Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Full PDF)
2014 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2014 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2014 Sun Belt Conference Standings
2014 Sun Belt Conference Statistics
Week 10 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week
Matt Burgess (Arkansas State, Sophomore, 1B)
Sophomore first baseman Matt Burgess enjoyed one of the best weeks of his Arkansas State career this past week. The 6-foot-4 junior college transfer extended his hitting streak to a team season-long 15 games and also has an on-base streak of 23 games which is the second longest of the season for the Red Wolves. Burgess had the game-tying hit in A-State’s ninth inning rally on Sunday after against Louisiana-Monroe and also sparked a rally during the midweek against Memphis. Burgess also hit his third home run of the season in an 11-7 victory Saturday afternoon and had a .500 average for the week to go along with a .750 slugging percentage and a .619 on-base percentage. He also scored a team-high six runs on the week and walked five times with six RBIs as A-State has now won six straight games, including five in a row in league play.
Week 10 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week
Shane McCain (Troy, Senior, LHP)
Senior Shane McCain tossed 8.0 scoreless innings allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out 12 batters in Troy’s 3-0 win over UALR on Saturday. McCain’s 12 punch-outs were the most by a Troy pitcher since 2007 and the second 10+ strikeout game for the lefty this season.
Player of the Week Archive
2.17 - David Hall, Troy
2.24 - Scott Wilcox, WKU
3.03 - Drew Merten, UALR
3.10 - Jace Conrad, UL Lafayette
3.17 - Nic Wilson, Georgia State
3.24 - Seth Harrison, UL Lafayette
3.31 - Ryan Bottger, UT Arlington
4.07 - Anderson Miller, WKU
4.14 - Kodie Tidwell, UL Monroe
Pitcher of the Week Archive
2.17 - Carson Baranik, UL Lafayette
2.24 - Lucas Humpal, Texas State
3.03 - Austin Robichaux, UL Lafayette
3.10 - Jake Thompson, WKU
3.17 - Tanner Hicks, Troy
3.17 - Justin Hageman, WKU
3.31 - Daniel Milliman, UT Arlington
4.07 - Austen Williams, Texas State
4.07 - Locke St. John, South Alabama
Recent Results
Tuesday, April 15
Georgia State at Kennesaw State POSTPONED
UT Arlington at No. 6 Texas L, 2-10
Texas State at UTSA L, 2-7
Louisiana Tech at UALR W, 7-6
UL Monroe at Northwestern State L, 1-6
Southeastern Louisiana at South Alabama L, 0-5
Arkansas State at Memphis W, 6-4
Wednesday, April 16
WKU at No. 18 Indiana L, 0-1 (10)
Friday, April 18
South Alabama at WKU * USA, 13-10
Troy at UALR * UALR, 9-5 (16)
UL Monroe at Arkansas State * A-State, 8-4
No. 1 UL Lafayette at UT Arlington * UL-L, 9-5
Georgia State at Texas State * TXST, 8-1
Saturday, April 19
No. 1 UL Lafayette at UT Arlington * UL-L, 9-5
Georgia State at Texas State * TXST, 4-2
South Alabama at WKU * WKU, 7-2
Troy at UALR * TROY, 3-0 (10)
UL Monroe at Arkansas State * A-State, 11-7
Sunday, April 20
South Alabama at WKU * WKU, 6-3
No. 1 UL Lafayette at UT Arlington * UTA, 5-4
Georgia State at Texas State * TXST, 4-1
Troy at UALR * UALR, 10-4
UL Monroe at Arkansas State * A-State, 10-9
Upcoming Games
Tuesday, April 22
UALR at UAPB 3:00 PM
Arkansas State at Central Arkansas 6:00 PM
Troy at Samford 6:00 PM
McNeese State at UL Lafayette 6:00 PM
South Alabama at Auburn 6:00 PM
WKU at Louisville 6:00 PM
Texas State at Baylor 6:35 PM
UT Arlington at Oklahoma TBA
Wednesday, April 23
Grambling State at UL Monroe 12:00 PM
Savannah State at Georgia State 4:00 PM
Troy at Jacksonville State 6:00 PM
Central Arkansas at UALR 6:00 PM
Baylor at Texas State 6:30 PM
Friday, April 25
UALR at WKU * 6:00 PM
Arkansas State at Georgia State * 6:00 PM
UT Arlington at Troy * 6:00 PM
Texas State at UL Lafayette * 6:00 PM
UL Monroe at South Alabama * 6:30 PM
Saturday, April 26
Georgia State at Arkansas State * 1:00 PM
UALR at WKU * 3:00 PM
UT Arlington at Troy * 6:00 PM
Texas State at UL Lafayette * 6:00 PM
UL Monroe at South Alabama * 6:30 PM
Sunday, April 27
UT Arlington at Troy * 12:00 PM
UALR at WKU * 1:00 PM
Arkansas State at Georgia State * 1:00 PM
Texas State at UL Lafayette * 1:00 PM
UL Monroe at South Alabama * 1:00 PM
NOTE: All Game times are Central and Subject to Change
* - denotes SBC game
Team News and Notes
UALR Trojans
