Courtesy Arkansas State University Athletics Department
Arkansas State (17-13, 4-5 SBC) vs Western Kentucky (16-13, 7-2 SBC)
GAMES 31-34
Date: April 5-7, 2013
First Pitch: Friday, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Stadium: Tomlinson Stadium (1,200)
Radio: East Arkansas Broadcasters
95.3 FM The Ticket
970 AM KNEA
Radio Talent: Matt Stolz
SERIES
ASU vs WKU: 33-35 (ASU Trails)
Raffo Record vs WKU: 6-6
Last Meeting: April 15, 2012 (6-3 ASU)
Current Streak: ASU 1 Win
MULTIMEDIA
Online Audio: AStateRedWolves.com
Live Stats: AStateRedWolves.com
TapStats
LEADING OFF: Arkansas State will continue its eight-game home stand with a three-game series against Sun Belt Conference opponent Western Kentucky this weekend. The Red Wolves are coming off a 9-8 victory over Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, which ended a six-game losing streak for ASU. A-State enters the game the game with a 17-13 record and a 4-5 record in league play, while Western Kentucky is 16-13 and 7-2 in league play. The Hilltoppers are tied for first in the SBC standings with FAU.
THE STARTERS: Right-hander Daniel Wright will take the mound for ASU on Friday night and is coming the longest outing of his career on March 29 at FIU. He tossed 7.2 innings and gave up just one run, but still took the loss. Left-hander Chandler Hawkins will take the mound on Saturday after lasting just 1.0+ innings on March 30 at FIU. Both Wright and Hawkins made relief apperances against SEMO this past Tuesday, with Wright earning the save. Bradley Wallace will get the start on Sunday for A-State.
Western Kentucky will counter with left-hander Tanner Perkins on Friday. Perkins last pitched against FIU on March 22 and gave up two runs on four hits in five innings of work. Andrew Edwards will take the mound on Saturday after tossing a complete-game shutout against Lousiana-Lafayette on March 29. Left-hander Tim Bado or left-hander Austin Clay will get the start for the Hilltoppers on Sunday.
ASU/WKU SERIES HISTORY
• This will the be the 69th, 70th and 71st meetings all-time between ASU and WKU.
• WKU leads the all-time series 35-33.
• ASU took 2 out of 3 games from the Hilltoppers in Jonesboro last season, including a 6-3 victory on Sunday, April 15 to secure the series win.
• The series dates back to 1993 with both teams being Sun Belt Conference opponents since.
• ASU won the first game every played between the two schools 9-6 and also won the series that year.
• Chris Floyd tied the school record for most assists in a game against WKU in 1995 with 8.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• Western Kentucky is 16-13 on the year, but is 7-2 in Sun Belt Conference play this season.
• The Hilltoppers are tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference with Florida Atlantic.
• WKU began league play with a sweep over Middle Tennessee and has won two out of three games against FIU and Louisiana-Lafayette in its two other conference series.
• Western Kentucky ranks third in team pitching in the Sun Belt with a 3.84 team ERA and 260 strikeouts on the seaosn.
• Ryan Huck is leading the league in home runs with 9, which also ranks 5th nationally. He also had the second-best slugging percentage in the league at .724
• Coming into the week, WKU ranked 9th in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings with 9.0 per game.
FITZPATRICK NEARLY CYCLES
• Kevin Fitzpatrick was a home run away from recording his first career cycle April 2 against SEMO.
• The freshman went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two run scored on the night.
• He had a triple in the first inning, a single in the third and double in the fifth. He also reached on a fielder’s choice in the seventh and later came around to score the go-ahead run.
EMERY LEADING THE WAY
• Senior Ryan Emery was put into the leadoff spot for the first time in his career against SEMO on April 2.
• Emery is the team leader in on-base percentage, walks and RBIs.
WRIGHT GETS A SAVE
• Senior Daniel Wright earned his fourth career save and the first of the season by pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 9-8 victory over SEMO on April 2.
NATION’S LEADERS
• Alex Potts is leading the nation with 16 sacrifice bunts on the season and also leading the nation in sacrifice bunts per game at 0.52.
• As a team, ASU leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 9.6.
A NIGHT OF FIRSTS FOR BURKS
• Drew Burks made his first start in a month on April 2 against SEMO and produced in a big way for A-State.
• Burks also recorded the first and second RBIs of his career with 2-RBI single in the first inning
FRESHMAN STARTERS ON THE MOUND
• A-State has had a freshman pitcher start a game seven times this season and the Red Wolves have a 3-4 record in those games.
• A-State owns a 2-2 record in games in which Adam Grantham has started this season and is 0-2 in games in which Derek Birginske has started.
FIGHTING AGAINST TIME
• ASU and FIU nearly accomplished something rarely seen in baseball on Sunday, a tie.
• Due to the Sun Belt Conference get away rule, no inning could start after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 30 of ASU and FIU’s series finale. The game went into the 11th inning with the final inning starting at 2:22 p.m.
