Sam Houston will travel to Dallas Baptist to play its final non-conference weekend series. The first of three games from Patriot Field is Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Dallas Baptist (9-8) has won their last four games, all over Southland schools, after a sweep of Oral Roberts and a midweek win at Stephen F. Austin.
The Kats are led by an outstanding group of sophomores. Second baseman Ryan Farney is batting .333 and has a team-high 10 runs scored and is tied for the team lead with five doubles.
Shortstop Carter Burgess leads the team in extra-base hits with five doubles and two triples while hitting .322. He’s tied for the team lead in hits at 19.
Second-year starter centerfielder Colt Atwood is hitting .302 and also has 19 hits with eight runs scored. Designated hitter and outfielder Hayden Simerly is batting .298 and leads the team with three homeruns and 11 RBI.
Outfielder and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn has a .275 batting average with four extra-base hits and five runs driven in.
“This group of sophomores is a special group to me because it was our first class to bring in,” Pierce said. “These are some kids I’ve known for a long time who used to come to my camps or I recruited at Rice as well.”
The Bearkats have wins over ranked opponents Texas and Rice so far this season but have lacked consistency overall. Inconsistent pitching was the biggest problem in the two weekend losses to Connecticut.
Friday night starter Caleb Smith was unable to get out of the second inning after allowing three hits and issuing three walks. Saturday Cody Dickson was only able to throw 2 1/3 innings with three hits and four walks.
“Walks are definitely an issue right now but it’s a delicate issue,” said coach David Pierce. “Nobody tries to throw balls. We have addressed it all year and we’re trying to address it in a positive way.”
Dallas Baptist leftfielder Jaime Garrido is batting .400 from the leadoff spot. The senior has driven in seven runs and scored seven runs. Shortstop Nash Knight has a .350 average with ten RBI and eight runs scored.
Catcher Michael Miller has a .333 batting average and leads the team with 22 hits and 16 RBI.
“DBU has started very similarly to us,” said Pierce. “They’ve got several power arms and they swing the bats well. Early on thought it looks like they’ve struggled some defensively.”
The series continues Friday at 2 p.m. with the finale Saturday at 1 p.m.
Purchase your 2013 Bearkat Baseball Season Tickets for all 30 home games by calling 936-294-1729 or by visiting www.gobearkats.com. Single game tickets to each exciting home contest at Don Sanders Stadium are also available for purchase.
