DALLAS BAPTIST @ MISSOURI STATE
March 14-16 | Springfield, Missouri| Hammons Field
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Video/Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Livestats: MSU Livestats
Facebook: DBU Athletics
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates: March 14-16, 2014
Time: 3:05 PM (Fri.), 2:05 PM (Sat.), and 1:05 PM (Sun.)
Stadium: Hammons Field (8,000)
Broadcast: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Broadcast Crew: Reagan Ratcliff, Brendan Smith, and Nate Frieling
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Friday, March 14
 
DBU – Paul Voelker (2-1, 2.96 ERA, 24.1 IP, 9 BB, 29 K)                 
vs.
MSU – Cody Schumacher (4-0, 0.78 ERA, 23 IP, 6 BB, 24 K)
 
Saturday, March 15
 
DBU – Cy Sneed (2-1, 3.28 ERA, 24.2 IP, 10 BB, 20 K)                      
vs.
MSU – Matt Hall (1-2, 5.59 ERA, 19.1 IP, 8 BB, 16 K)
 
Sunday, March 16
 
DBU – TBA                     
vs.
MSU – Jon Harris (3-3, 2.04 ERA, 17.2 IP, 8 BB, 9 K)
 
THE LEAD – The Dallas Baptist Baseball Team continues one of its hottest starts since becoming a Division I program in 2004 and embarks on a four-game trip, beginning with game one of a three-game series at Missouri State on Friday.  DBU's 12-4 record is tied with the 2009 team that posted an identical record through the season's first 16 games.
 
Both DBU and Missouri State are members of the Missouri Valley Conference, but this three-game set will not count towards either team's conference record. The two teams played in 2012 in Dallas and the three games in Springfield, Missouri, this weekend are part of a prior scheduling agreement.  The Patriots host their new conference foe, May 2-4 at Horner Ballpark in a series that will count in the Missouri Valley standings.
 
The weekend trip is the first road series since DBU dropped two of three at Sam Houston State University, February 21-23. Despite being 2-3 on the road, the past two contests have been extra inning thrillers for DBU. The club last fell at TCU in a 15-inning marathon that eclipsed the five hour mark. The Patriots were finally topped, 5-4, in the bottom of the 15th on a throwing error that allowed the winning run to score.
 
On an active three-game winning-streak, DBU has won seven of its last nine games, and five of those contests have involved the club rallying in come from behind fashion.
 
MOST RECENT ACTION – Dallas Baptist took three out of four contests on its most recent home stand, boasting a six-run, sixth inning to ride an 8-3 final on Monday afternoon over BYU.
 
The Patriots took an early 1-0 advantage in the first inning off a double from sophomore, Daniel Salters, before the visiting BYU Cougars grabbed a 2-1 lead after plating a pair in the fifth inning.
 
After adding a run in the next inning to extend the edge to 3-1, DBU would tally the next seven runs unanswered, sparked by a six-run bottom of the sixth. Tied at three and with two outs, junior, Nash Knight, smashed a grand slam to right center field to put the home club up 7-3.
 
Prior to the game-changing long ball, the Patriots began to come back off an RBI single from freshman, David Martinelli. A few batters later, a walk to redshirt sophomore, Trevin Sonnier, plated Justin Wall to knot the scoreboard.
 
Sophomore, Corey Taylor, turned in one of his best outings of the campaign, firing a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings of work. The native of Owasso, Oklahoma, scattered seven hits and allowed three runs.
 
Fellow sophomore, Sean Stutzman, tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth innings before giving way to Brandon Koch, who closed the door in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts. Koch has now gone seven straight appearances and 10 consecutive innings without allowing a run.  
 
RED HOT – Wesolowski remains the top batter on the squad, carrying a team-best .371 batting average with 23 hits in 62 total at bats. The first baseman collected a three-hit performance in Saturday's finale versus Oral Roberts and added a 2-for-3 afternoon against the Cougars on Monday.
 
The senior also crossed the plate three times in the rubber game victory on Saturday. Wesolowski has reached base safely in 15 of 16 games he's started on the campaign, also totaling 11 RBI, 6 doubles, a homer, and six walks. He leads the club with 10 hit-by-pitches, after being plunked twice against BYU.
 
Knight has taken over the lead-off spot in the last three games and is hitting a career-best .298.  His lone hit on Monday was a massive grand slam that turned out to be a game-winner. The four RBI lifted his season-total to 15.  11 of his 15 RBI this year have come with two outs.
 
Wall has been on a roll, clobbering hits in the past five-straight games, and seven of the last eight. That span is the longest active on the squad, and he now is second behind Wesolowski with a .306 batting average.  Over the last eight games, the Ft. Worth product has collected 13 of his 19 hits, while hitting at a .406 clip. Against Oral Roberts, Wall smacked five hits, drove in four runs, and hit a homerun in the eighth inning of game two that proved to be the game-winner.
 
Making his fifth-straight start, and eighth on the season is outfielder, David Martinelli. The rookie has combined for seven hits over that stretch, including a string of three hits in the marathon game at TCU last week.  The native of Waxahachie, Texas, has compiled a .294 batting average and is riding a three-game hitting streak entering the road trip. He also has driven in at least one run in the past four contests at Horner Ballpark.
 
ON THE BUMP – The Patriots have established a tough pitching presence in the early part of the year. Through 150.2 innings, DBU hurlers have allowed 64 runs, 49 earned, to compile a 2.93 ERA. In addition, the Patriots lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 161 punch outs.  DBU's staff also ranks among the top 10 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innigs.  Through 16 games, the Patriots 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings ranks fourth best in the nation.
 
Taking the mound Friday to pitch his fifth consecutive series opener is junior, Paul Voelker. The right hander has logged 24.1 innings for second most on the club, and leads the starters with a 2.96 ERA. His last outing was a 6-4 setback versus ORU, where a pair of three-run innings in the second and sixth were the difference in the Patriots' only loss at Horner Ballpark.  Voelker enters this week tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 29 strikeouts.
 
Junior, Cy Sneed, took the lead on the staff with 24.2 innings totaled after a season-long seven innings last Saturday versus the Golden Eagles. The native of Twin Falls, Idaho, has posted a 3.28 ERA in four appearances and has compiled a 2-1 record.
 
SHUTDOWN BULLPEN – The Patriot bullpen continues to post dazzling numbers, led by the likes of Brandon Koch, Joseph Shaw, Sean Stutzman, and Josh Urban.  The four pitchers have combined to post a 5-0 record with three saves.  In 27 appearances and 50.2 innings, the foursome has a combined 0.90 ERA and 63 strikeouts.
 
Urban has gone a team-best 15.2 innings for the relief corps and boast a staff-low 0.57 ERA. The Austin, Texas, native hasn't allowed a run in the last seven innings, including tying a season-long 4.1 innings outing on Saturday. He's fanned 19 opposing hitters to rank second out of the bullpen.
 
Leading the strikeout category from among the arms in the pen is the right handed hurler from Plano, Texas, Koch. The sophomore has posted 22 strikeouts and continues to deliver in high pressure situations.  Koch entes this weekend tied for first in appearances in the Missouri Valley and ninth in strikeouts.
 
Stutzman has also been effective in a long-relief role, combining for 12 innings and holding a 0.75 ERA.  In Monday's victory over BYU, he bridged the game between Taylor and Koch, throwing a scoreless sixth and seventh inning.

DBU closer, Joseph Shaw is well rested for this weekend. His last outing came on March 8 versus Oral Roberts.  Shaw's run that he allowed in the ninth inning at TCU on March 4, was the first earned run he had allowed in 22.1 innings, dating back to April 23, 2013 versus Baylor.
 
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE – The Bears (8-6) are playing their home opener this weekend, after 14 games away from the confines of Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri. Currently on a three-game skid, MSU has a chance to play in front of the home crowd the next four match-ups this weekend and next Tuesday.
 
Matt Fultz paces a trio of Bear players smacking the ball over a .300 clip on the season. Fultz his hitting .375 with two homeruns, to tie for fourth on the squad, and is third with 12 RBI. Eric Cheray contains a .352 average with a team-leading 19 hits and 14 RBI.
 
Rounding out the top three averages is Dylan Becker with 18 hits and 13 RBI. Cheray, Becker, and Tate Matheny all have recorded a pair of homers to contribute to the team's 10 overall.
 
The squad is batting .289 overall while opponents have recorded a .258 clip against the Bears. The pitching ERA is 3.37, led by Friday's starter, Schumacher, tallying a 0.78 ERA,  4-0 record, and team-high 24 strikeouts.
 
Five relievers have made an appearance for MSU, all boasting 0.00 ERA's, but only a trio have eclipsed the five inning mark. Sam Perez leads the group with 6.1 scoreless innings, while Zach Merciez and Tyler Burgess have gone 5.2 and 5.0, respectively.
 
SERIES HISTORY – The programs didn't face each other in 2013, but did meet on the diamond in 2012. The all-time series is 4-4, with Head Coach, Dan Heefner, 2-3 versus the Bears.
 
Last time the two teams met, the Patriots won two out of three games in Dallas, Texas, edging MSU 6-5 in game one and taking the rubber game 10-6. DBU dropped the middle affair, 8-4. At the time, Missouri State was ranked No. 29 in the nation.
 
In the first win, Sneed got the ball and surrendered four runs on seven hits through 3.1 innings. Offensively, the Patriots jumped one on of the top pitchers in the nation, Pierce Johnson, for four runs in the first three innings.  DBU right-hander, Jake Johansen, turned in one of the most dominant performances of his career, tossing 3.2 innings of shutout baseball, while striking out eight. 

Tied at four in the bottom of the sixth, Ronnie Mitchell delived a two-run homerun that proved to be the game-winner.  Stuart Pudenz came out of the pen to throw a scoreless eighth and ninth innings, earning his second save of the year.
 
In the 10-6 series winner, current senior, RJ Talamantes, tattooed three hits in four at bats, including a double. A four-run eighth inning broke a 6-6 tie, highlighted by a Michael Miller two-run single and an Austin Elkins RBI triple.  Pudenz came on in the ninth to preserve the game with a scoreless frame.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE – Dallas Baptist concludes its four-game trip at the University of Texas on March 18 for a 6 PM first pitch. Following the trip to Austin, the Patriots are back home again at Horner Ballpark for a three-game weekend series versus Utah Valley University on March 21-23. Start times for the trio of affairs begin Friday at 6:30 PM, Saturday at 2 PM, and Sunday at 1 PM.