• Had the score been tied at the conclusion of the inning the game would have ended in a tie
• ASU and FIU did tie in the 2011 season, which was only the second tie in ASU history.
CHASING NCAA RECORDS
• Alex Potts has ammassed 16 sacrifice bunts on the season and is just 18 away from tying the all-time NCAA record of 34, which was set by Ben Orloff of UC Irvine in 2007 (65 games).
ROCKIN’ ROBERTS
• Ryan Roberts has seen his batting average rise .150 points over the last 10 games.
• Roberts entered the March 19 series against Missouri batting .212, but has since raised his average to to .338 after the March 31 against FIU.
• Senior catcher Ryan Roberts enjoyed one of the best weeks of his career this past week. He went 10-for-20 with five RBIs, three doubles and a .500 batting percentage.
• Roberts had a career-high four hits and two doubles against FAU on March 24. He also had a career best six total bases in the game.
STREAKING FOR HITS
• Ryan Roberts has a ten game hitting streak, which is the longest of any Red Wolves player this season. Roberts also has an 12-game on base streak.
SEC ROAD WIN
• A-State’s 10-3 victory at Missouri on Match 19 was its first road victory versus and SEC school since 2008.
• The last road victory was a 7-5 victory over then No. 2 Ole Miss.
MR. CLUTCH
• Alex Potts delivered the fourth walk-off hit of his career with a solo home run on March 23 that gave A-State a 3-2 victory over FAU.
• It was his second walk-off hit this season after he had a single in the bottom of the 11th inning on March 8 to give ASU a 2-1 victory over UAB.
• It was the third walk-off single of Pott’s career. He recorded two walk-off singles during his junior season.
• The first was a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning against UALR on March 17, 2012 to give ASU a 3-2 win.
• The second was a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth against South Alabama to give ASU 1-0 on May 6, 2011.
WRIGHT TIES CARRER HIGH
• Senior right-hander Daniel Wright tied a career-high with nine strikeouts against FAU on March 23.
• He also tossed a season-high 130 pitches in the game.
SPLITTING DOUBLEHEADERS
• ASU has played in four doubleheaders this season and has earned a split in each one.
• Only one of the twinbills has been scheduled, with the other three coming because of weather.
POTTS MAKING HISTORY
• Second basemen Alex Potts is now the all-time record in sacrifices in a single season in ASU history with 16.
• Potts passed Dean Roberts on March 19 against Missouri with his 13th sacrifice of the season.
• Potts had alread passed Jordan Kimball for most sacrifice bunts in a season. Kimball had 11 in 2009.
UXA SETS NEW SINGLE SEASON HIGH IN DOUBLES
• Senior first basemen Logan Uxa has already set a career-high for doubles in a season.
• Uxa’s previous career high was seven doubles, which he did in 2011 and 2012. He had his eighth and ninth doubles against Missouri on March 19.
WOODHOUSE SETS NEW HIGH IN STRIKEOUTS
• Junior Cody Woodhouse set a new career-high with seven strikeouts against Missouri on March 19.
THREE TIMES AS NICE
• Sophomore center fielder Collin Massanelli tied the school record for most home runs in a game by hitting three against UALR on March 16.
• Massanelli is just the third player in school history to hit three home runs in a game. Kevin Kull Jr. hit three at UALR in 2005 and Randy Sugg accomplished the feat against Austin Peay in 1998.
• Massanelli hit a solo home run in the first inning and then had a 2-run blast in the eighth inning that hit off a light pole in right-center field. His third home run came in the top of the ninth and tied the game at 7-7 after ASU rallied from six runs down over the final two innings.
• He also tied the school record for most total bases in a game with 13 on March 16.
TURNING THE TRIPLE PLAY
• ASU turned a 1-5-4-3 triple play in its 6-3 victory over UALR on March 15.
• The triple play occurred when Bryson Thionnet tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but instead popped the attempt up in front of Seth McWilliams. The senior right-hander let the bunt attempt fall in front of him and quickly threw over to third base to get the force out. A-State third basemen Claude Johnson then threw to second base to get the force at that base after Blake Johnson did not run on the play. ASU second basemen Alex Potts then threw to first base for the final out after Thionnet never touched first because it was occupied by a UALR player.
• It was the first triple play turned by ASU under the Tommy Raffo era.
DOMINATING THE TROJANS
• ASU extended its winning streak to 12 straight over UALR with a three game sweep over the Trojans on the opening weekend of SBC play.
• ASU has swept UALR in four straight series and has not lost to the school since 2011
UXA DOES IT ALL
• Logan Uxa enjoyed one of his best two-game stretches on the base paths against Missouri State March 12-13.
• Uxa tied a career high with two stolen bases on March 12 and the notched just the third triple of his career on March 13
A MIDWEEK OF FIRSTS
• Freshman Derek Birginske made his first career state on March 12 against Missouri State. He gave up just one run on five hits and struck out six, but did not factor into the decision.
