EVANSVILLE @ DALLAST BAPTIST
April 22 | Dallas, Texas | Horner Ballpark
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
DBU Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Livestats: DBU Livestats
Facebook: DBU Athletics
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates: April 22, 2014                       
Time: 6:30 PM                                                         
Stadium: Horner Ballpark (2,000)                                        
Broadcast: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Talent: Reagan Ratcliff and Brendan Smith
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
 
Tuesday, April 22
SFA – Halden Maynard RHP (0-2  8.10 ERA  20.0 IP  11 BB  10 K)
vs.
DBU – Drew Smith RHP (2-2  4.43 ERA  22.1 IP  14 BB  21 K)
 
THE LEAD – The Dallas Baptist Baseball Team wraps-up a four-game home stand with non-conference action on Tuesday night versus Stephen F. Austin University.  It's the second meeting between the two programs this year, with the Patriots scoring a team-high, 20 runs, in a 20-10 win in Nacogdoches, Texas, on March 25.
 
Following a season-high eight game win streak, DBU (26-13) has lost four of their last five games, including losses to Big 12 opponents, Baylor and Texas Tech.  After Tuesday's loss in Lubbock to the Red Raiders, the Patriots then dropped the first two games versus Evansville and in the process, lost their first Missouri Valley Conference series of the season.
 
DBU snapped a season-long, four-game losing streak, on Saturday by salvaging the series finale, 10-2. 
 
RECENT ACTION – DBU broke out of its funk, exploding for 10 runs on 13 hits in game two of Saturday's twinbill.  Having already dropped the first two of the series, the Patriots managed a 10-2 decision to take one game on a tough opening home stand.
 
In the victory, the Patriots did not get on the board until the fifth inning and scored at least once in every at bat the rest of the way. The scoring outburst came as a result of sophomore right-hander, Cory Taylor, working out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth with nobody out.  After a double-play ball go the Patriots out of the inning unscathed, DBU responded with a four-run fifth and never looked back.
 
Freshman, Camden Duzenack, provided a huge day tallying a team-best three hits and crossing the plate twice.  Senior, Mike Wesolowski, and sophomore, Daniel Salters, added multi-hit appearances with two apiece. Salters had a game-high three RBI.  Sophomore, Austin Listi, added his team-leading sixth homer of the season in the sixth inning on a two-run blast over the left field wall.  Redshirt sophomore, Justin Wall, also had two RBI with a double that plated Salters and Listi in the fifth.
 
Starting pitcher, Cory Taylor, had more than enough support to get through 6.1 innings of two-run ball. The sophomore now owns a 3-2 record, as he scattered five hits, four walks, and picked up four strikeouts.  Adding to his personal best, 44 punch outs, sophomore, Brandon Koch, sat four batters down via strikeout in 1.2 innings of work.
 
The win came on the heels of the Patriots falling in game one by a final of 13-1. DBU got on the board first in its first at bat, but things went the visitor's way the remainder of the contest. The Purple Aces knotted the game with a run in the top of the second and added a pair in the third to take the lead for good.
 
A three-run fifth inning extended the advantage, and was all Evansville needed to secure the series win. Listi had a multi-hit game for DBU, notching half of the squad's four hits in the setback.
 
On Friday, Evansville took the opener, 8-4, behind the strong pitching of staff ace, Kyle Freeland, and some timely hitting.  Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first, DBU would answer with a pair of runs, as Wesolowski drove in two on a single back up the middle.  Two, three-run innings in the third and eighth for the Purple Aces were too much for DBU to overcome in Friday evening's match-up.
 
Junior, Paul Voelker, went five innings, allowing five runs (three earned), while giving up eight hits, two walks, and striking out three. Sophomore, Sean Stutzman, worked four innings and allowed three runs on four hits.
 
The Patriots offense cut the Aces lead in half on a two-run homerun by Salters, but DBU would go quietly down in order in the ninth to take the loss in  game one.
 
HITTING NOTES – Mike Wesolowski boasts the highest batting average on the squad at .309, and is the lone Patriot Player batting above the .300 mark. The native of Mesa, Arizona, is riding a season-long, 13-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 19 of the past 21 contests.  His 13 game hitting streak is the longest this year and ties Ronnie Mitchell's 13 game hit streak in 2013.  Landon Anderson had a 15 game hit streak in 2012, while Austin Elkins and Ryan Behmanesh each had 21 game hit streaks that year.  WIth a hit on Tuesday, Wesolowski will be halfway to Joel Hutter's mark of 28 straight games in which he hit safely in 2012. 
 
Camden Duzenack pieced together a solid weekend with multi-hit affairs in both of his starts. Duzenack, who was Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week on Opening Weekend, lifted his average to .287. a mark that is second best on the club.  He also has seven multiple hit games on the season.
 
Austin Listi is coming off a noteworth offensve series, particularly in the doubleheader on Saturday.  In those contests, the native of Huffman, Texas, went 3-for-7, scoring three runs and driving in three, including a two-run blast.  He leads the team in home runs, is tied for the club lead in runs scored at 35, and is tied for second in hits with 39 and is second on the team with 28 RBI.
 
