TEXAS SOUTHERN UNVERSITY @ DALLAS BAPTIST   
April 1, 2014 | Dallas, Texas | Horner Ballpark  
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Video/Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Livestats: DBU Livestats
Facebook: DBU Athletics
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates: March 1, 2014
Time: 6:30 PM
Stadium: Horner Ballpark (2,000)
Broadcast: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Talent: Reagan Ratcliff & Brendan Smith
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Tuesday, April 1
TSU – Ryan Rios RHP (2-3  4.03 ERA  11 App.  6 Starts  29.0 IP  13 BB  19 K)
vs.
DBU – Drew Smith RHP (1-1  5.23 ERA  3 Starts  10.1 IP  8 BB  8 K)
 
FIRST PITCH – The Dallas Baptist Baseball Team is back home for a single game contest this Tuesday at 6:30 PM versus Texas Southern University. DBU (20-7) continues rolling after opening its first Missouri Valley Conference series with a sweep over Bradley University this past weekend.
 
With back-to-back series sweeps over Missouri State and Bradley, the Patriots are now 9-4 away from Horner Ballpark. That record includes winning seven of the last eight.
 
DBU also maintains an excellent home record at 11-3, despite dropping its first series at the friendly confines last weekend to Utah Valley. Since dropping Saturday's affair versus Utah Valley, the Patriots have won five in a row.  
 
LAST TIME OUT – Playing their first MVC series in program history, DBU took all three games over Bradley University to claim their fourth series sweep in 2014. As a team, the Patriots outscored Bradley 34-15, including a 17-run outburst during Friday's conference opener.  In that contest, eight Patriot starters recorded a hit, with half of them notching multi-hit performances. Junior, Drew Turbin, led the way with a 2-for-4 day at the plate and a game-high, four RBI performance.  Sophomore, Austin Listi, scored a game-high four runs, and right behind him in that category was senior, KJ Alexander, with three.  Also garnering multi-hit efforts were sophomore, Daniel Salters, redshirt sophomore, Justin Wall, and Alexander.
 
In Saturday's matinee, the Patriots struck for eight runs in the game, and took advantage of five miscues from Bradley to clinch the series with an 8-2 decision. Turbin had another great day at the plate as the infielder and Listi combined to lead the club's offense. Each compiled 2-for-5 days and drove in three runs.  Junior, Cy Sneed, logged another eight-inning outing tying his season-high. He scattered six hits while allowing two runs (one earned), while walking one and fanning five.  Sneed also retired a string of 12 batters from the fourth through eighth innings.
 
Sunday's series finale saw DBU hang onto a 9-7 victory that wrapped up the sweep.  Freshman, David Martinelli, pounded the ball all afternoon, going 5-for-5 with two RBI. Salters also had a big effort, going three-for-four and matching senior, Mike Wesolowski, with a game-high three RBI. The first baseman also added the other multi-hit effort with a pair of knocks.
 
After racing out to a 3-0 advantage in the first at bat, the Bears tacked on two in the bottom of the frame to keep the deficit close. DBU answered with a pair of runs in the second and fourth innings.  Leading 8-3 in the fifth, Bradley nipped the margin to 8-6 with a three spot in the bottom half of the inning.  The Braves would draw to within one of the Patriots at the end of six, but DBU would add an insurance run in the seventh on a Martinelli RBI double.

Bradon Koch came on to close the door, working the final 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball to ear his third save of the season.
 
HEATING UP AT THE PLATE – David Martinelli has put together a a four-game hit streak and is scorching the ball at a career-high .347 average to lead the team entering this week. The outfielder has smacked a base hit in 12 of the past 14 games.
 
The native of Waxahachie, Texas, has forced his way into an everyday role and is now batting in the middle of the lineup due to his recent surge the past couple weeks. In the series against Bradley, he hit .500 (7-for-14) including an astounding five-hit display in Sunday's conclusion. He's tied for third on the squad with 19 RBI.  For his efforts this past week, Martinelli was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Week.
 
Mike Wesolowski continues to rank among the club's best offensive numbers with a .305 average, 29 runs scored, 32 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBI. The first baseman has reached safely in his past five games, and recorded a hit in four of the last five. Wesolowski's power numbers are also beginning to take off as the senior blasted a homerun on Tuesday at Stephen F. Austin and one on Sunday at Bradley.
 
Daniel Salter's has been red-hot at the plate recently as well.  Last week, the transfer from Eastern Oklahoma State, hit a team-leading .529 (9-for-17) and currently leads the team in RBI (22), doubles (11), triples (3), and walks.
 