• Freshman Adam Grantham earned his first career save on March 13 against Missouri State when he pitched the final two innings in relief in a 7-5 victory.
UNEARNED RUNS
• Arkansas State and Missouri State combined to score eight unearned runs in ASU’s 7-5 victory over the Bears on March 13.
HAWKINS SHINES IN FIRST START
• Sophomore Chandler Hawkins shined in his first start of the season on March 9 against UAB.
• He pitched a career-high seven innings, faced a career-high 28 batters and allowed just one run on seven and tied a career-high with three strikeouts.
FITZPATRICK FIRST START
• Freshman Kevin Fitzpatrick made his first career start on March 3.
• The true freshman made a start in left field and batted in the leadoff position. He went 1-for-4 with two runs scored
• He recorded his first career RBI on Tuesday, March 5 against UT-Martin.
ASU IN EXTRA INNINGS
• ASU is 2-1 on the year in extra inning games.
• Alex Potts helped ASU to a 2-1 victory over UAB on March 8 when he drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
• The Red Wolves were down to their last out, but rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Memphis 3-2 on Feb. 19.
• Collin Massanelli drove in two runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
• Ryan Emery followed with a game winning RBI single in the top of the 10th inning and Tanner Ring closed out the game in the bottom of the 10th to give A-State the win.
GETTING THE SHUTOUT
• Arkansas State recorded its first shutout of the season on Tuesday, March 5 against UT-Martin. The Red Wolves picked up a 9-0 victory over the Skyhawks and faced just one batter of the mininum.
•The last time ASU shutout an opponent was April 13 of last year when A-State picked up a 5-0 win over Western Kentucky.
• The last time ASU recorded a shutout against a non-conference opponent was against Portland in 2010 in a 7-0 victory.
• It was the first shutout for ASU during a midweek game since 2006 when the team defeated Murray State 11-0 on a Wednesday (The team also defeated Freed-Hardeman 8-0 on Sun, April 16 of that year. ASU played Freed-Hardeman in a Sunday-Monday two game series.)
IN THE POLLS
• Arkansas State received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30 poll earlier this season.
• Records indicate that the last time an A-State baseball team was ranked was during the the 1970 season when Arkansas State finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in the final Collegiate Baseball poll.
RING GETS FIRST SAVE
• Freshman Tanner Ring picked up his first career save at Memphis on Feb. 19.
• Ring entered the game in bottom of the ninth inning as a defensive replacement at second base and then moved to the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning.
KOCH SETS CAREER HIGH
• In his first career start, senior John Koch struck out a career-high 11 batters on Feb. 15.
• Koch pitched five innings, gave up three runs on nine hits to earn his first win as a starter.
PITCHING STAFF SHINES
• The A-State pitching staff recorded a school record 19 strike outs in the 10-5 victory over
Bradley on Opening night on Feb. 15.
• The previous record was 18 strikeouts, which ASU did twice. The first was in 1995 against Memphis and the second was against Kansas State in 1960.
• On opening weekend, A-State recorded 37 strikeouts and allowed just eight runs and walked 7 batters in 27 innings.
OPENING SERIES SWEEP
• ASU recorded a three-game series sweep for the first time since 1971 and for only the second time in school history.
GRANTHAM MAKES MOST OF FIRST START
• True freshman Adam Grantham earned his first career win on Feb. 17 in a 12-2 victory over Bradley.
• Grantham threw four innings, struck out five and did not allow any runs in his first career start.
• Grantham was a 32nd round draft selection of the Atlanta Braves coming out of high school.
BAKER GOES DEEP
• True freshman Austin Baker hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his collegiate career on Feb. 16
• Baker went 3-for-3 on the day and was a triple from the cycle. He had three RBIs on the day and was walked once.
4-K INNING
• Arkansas State senior right-hander John Koch notched a rare four strike out inning in the Red Wolves 10-5 victory over Bradley Feb. 15. After Bradley’s David Compitello reached on a dropped third strike out in the fourth inning with one out, Koch proceeded to strike out two more batters to end the inning.
GOING TO THE SHOW
• A-State had three players drafted from last year’s squad, led by Jacob Lee who was drafted in the ninth round by the Cleveland Indians.
• Lee was the highest player ever drafted from the ASU baseball program.
• Michael Faulkner was taken in the 12th round by Seattle, making him the second highest selection ever in program history.
• Brandon Farley was taken in the 33rd round by the San Francisco Giants, while incoming freshman Adam Grantham was a 32nd round pick of the Atlanta Braves.
SUN BELT NETWORK TO AIR ASU-UALR GAME
• The Sun Belt Conference has announced that the Arkansas State baseball game against UALR on May 18 will be televised by the Sun Belt Network through its partnership with Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST). An official start time for the game will be announced at a later date.
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