GAME NOTES: Delta State at Lee University (4.6-7.19)
CLEVELAND, Miss. --: No. 16/19 Delta State University (24-9, 13-7 GSC) hosts the
Lee University (16-19, 7-9 GSC) for a Gulf South Conference series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) and followed by a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT) at Olympic Field in Cleveland, Tenn.
INSIDE THE LEE SERIES: The Statesmen and Flames have met 14 times on the diamond with DSU holding a 9-5 lead in the series. Last season in Cleveland, Miss., Lee claimed a 13-10 win in game one and Delta State took an 11-5 win in the nightcap while game three of the series was washed out.
THE STATESMEN REPORT: The Statesmen have won two straight games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games coming into the Lee series.
Jake Barlow leads the team with a .360 average, 10 doubles, four triples and nine home runs while his 33 RBIs trail
Darek Sargent's 34. Barlow is hitting .371 with four doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in the last 10 games. The Jonesville, La., native leads the team with eight multiple-RBI games and is tied for first with 11 multi-hit games.
Hayden White has a .345 average over the last 10 games with three doubles, four home runs and eight RBI along with a .931 slugging percentage. White, Sargent,
Matt Mejeur, and
Weber Herbison are tied for second on the team with four home runs. Majeur's .310 average follows Barlow and his 26 runs scored are tied for the team lead with Barlow along with six doubles and 18 RBIs. The Statesmen pitching staff has combined for a GSC best .244 ERA and three shutouts while ranking 2nd in strikeouts (263) and fewest walks (118).
THE LEE REPORT: Lee enters the three-game set on a four-game losing skid after dropping a 14-5 decision to Belmont-Abbey on Tuesday. The Flames' offense centers around
Miguel Pimentel, who is hitting .380 (3rd GSC) and slugging .758 (1st GSC) with a .514 on base percentage (2nd GSC) and 32 RBI (7th GSC).
Thomas Zazzaro follows with a .320 average and leads the team with nine doubles along.
Alex Rickman and
Alex Butler are two probable starters on the mound with game three TBD. Rickman is 1-4 in nine starts with 6.05 ERA with 20 strikeouts against 17 walks and has allowed 34 runs, 26 earned, on 43 hits in 38.2 innings. Bulter is 2-2 with a 5.00 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 15 walks while allowing 22 runs on 43 hits in 36 innings pitched.
THIRD SHUTOUT: Melvin Frazier,
Cole Morgan and
Christian Day combined for a two-hit shutout against Ouachita Baptist on Wednesday. The shutout was the third shutout by Statesmen hurlers this season and the first shutout since a 5-0 win over Union University (2.25.19). Frazier (5-2) yielded one hit and struck out three in 3.0 innings while Morgan and Day combined for four shutout innings, giving up one hit with a strikeout in four relief innings.
STATESMEN REWIND: The Statesmen are 2-0 record so far this week which includes a 9-8 win over Henderson State on Tuesday and a 10-0 win at Ouachita Baptist on Wednesday.
Darek Sargent's sac-fly RBI to right-center scored
Brett Young from third to cap a 9-8 walk-off victory over Henderson State on Tuesday at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field.
Jake Barlow led the Statesmen at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
David Herrington was 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a career-high four RBIs. Sargent went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs while three Statesmen pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout to help Delta State claim a 10-0 win over Ouachita Baptist on Wednesday at Rab Rodgers Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.
QUEST FOR 1000: Statesmen skipper
Mike Kinnison is in his
23rd season at the helm and needs 37 wins to reach 1000 career wins. The Benton, Miss., native has an unbelievable career record of 963-308-2 (.756), averaging 42.4 wins per season as head coach. His all-time career record, including high school, is an astounding 1,250-387-2 (.768).
OH WHAT A RELIEF
Through 33 games, the Statesmen bullpen has a 3-1 record and ranks
3rd in the GSC with
8 saves. Relievers have combined for a 2.08 ERA, 94 strikeouts and 44 walks while allowing 30 runs, 23 earned, on 73 hits in 99.1 innings.
Cole Morgan and
Christian Day combined for four shutout innings and allowed one hit with a strikeout against OBU on Wednesday.
THE LONG BALL
The Statesmen have hit
15 home runs in the last 10 games to move into third in the GSC statistics with
25 round trippers.
Jake Barlow is tied for
4th with
7 long balls while
Matt Majeur,
Hayden White,
Darek Sargent and
Weber Herbison are tied for tied for
7th with
4. The Statesmen belted a season-high four home runs against West Florida (3.24.19) and have hit home runs in 8 of the last 10 games. The Statesmen have hit 15 home runs with at least one runner on base and seven home runs have come with two outs. On the mound, Statesmen pitchers have given up a league low
8 home runs through 33 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 will start at Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans in Myrtle Beach, S.C., while Moats will return for another season with Class AA Montgomery Biscuits in Montgomery, Ala.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
Delta State leads the GSC with a .971 fielding percentage. The Statesmen did not commit an error against Ouachita Baptist for their sixth game without an error this season.