Drew Turbin has recently made his presence known the DBU everyday lineup, earning six starts in the past seven games, including four in a row. This past week, Turbin hit in the lead-off spot in all four games and responded by hitting .368 (7-for-19) over the four-game span.  Turbin also hit his first homerun of the season in Saturday's win versus Bradley.  The Hayden, Idaho, native is batting .308 overall with two-hit performances on Friday and Saturday, and also combined for seven RBI between the pair of wins.
 
ON THE BUMP – Through 247.2 innings, DBU hurlers have allowed 111 runs, 82 earned, to compile a 2.98 ERA, a mark that currently ranks second in the Missouri Valley. In addition, the Patriots lead the league with 250 punch outs.
 
DBU has five arms that are pitching with ERA's south of 3.00, led by Brandon Koch. Sunday's hero continues to excel in pressure situations, as he notched his third save of the season. At one point this season, the native of Plano, Texas, went 11-straight outings without allowing a single run. The righty has a 1.08 ERA and has fanned a team-high 28 among relievers.
 
Also posting a sub 2.00 ERA is redshirt senior, Josh Urban. He is the other steady reliever matching Shaw with 20.1 innings of relief work, and has a 1.77 ERA. The Austin, Texas, native, pitched a scoreless inning of relief this past Saturday and is also tied for second in the bullpen with Shaw fanning 22 opponents.
 
Shaw has tallied a 2.66 ERA. He also has three saves on the year, but has made more lengthy appearances of late, tying Urban with innings pitched out of the pen. In his last two outings, the righty has thrown three innings and 2.1 innings, respectively. His season-long was a 4.2 inning effort in an extra-inning contest at University at San Antonio, in which he struck out a career-high nine.
 
The other reliever rounding out the quartet of pitchers with stellar ERA's is sophomore, Sean Stutzman. The lefty has posted a 2.37 clip and worked 19 innings on the season.
 
Sneed is the fifth pitcher on the staff and lone starter with an ERA below 3.00. He's hurled a team-best 47.1 innings with a 2.08 ERA. He's 4-1, with 37 punch outs, and has tossed at least six innings in six of seven outings. The last four, the righty has gone at least seven and allowed a combined five runs, with three coming in one appearance.  
 
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN – The Tigers (10-16) have won their past two, clinching a conference series in the SWAC over Arkansas Pine Bluff this weekend. TSU is 7-3 within conference action, and is 6-11 on the road.
 
After splitting a double header on Saturday, TSU secured the series win with a 9-8 final on Sunday.  Jerry Ford II led the offense with a four-hit day in five plate appearances, with one of the team's eight RBI. Six different players drove in a Tiger run on the afternoon.  A trio of players garnered multi-hit showings including: Zach Welz, Robert Garza, and Andrew Garza.  Taylor Edwards and Andrew Garza each notched two RBI days, while Marquis Webb, Chris Lopez, and Welz also had one apiece.
 
As a team, the Tigers are batting .230 on the campaign, paced by Webb and Ford with .338 and .319 clips, respectively. Terry leads the club with two of the squad's six total homers.
 
As a staff, TSU boasts a 3.78 ERA with Darius McClelland leading the staff with a 0.68 ERA.  Five arms have sub 3.00 ERA's including: Devin Kanorik (2.08), Frank Cruz IV (2.19), Michael Starkey (2.20), and Jamell Blue (2.70).
 
SERIES HISTORY – The Patriots lead the all-time series 6-1 against Texas Southern.  Last year, the two teams split the season series at one win apiece. Head Coach, Dan Heefner, is 3-1 versus the Tigers.
 
Both affairs last year were close, as DBU won 6-5 and fell 6-4 in the two games at Horner Ballpark.  Senior, Cody Beam, started and received a no decision in the contest DBU won. The pitcher tossed five innings of two-hit ball, while allowing no runs, two walks, and striking out eight.  The Patriots built a two-run edge, but a four run seventh by the Tigers left Beam without being in line for the win. Trailing 5-3, DBU tied the contest with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and added the game-winner an inning later.  Wesolowski, Listi, and Wall all had a hit in the come from behind win.
 
In the setback, Joseph Shaw started and went an inning, allowing three runs on the day. After scoring twice to open the game, DBU gave up a four-run second and two-run third that was too deep of a hole for the home squad to make up the distance. The Patriots did score in the sixth and eighth innings to threaten with a comeback.
 
UP NEXT – Dallas Baptist returns to conference play and travels to face Illinois State University April 4-6. First pitch times are 6 PM on Friday, 2 PM on Saturday, and 1 PM on Sunday.
 
Following that, the Patriots enjoy back-to-back home contests versus TCU on April 8, and Baylor University on April 11. DBU will travel to Waco, Texas, to face the Bears on April 12 & 13.