Trojans Look to Improve Program-Best Start Vs. Eagles

Games 36-38: Little Rock at Georgia Southern
April 22-24
Statesboro, Ga. • J.I. Clements Stadium
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LITTLE ROCK – Off to its best conference start in program history, Little Rock baseball (18-17, 11-7 Sun Belt) will look to progress even further at Georgia Southern (23-15, 9-9 Sun Belt) in a three-game Sun Belt series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT).
 
FIRST PITCH

• Little Rock's high-powered offense will look to contain Georgia Southern starters Challenger, Cohen and Eichhorn.
• Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 14-4.
• Little Rock will go with its usual right-handed rotation of McDowell, Malcom and Corbett.
• Little Rock's 11-7 Sun Belt is the best in program history.
• Little Rock's RPI jumped 50 spots after its sweep at Texas State.
• The Trojans are currently sitting in third place in the Sun Belt standings.
• Ryan Scott was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist.
• Ryan Scott and Dalton Thomas have the best and second-best batting averages in the Sun Belt.
• The Trojans have the top overall offense in the Sun Belt.
• Little Rock ranks second in save in the Sun Belt and has the most in conference games.
• A win on Friday would extend the Trojans' conference-winning streak to six games and match last year's Sun Belt win total.
• A series win would be the Trojans fifth against a Sun Belt opponent this season and would tie the program's second-most conference wins at 13.
• A sweep would be the first time Little Rock has swept three conference opponents in the same season.

 
SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Eagles come into the weekend series with four straight wins. Georgia Southern took both of its midweek games against The Citadel after taking two out of three games at UT Arlington last weekend.
 
Offensively, the Eagles are hitting .263 for the season and .264 in conference play. They are led Logan Baldwin with a .325 batting average and 49 hits. Putting up the best overall numbers is Ryan Cleveland as he leads the team with 33 runs, 12 doubles, nine home runs, 35 RBIs, 84 total bases, 27 walks, a .579 slugging percentage and a .416 on-base percentage. However, he also leads the team with 46 strikeouts.
 
Left-hander Evan Challenger (4-3) will make the start in the series opener on Friday night. Challenger has pitched the most innings for the Eagles this season with 60.2 and has the second-lowest ERA among the weekend starters at 2.52.
 
Right-hander Chase Cohen (4-2) will start the second game of the weekend. Cohen has the lowest ERA and opposing batting average among the weekend starters at 2.05 and .176, respectively.
 
Finishing up the weekend will be right-hander Brian Eichhorn (3-1). Eichhorn has a 4.17 ERA in 41.0 innings and has an opposing batting average of .250.
 
SERIES AGAINST GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Eagles lead the all-time series 14-4 and swept the Trojans last season at Gary Hogan Field. Little Rock's previous win against Georgia Southern came in 1990 when both were members of the Trans America Athletic Conference. 1990 was the final year both teams played each other in the TAAC before resuming play upon Georgia Southern's arrival in the Sun Belt.
 
ON THE MOUND FOR LITTLE ROCK
Little Rock will go with its usual weekend rotation of all right-handers in Matt McDowell (1-1), Cory Malcom (3-3) and Joe Corbett (3-0). McDowell earned the no-decision last Friday against Texas State after throwing 6.0 innings and 92 pitches.
 
Malcom earned his second straight win in the series finale on Saturday at Texas State after throwing 5.0 inning and striking out four.
 
Instead of starting the series finale last weekend, Corbett came on for Malcom and tossed 2.1 innings.
 
MAKING HISTORY
Little Rock's sweep over Texas State this past weekend had much significance on the Trojans' program historically. The Trojans' three wins moved them to 11-7 in Sun Belt play and is officially the best start in program history.
 
The Trojans' sweep of the Bobcats in San Marcos was not only a first for the series, it was the first time since 2008 that Little Rock had swept a conference opponent on the road.
 
The three-game sweep helped Little Rock quite a bit in the Sun Belt Conference standings as it now sits in third place, just a half-game behind Louisiana, who the Trojans took two of three from earlier in the year. With 12 conference games to go, Little Rock is gaining ground on first-place South Alabama, who sits five games ahead.
 
RPI IMPROVEMENTS
Before the weekend series at Texas State, Little Rock had an RPI of 170. After the three-game sweep, Little Rock's RPI rocketed 50 spots to 120.
 
The Trojans' 121 RPI entering Friday is the second-best in Arkansas behind the Razorbacks at 110.
 
SCOTT NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES WATCHLIST
For his amazing play his season, senior Ryan Scott was named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List on Wednesday. Scott is essentially being recognized as one of the top 60 amateur players in baseball and was one of three Sun Belt players to make the list. Of the three Sun Belt players named, Scott is the only position player. He is the first Trojan to be named to the list since Sean Bignall in 2012. Semifinalists will be announced on June 1.
 
CREAM OF THE CROP
Scott and junior Dalton Thomas continue to shine with just over a month to go in the regular season. Scott has the best batting average in the Sun Belt at .451 and ranks second in the nation while Thomas ranks second in the Sun Belt at .408 and ranks 29th. In Sun Belt games, Thomas leads the way with a .443 batting average, 35 hits and 55 total bases. Cameron Knight ranks just behind Thomas with a .414 average in conference games.
 
OFFENSIVE PROWESS
Little Rock has been a force to reckon with at the plate this season with an overall .304 batting average and a .316 average in conference play.
 
Overall, the Trojans rank second in on-base percentage (.389), second in RBIs (212), third in slugging (.414), third in runs (231), third in hits (366), third in doubles (61) and third in walks (153).
 
In Sun Belt games, Little Rock ranks first in slugging (.428), on-base percentage (.402), runs (137), hits (197), RBIs (121), doubles (32) and total bases (267).
 
SAVED BY THE PEN
Little Rock's bullpen has been fairly consistent in the closing role this season as it has the second-most saves in the Sun Belt with 12. In conference games, Little Rock has the most saves with eight. Five different Trojan pitchers have recorded a save this season with reliever Cody McGill tallying the most with four.
 
A WIN AGAINST GEORGIA SOUTHERN ON FRIDAY WOULD…
…tie the program's longest winning streak against a Sun Belt opponent at six games. It would also match last year's win total in conference play at 12 games.
 
A SERIES WIN AGAINST GEORIGA SOUTHERN WOULD…
...be the Trojans' fifth series win against a Sun Belt opponent this season, the most since claiming five in 2012. If the series was won with victories on Friday and Saturday, it would be Little Rock's longest winning streak in Sun Belt play in program history at seven games. A series win would also tie for the second-most conference wins in program history at 13.
 
A SWEEP OF GEORGIA SOUTHERN WOULD…
…be the first time Little Rock has swept three conference opponents in the same season. It would also be the first time the Trojans have swept two conference opponents on the road in the same year. A sweep would give Little Rock 14 Sun Belt wins, second-most in program history.
 
UPCOMING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Cody Daylor is three strikeouts why of 30.
• Jarrid Garica is three strikeouts away from 70 and is three innings away from 80.
• Kyle Kirk is three RBIs from 40.
• Cameron Knight is two hits shy of 40.
• Hayden Martin is two hits away from 70.
• Hunter Owens is two hits from 40.
• Ryan Scott is three hits shy of 160 and is two RBIs short of 80. Two hits will move Scott into sixth all-time at Little Rock and his next base will move him to seventh all-time.
• Reed Willenborg's next strikeout will be his 40th.
 
ON DECK
Following its trip to Statesboro, Little Rock will conclude its eight-game road trip by visiting Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla.