DALLAS BAPTIST @ SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY  
Feb. 21-23 | Huntsville, Texas | Don Sanders Stadium
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Video/Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Livestats: Bearkats Livestats
Facebook: DBU Athletics
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates: February 21-23, 2014
Time: 6:30 PM, 4 PM, 1PM
Stadium: Don Sanders Stadium (1,163)
Broadcast: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Talent: Reagan Ratcliff, Brendan Smith, and Nate Frieling
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, Feb. 21
                      
DBU – RHP Paul Voelker [2014 stats (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 7 SO, 2 BB)]
Vs.                                                        
SHSU – RHP Tyler Eppler [2014 stats (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 SO, 3 BB)]
 
Saturday, Feb. 22
 
DBU – RHP Drew Smith [2014 stats (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 5 SO, 1 BB)]
Vs.
SHSU – RHP Andrew Godail [2014 stats (1-0, 1.59 ERA, 5.2 IP, 8 SO, 3 BB)]
 
Sunday, Feb. 23
 
DBU - RHP Cy Sneed [2014 stats (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 6 SO, 2 BB)]
Vs.
SHSU - RHP Dirk Masters [2014 stats (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 SO, 5 BB)]
  
FIRST PITCH – The Dallas Baptist Baseball Team hits the road for the first time in the 2014 campaign traveling to Sam Houston State University for a three-game weekend series. First pitch for contests are 6:30 PM, 4 PM, and 1 PM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.
 
DBU (4-0) is off to its best start since the 2011 season, which was the year the squad reached the NCAA Super Regional. The Patriots swept Indian State University in a weekend series and topped Oklahoma State on the road, 7-3, before the streak was snapped at University of Texas at Arlington a few days later, 5-4.
 
If the Patriots win on Friday, they'll move to 5-0 for the first time the team clinched the feat in 2003.
 
LAST TIME ON THE DIAMOND – After scoring in 19 out of 24 innings over the course of the opening weekend series, and combining for 52 runs and recording 44 hits overall in the outburst; DBU relied on a different facet to triumph on Tuesday.
 
The Patriots prevailed 2-1 over a fundamentally sound Grambling State team on Tuesday's mid-week affair at Horner Ballpark. Pitching continued to be a strength for DBU, as the home squad leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 0.75 ERA in the first quartet of games.  
 
On Tuesday, sophomore, Cory Taylor, delivered a stellar performance allowing one unearned run in the first frame and went 6.0 innings for the Patriots. He scattered three hits while striking out four and walking one. DBU starters have now gone 13 innings straight having not allowed an earned run from the opposition.
 
The Patriots were able to use the long ball in this match-up to get the necessary runs on the board. Redshirt sophomore, Trevin Sonnier, broke the silence in the bottom of the fifth, smacking a solo homer over the right-center field wall to knot the contest 1-1.
 
Sophomore, Daniel Salters, provided the game winner in bottom of the eighth, belting a 2-2 pitch over right field to put DBU in front for good, 2-1.
 
The bullpen was lights out the final three innings in the ballgame. Facing its tightest action on the early season, redshirt senior, Josh Urban, tossed solid seventh and eighth innings and then handed the ball over to sophomore, Joseph Shaw. The native of Ennis, Texas, collected his first save of the season working a hitless ninth.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH – In the opening series, Salters pounded six hits in 13 at-bats for a .462 hitting clip, including one of the team's three home runs, three triples, and five RBI.
 
The catcher increased his average to .471 on the campaign following a 2-for-4 day at the plate Tuesday, and also leads the team in home runs with two. The Eufaula, Oklahoma, native has reached safely in his first four games and carries a four-game hitting streak into the weekend series.
 
Sonnier displayed a fantastic performance on Tuesday night for DBU's offense. The shortstop reached the basepaths three times, going 2-for-2 and walking once. A native of Nederland, Texas, the second-year starter notched his second career long ball and was instrumental in the Patriots' comeback against Grambling State.
 
Junior, Nash Knight, turned in a .444 batting average (4-for-9), while scoring seven runs, belted a homer, and drove in three runs. On Tuesday, the third baseman reached on a pair of walks, going 0-for-1 in the win.  
 
Freshman, Dan Duznack, displayed an amazing start to his collegiate career against MVSU. The starting second baseman was named National Player of the Week and also got tabbed Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week.
 
