Dates/Times: May 5th @ 7:05 p.m., May 6th @ 3.05 p.m., May 7th @ 1.05 p.m.
Livestream: ESPN+
Location: Orem, Utah
Field: UCCU Ballpark
Series: First matchup
OREM, Utah: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks take a trip to Utah this weekend for a three game series against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Jacks come into this series sitting at 20-23 and 11-13 in the WAC, while Utah Valley is currently 23-20 and 9-10 in conference play. SFA looks to build on the momentum gained off a midweek win over Grambling State.
A look at the Lumberjacks:
Since sweeping a series over Tarleton in early April, the Lumberjacks have been struggling, going 4-9 over that stretch. They do, however, boast a high-powered offense, and they showed it Wednesday, putting up 11 runs in their win over Grambling State. The Jacks offense hasbeen their calling card all year,with a whopping six players hitting over .300. Alex Rogers is the man at the top as he is doing a phenomenaljob this year of not only setting the table, but also having some pop in his bat; his eight home runs lead the team. His 1.074 OPS is also phenomenal while his .369 average tops the Jacks.
Not far behind in the average category isPeyton Parker as he carries a .351 batting average into the series. 351 would top a lot of lineups in the country, but he’ll have to settle for second for the time being as he looks to pass Rogers. Parker also ranks second on the team with six homers and 36 RBI’s.
The Lumberjacks offense has been great all year, and you could point to a number of guyswho are putting up solid numbers, but I’ll touch on Cole Hill. Hill hasmoved around the lineup a little bit this season, currently batting 6th, but he consistently puts up great numbers. He’s hitting .321 with a .871 OPS coming into the series while also swiping 14 bases, second on the team.
The Jacks pitching staff is led by Garrett Gearner, who tops the rotation with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Cade Stapleton and Conner Woods have been trusted arms,as well, with both throwing over 50 innings this year. The Jacks come into the weekend with a 8.08 team ERA and a 1.91 WHIP with opponents hitting .326 off of them.
A look at the Wolverines:
Utah Valleyhas a very good offense themselves,with six guys hitting over .280. They lost two of three over the weekend to Utah Tech,but sandwiched between two losses was a 23 run outburst. The table setter for Utah Valley isDaniel Dickinson, with his .364 average and eight steals leading his team. He has a little bit of pop in his bat, too, with five home runs on the year. His .982 OPS on the year is also solid, aided by only 21 strikeouts in 155 at-bats this year.
Patrick Mills and Cole Jordan are the big bats in the middle; their eight home runs are tied with each other for the team lead. Jordan is hitting .311 on the season, good for second on the Wolverines, while Jordan is leading Utah Valley with a 1.013 OPS and 91 total bases.
On the pitching side, the team is led by Casey Anderson, who has pitched very well on the year. His 3.43 ERA and 62 strikeouts lead the Wolverines, while his 1.21 WHIP is second. The staff has a combined 6.15 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .286 off them.