Alongside Listi in the hit category is Daniel Salters. The catcher also matches him with a .265 batting average and is slugging a team-best .510 clip.  Salters only had three hits in the series, but did lead the club with six RBI, including three in the lone victory.  Salters continues to lead the team in RBI with 32 and also paces the club with 14 doubles, five triples, and 75 total bases.
 
Senior, KJ Alexander, has hit safely in six of the last nine games, with three of them counting as multi-hit performances.  Last Tuesday, the Denton, Texas, native notched a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate with a double. He added one hit in both of Saturday's games.  
                               
ON THE BUMP – Through 352.1 innings, DBU hurlers have allowed 172 runs, 138 earned, to compile a 3.53 ERA. In addition, the Patriots lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 338 punch outs.
 
Sophomore, Drew Smith, has pitched the previous three mid-week contests for the Patriots. In his latest outing, the right-hander worked four innings, allowing three runs on two hits, with three walks and four strikeouts versus Texas Tech.
 
Out of the pen, Brandon Koch remains spectacular with an ERA south of 1.00. His 0.76 clip is the lowest on the squad, and he has at least three strikeouts in each of his last four outings. This includes a career-high six punch outs in back-to-back 2.1 inning appearances at Baylor and Illinois State.  The Plano, Texas, product has closed out a team-high, five saves on the season.
 
Redshirt-senior, Josh Urban, owns the second lowest ERA on the staff with a 2.17 clip. Amongst relievers, he is second with 29 innings pitched.
 
Just in front of him in that category is sophomore, Joseph Shaw, who has worked 29.1 innings. The righty sports a 2.76 ERA and has 29 strikeouts.  His four saves are second most on the club.
 
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS - Stephen F. Austin has dropped 8 of their last 9 and lost the rubber match of their three-game series vs. Abilene Christian on Sunday.  Their lone win over the nine-game stretch came on Friday in a 12-8 win over Abilene Christian.  SFA (16-23) currently sits in 12th place in the 14-team league Southland Conference.

In the Lumberjacks most recent setback, the offense scuffled to produce much, as Abilene Christian shutout SFA, 3-0. It's the fourth time the Lumberjacks have been held scoreless this year.
 
Three hitters in the SFA lineup are currently hitting over .300.  Mackenzie Handel leads the team with a .338 average and is also tops on the team with eight homeruns and 36 RBI.   Ricardo Sanchez is hitting .303 and Nick Ramos is at .301.   Zach Marberry leads the club with 15 doubles.
 
SFA posts a 4.93 ERA as a staff.  Tyler Wiedenfeld leads the team with 5 saves.
 
Tuesday's contest at Horner Ballpark concludes a six-game road swing for the Lumberjacks.
 
SERIES HISTORY – DBU is 10-3 in the all-time series versus Stephen F. Austin, including a 20-10 victory earlier this season on the road. The Patriots outlasted SFA in a high-scoring affair, as they posted a team-high in runs scored this year to go along with 16 hits.  Eight starters in the lineup tallied at least one hit in the match-up.
 
The contest began with DBU crossing the plate three times in its first at bat.  The Lumberjacks posted a six-run first inning to take their lone lead of the night.  The Patriots narrowed the deficit to two runs in the second and would erase the margin for the night with a two-run fifth.
 
Four consecutive innings saw DBU score at least a pair of runs, including a four-run seventh and an eight-run eighth.
 
A quartet of batters from the Patriots had at least three hits in the win, including Drew Turbin, David Martinelli, Austin Listi, and Daniel Salters.
 
Martinelli had a career-high five RBI with three runs scored to finish with a monster performance. Turbin and Wesolowski crossed the dish a game-high four times each.
 
Second on the team with runs batted in that night was junior, Nash Knight, with three total. Turbin, Wesolowski, Listi, and Salters all contributed a pair of RBI.
 
Eight arms made appearances on the bump for the Patriots. Senior, Cody Beam, got the start and allowed three walks before getting replaced by sophomore, Philip Orr.  The lefty worked an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, while fanning one.
 
Joseph Shaw bridged the gap, working three innings of shutout ball, while walking two and striking out three. Freshman, Trevor Conn, earned the win, throwing two frames of one-run ball.  Josh Urban threw an inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.
 
Junior, Jay Calhoun, redshirt junior, Blake Brodie, and sophomore, Caulin Cragle, finished the remainder of the route, compiling two innings of three-run (one earned) ball amongst the trio.
 
UP NEXT – Dallas Baptist concludes a four-game home stand Tuesday, and then will be on the road at Indiana State for MVC action April 25-27.  Start times are slated for 5:30 PM on Friday, 1 PM on Saturday, and 12 PM on Sunday.
 
DBU completes the four-game road trip at the University of Oklahoma on April 29.  First pitch is at 6 PM.  The Patriots will be back at home after that with a conference series versus Missouri State on May 2-4.