The Trojans returned home for four home games this week and came away with three wins including a series win against Troy. UALR opened the week with a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Louisiana Tech behind Ben Crumpton’s late game-winning, two-run double. Stephen Chandler picked up the win working three solid innings out of the bullpen. Friday’s series opener against Troy provided more excitement for UALR. Troy jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings, but UALR fought back to tie the game and send it into extra innings. The two bullpens matched each other pitch-for-pitch before Troy walked the bases loaded for Bryson Thionnet. The senior promptly launched the third pitch he saw over the left field fence to give UALR a 9-5 win. The Trojans dropped game two of the series in 10 innings despite Sam Thoele’s six scoreless innings on the mound. On Sunday Cameron Allen improved to 4-0 at Gary Hogan Field by pitching 7.2 innings and holding off Troy while UALR’s offense broke the game open. Thionnet and Sam Vogel each hit two home runs and Justin Steelmon added a three-run homer in the winning effort. Crumpton stole three bases on the week to move to 27 on the season and still ranks second in the country. Jesse Harbin and Dyllon Brownmiller continued anchoring the UALR bullpen with two scoreless appearances each. The Trojans will play five games this week with a game at UAPB on Tuesday and a home game against Central Arkansas on Wednesday before a trip to Western Kentucky this weekend.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State enjoyed a perfect 4-0 week and extended its winning streak to six straight with a sweep of Louisiana-Monroe and midweek victory at Memphis over the past week. The Red Wolves have now swept three weekend series on the year, including two in Sun Belt Conference play (UALR & ULM) to improve its overall record to 24-16 and now has a league record of 13-5. A-State completed the sweep of the Warhawks in dramatic fashion after being down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Freshman Ty Michelotti drove in the winning run on an RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth inning completed the 10-9 comeback for the Red Wolves after wild sequence to get to that point. The Red Wolves’ comeback started on a wild play on a bloop single and a throwing error on Justin Stawychny that resulted in a run. Eric Wilcoxson dropped in a single in front of Stawychny and the ULM left fielder attempted to throw out Collin Massanelli at third, who had only gone half way to see if the ball would be caught. Stawychny’s throw sailed wide of the third baseman and Massanelli scored to cut the deficit to 9-7. Maggio made it a 1-run game with an RBI fielder’s choice and Matt Burgess tied the game with an RBI single through the right side that scored Wilcoxson. On Saturday, freshman Bryan Ayers made the first weekend start of his career and picked up his first win with solid six inning performance in which he gave up two runs and struck out six. Ayers wasn’t the only A-State freshman to pick up his first collegiate win, however. Tyler Zuber earned the victory in the Red Wolves’ midweek victory over Memphis in which he tossed five innings in relief and struck out a career-high seven. In two games against the Tigers, Zuber has not allowed a run and give up just two hits while registering nine strikeouts. Matt Burgess belted his third home run of the season in A-State’s victory over the Warhawks on Saturday and finished the week with eight hits and six RBIs. He has a team season-high 15 game hitting streak and has reached base in 23 straight games. He also has a team-high 41 RBIs. True freshman Eric Wilcoxson has continued to impress with a .353 batting average while seven of 16 hits have gone for extra-bases, which included a home run in the Red Wolves Friday win over the Warhawks. A-State will travel to Conway during the midweek to take on in-state foe Central Arkansas on Tuesday, April 22 before traveling to Atlanta, Ga., for a three-game SBC series at Georgia State. All four games can be heard in the StateZone at AStateRedWolves.com
Georgia State Panthers
Nic Wilson and Chase Raffield continue to be one of the nation’s top home run-hitting duos. Wilson, the senior first baseman, is tied for third in the NCAA with 12 homers, while Raffield, a senior outfielder, is also in the top 10 nationally with 10 round-trippers...As a team, the Panthers rank among the national leaders with 42 homers...Chase Raffield leads the Sun Belt with 45 RBI. He is currently riding a 14-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .412 (21-for-51) with five homers and 20 RBI...Raffield has two grand slams among his 10 homers...Sophomore designated hitter Matt Rose, who had a 12-game hitting streak snapped Sunday, adds seven homers and 25 RBI...Since entering the lineup regularly seven games ago, sophomore James Clements is batting .360 (9-for-25) with seven RBI while seeing action at third base, second base and left field.
UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
The Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team went 2-1 on the week winnings its 11th consecutive weekend series at UT Arlington. The Cajuns came from behind to win the series opener 9-5 scoring seven runs in the final three innings led by Caleb Adams who was 3-for-4 in the game with two home runs. UL Lafayette won the second game of the series by the same score, 9-5, to clinch the series. The team again scored seven runs in the final three frames to pick up the win. In the series finale, the Ragin’ Cajuns went ahead early and led 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Mavericks recorded four runs in the ninth to get a walk-off win and avoid the sweep. The loss in the Sunday game ended a 16-game road win streak to start the season for UL Lafayette. The Cajuns return home this week for a four-game homestand at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field starting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against McNeese State. The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated the Cowboys 14-8 on the road earlier this year. Following the midweek clash with McNeese State, UL Lafayette will host Texas State in a three-game conference series at “the Tigue” starting on Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday’s contest is slated for 6 p.m., while first pitch for the series finale will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
UL Monroe Warhawks
After a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Arkansas State, the Warhawks will return home for its final non-conference game of the season as it welcomes Grambling State to Warhawk Field on Wednesday for a special 12 p.m. start... Following the contest against the Tigers, the Warhawks will hit the road for the second straight weekend as it travels to Mobile, Ala., for a three-game conference series at South Alabama... After seven innings on Sunday, ULM lead Arkansas State, 6-3, but the Red Wolves scored seven of the final 10 runs to claim a 10-9 victory in the series finale... Josh Faciane was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run in the finale, while Dalton Herrington scored two runs and tallied one RBI... ULM lost each of the first two games in Jonesboro by four runs (L, 4-8, Friday; L, 7-11, Saturday)... In Saturday’s game, Cody Stone recorded his first career homer with a three-run blast to right in the top of the ninth inning... Stone finished with career-highs in hits (two) and RBI (three)... Chet Simoneaux led the Warhawks at the plate in Natchitoches, La., as he tallied two hits in his three at-bats... Dalton Herrington drove in Anthony Herrera in the first inning as Herrington continues to lead the club in RBI... Kodie Tidwell earned a trio of honors for the week of Apr. 7-13... He earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors as well as the Louisiana Hitter of the Week and Warhawk of the Week accolades after posting a batting average of .550 (11-for-20) with six RBI and four runs... He also earned four free passes on the week (three walks, one hit-by-pitch) and he posted 1.275 OPS (.650 Slugging %, .625 On-Base %)... In their most recent home weekend, the Warhawks picked up a 2-1 series win over Texas State by winning the final two games of the series... Justin Stawychny came through with what proved to be the game-winning hit with a two-RBI single through the left side in the bottom of the sixth... Anthony Herrera and Kodie Tidwell came in to score and give the Warhawks a 7-6 lead after six innings... Anthony Herrera and Ross Moore each tallied two hits in the series finale and the duo combined for three RBI and three runs... On Apr. 12, the Warhawks outlasted the Bobcats in a game that featured 29 total runs (17 earned) on 32 total hits... ULM evened the series with the 17-12 win.
