State's pitching staff leads the GSC in six categories and is in the top three in three other categories.  The Statesmen are 1st in ERA (2.48), shutouts (6), fewest hits allowed (233), fewest runs (108), fewest earned runs (84) and opponent batting average (.209), 2nd in strikeouts (294), and third in saves (8) and fewest walks (129).  The Statesmen have notched three straight shutouts in three straight games for a string of 25 consecutive scoreless innings and have shutouts in four of the last five games.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: A sizzling West Alabama team comes to town 12-1 in its last 13 games including taking 2-of-3 from visiting Alabama Huntsville and a 6-5 win over Spring Hill on Wednesday.  Four Tigers are batting over .300. Gavin Rogers leads the team with a .372 average (7th GSC) and is 2nd with 27 RBIs along with three doubles and four home runs while Trevor Smeeton (.354), JD Roberts (.333) and Taylor Clemons (.319) follow Rogers. Clemmons leads the team with 34 RBIs and nine doubles.  Cole Waits is UWA's top arm to watch on the mound, leading the GSC with 94 strikeouts and 19 strikeouts looking and the .185 batting average against ranks 3rd. Waits is a three-time GSC Pitcher of the Week this season.

STATESMEN REWIND: The No. 18 ranked Delta State University baseball team scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, as the Statesmen notched their third-straight shutout with an 8-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Itta Bena, Miss., but rain forced the game to be moved to DSU. C.J. Estave and Payton Lane both went 2-for-3 with two RBIs apiece to lead the Statesmen at the plate.
 

OH WHAT A RELIEF
Through  37 games, the Statesmen bullpen has a 3-1 record and ranks 3rd in the GSC with 8 saves.  Relievers have a combined 2.34 ERA, 103 strikeouts and 49 walks while allowing 35 runs, 28 earned, on 76 hits in 107.2 innings. Kris Peet, Cole Morgan, Matthew Sneed, Melvin Frazier, Patrick Hodges and TJ Childree combined for 6.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and three walks versus MVSU.


THE LONG BALL
The Statesmen have hit 18 home runs in the last 13 games and have at least one round tripper in six straght games. DSU ranks 3rd in the GSC with 28 round trippers.  Jake Barlow is tied for 9th with 7 long balls followed by Darek Sargent with five while Matt Majeur, Hayden White, and Weber Herbison have 4. The Statesmen belted a season-high 4 home runs against West Florida (3.24.19) and have hit home runs in 10 of the last 12 games.  


STATESMEN IN THE MINORS
Zach Shannon (Arizona Diamondbacks), Trent Giambrone (Chicago Cubs) and Dalton Moats (Tampa Bay) spent the 2019 Spring Training with their respective Major League Baseball clubs.  Shannon has been assigned to Class A affiliate Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Ill. Giambrone, who homered in his first at bat, is assigned to the Triple A affiliate Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa. Moats returns for another season with Class AA Montgomery Biscuits in Montgomery, Ala.


PACESETTERS
Sophomore Jake Barlow ranks in the top 10 in six GSC statistical categories. The Jonesville, La., native 1st in triples (4), 6th in slugging % (.630), 7th in home runs (7), 8th in doubles (11) and hits (47) and 9th in RBIs (34).  Darek Sargent's 36 RBIs are 5th and his six sac-flies are tied for 1st in the GSC stats.