In his debut series, Duznack hit an astounding .786 (11-for-14); collected 13 RBI, and delivered seven doubles. Over the three-game span, the freshman totaled an .824 on-base percentage, racked up 18 total bases, and compiled a 1.286 slugging percentage. 
 
Senior, KJ Alexander, ranks second in RBI on the club with seven and did contribute a .364 average following the high scoring affairs versus Mississippi Valley State.
 
ON THE BUMP – The Patriots have established a tough pitching presence in the early part of the year. Through 36.0 innings thrown, DBU hurlers have allowed six runs, four earned, to compile an ERA that's tops in the league. In addition, the Patriots have posted 17 hits allowed, 41 strikeouts, and 10 walks in four games.
 
At Sam Houston State, the same trio of arms that faced MVSU will be toeing the rubber.
 
On Friday evening, the series opener will belong to sophomore, Paul Voelker. The opening day starter went 5.0 innings in his season-debut, allowing no runs on two hits. He fanned seven MVSU hitters and walked a pair in the win.
 
Saturday, the Patriots are switching the rotation a little and sending another sophomore, Drew Smith, to the hill. Smith was very efficient on Sunday carrying a no-hitter through five innings versus the Delta Devils. He would finish with five strikeouts and walked one in the outing.
 
Closing out the series on Sunday will be junior, Cy Sneed. The Twin Falls, Idaho, native is tied with Taylor for a team-high 6.0 innings on the year. He surrendered three runs, two earned, while sitting down six MVSU players on strikeouts.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS – Sam Houston State University (5-0) also enters the series unbeaten on the campaign. After a solid four-game sweep over Northern Colorado last weekend at Don Sanders Stadium, the Bearkats routed McNeese on the road Tuesday by a final of 18-6. The first five games were all back-to-back days for the SHSU squad, so a two-day break was welcome for the busy opponent.
 
Ryan Farney leads the offense with a .533 batting average (8-for-15). He has scored five times and is third on the team with four RBI.
 
Playing all five games and collecting 19 at bats is Hayden Simerly. The right fielder went three-for-four in Tuesday's victory, and is second on the team with a .526 average. and has driven in five runs to tie for second on the club.
 
Colt Atwood is carrying a .409 batting clip into the non-conference series and ranks in a tie for first in RBIs totaling six. Matching Atwood in that category is the squad's leader in home runs with one, Corey Toups.
 
The pitching corps for SHSU have boasted a 2.00 ERA in five games. The Bearkats have allowed 11 runs, 10 earned, and have given up 42 hits, but have yet to surrender a home run. The opposition is hitting .251 against SHSU, and pitchers have combined for 43 strikeouts and 18 walks.
 
Leading the group on the mound this weekend is Dirk Masters, who has notched a 0.00 ERA in five innings of work. Sunday's hurler, Andrew Godail has gone the longest in the Bearkats starts, throwing 5.2 innings.
 
Out of the pen, Alan Scott, has racked up the most innings with 6.2 and has one of the team's two saves on the year. He also ties Godail in strikeouts for most on the club with eight.
 
SERIES HISTORY – DBU holds the all-time series record 14-11 versus the Bearkats. SHSU did go 38-22 overall last season, but the Patriots won the season-series 2-1. The contests were held at Horner Ballpark that year, with the home team triumphing in the first two games, before the Bearkats avoided the sweep in the finale. The totals were 18-4, 8-7, and 12-8, respectively.
 
In the opener, the Patriots only outhit their foe 16-13, but run production was much more in favor of the DBU offense. Sophomore, Austin Listi, and senior, RJ Talamantes, both tallied two hits and three RBI apiece.
 
Game two of the weekend slate, DBU was outhit 13 to eight, but the Patriots matched their run total with hits to prevail 8-7. Leading 6-3 in the eighth inning, Sam Houston State placed a crooked number on the frame with four runs to go up 7-6.
 
The Patriots got an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to center field to reclaim the advantage 8-7 in the bottom of the inning. Voelker notched the save in the thriller. Sneed was the starter and allowed two runs, seven hits, and fanned eight hitters in six innings.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE – Dallas Baptist will complete the series at Sam Houston State before heading to San Antonio, Texas. The mid-week game is slated for Feb. 25 at 3 PM.
 
That concludes a four-game road trip, and the Patriots will be back at Horner Ballpark next weekend. It will be an odd series as the four-game set begins on Friday, Feb. 28. A doubleheader follows on Saturday, March 1, and the conclusion of the long stretch will be on Sunday, March 2.