South Alabama Jaguars
South Alabama (17-22, 7-10 SBC) went 1-3 last week after dropping a midweek contest against Southeastern Louisiana before falling in two out of three games at Western Kentucky last weekend. USA fell to SLU 5-0 at Stanky Field Tuesday evening, which marked the seventh time this season the Jags have been shut out. South Alabama rebounded with a 13-10 win in Friday’s series opener with WKU to snap a three-game losing skid, but dropped the final two games of the series. USA committed eight errors in its three-game series at WKU, including a season-high five in the series opener. South Alabama has dropped five of its last six games entering Tuesday’s 6 p.m. contest at Auburn. The Jags will then return home to host Louisiana-Monroe in a three-game SBC series at Stanky Field this weekend.
UT Arlington Mavericks
UT Arlington ended a stretch of four games against Top 10 opponents with a 1-3 record after avoiding the sweep against UL Lafayette in a Sun Belt series. The Mavericks rallied from down 4-1 in the ninth to score four runs and win in walk-off fashion at Clay Gould Ballpark. UTA heads to the road for a four-game trip that begins on Tuesday against Oklahoma. The Mavs fell 3-2 in 10 innings in a meeting earlier in the season with the Sooners at Globe Life Park. The week continues at Troy to end the trip.
Texas State Bobcats
After a late loss to UTSA in the midweek, the Bobcats bounced back in a big way, sweeping Georgia State. Not only did Texas State sweep GSU, but the Bobcats held an impressive offensive lineup to just a .190 batting average. Austen Williams led Texas State to an 8-1 victory Friday night, only giving up one run in eight innings while striking out eight batters. The Bobcats put up a complete effort on the mound, defensively and offensively to get the win. Saturday, Austin O’Neal was the hero, knocking a grand slam to secure a 4-2 victory. Then on Sunday, Lucas Humpal and Hunter Lemke shut the Panthers down again. With two saves on the weekend, Lemke became the career leader in saves at Texas State with 16. The three consecutive wins puts Head Coach Ty Harrington just one victory away from his 500th career victory. The Bobcats will look to keep rolling with a home-and-home series with Baylor in the midweek followed by a road series at UL Lafayette.
Troy Trojans
Troy finished the week 1-2 after falling to UALR in a weekend conference series … David Hall concluded the three-game series batting 5-for-14 (.357) with a pair of home runs and six RBIs … Hall’s first home run came at a crucial time for the Trojans; Hall launched a three-run blast to break a scoreless tie in the 10th inning of Saturday’s game … His second round-tripper came – a solo shot – led off the eighth inning of game three … Senior left-hander Shane McCain tossed 8.0 scoreless on Saturday striking out 12 batter while allowing just four hits … The outing lowered McCain’s season ERA to 2.61, the second-best mark in the conference … Freshman relief pitcher Marc Skinner was equally impressive pitching 8.0 scoreless innings in Friday’s 16-inning marathon … Skinner struck out 10 batters while walking two and surrendering five hits.
WKU Hilltoppers
WKU rebounded from a Friday-night loss to South Alabama to win the final two games of the series to improve to 9-9 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Hilltoppers tallied 38 hits against a strong South Alabama pitching staff, marking the third time in the past four weeks WKU has had at least 35 hits in a series. Freshman southpaw Ryan Thurston took a no-hitter into the 9th inning at No. 18 Indiana last Wednesday. He struck out seven over eight scoreless innings after entering the contest with 10 career innings pitched and six career strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander Josh Bartley moved into WKU’s Saturday starting role and worked a career-high eight innings. Bartley earned his first-career league win by striking out four batters and only allowing two runners to enter scoring position over his final seven innings. Freshman Hunter Wood’s first-career home run was a pinch hit grand slam that gave WKU a 7-2 lead in Saturday’s win over South Alabama. Closer Ian Tompkins picked up his league-leading 10th save in preserving Sunday’s 6-3 win over South Alabama. Tompkins is one save away from tying WKU’s single-season saves record. Sophomore outfielder Anderson Miller enters this week with a 12-game hitting streak. WKU plays its seventh game versus a ranked opponent Tuesday when it visits No. 9 Louisville.