Trojans Return Home to Face Tennessee Tech

Games 39-41: Little Rock vs. Tennessee Tech
April 29-May1
Little Rock, Ark. • Gary Hogan Field
Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock baseball (20-18, 13-8 Sun Belt) comes home from a seven-game road trip to face Tennessee Tech (21-18, 10-11 Ohio Valley) in a three-game non-conference series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m., at Gary Hogan Field.
 
Friday night will also be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at Gary Hogan Field. All UALR faculty and staff members will gain free entrance with a valid UALR ID.
 
FIRST PITCH

• Little Rock has won three straight Sun Belt Conference series and has been victorious in five of its seven conference series this season.
• Ryan Scott has the nation's second-best batting average at .444 and leads the Sun Belt in six different categories.
• Dalton Thomas has the second-best batting average in the Sun Belt at .398.
• Right-hander Reed Willenborg will make his first start of the season on Wednesday.
• The Trojans are averaging 10.21 hits and 6.7 runs per game.
• Little Rock is the best offensive team in the Sun Belt with an overall batting average of .299.
• Little Rock's RPI has jumped from 170 to 103 with wins in five of its last six games.
• With a 13-8 record in Sun Belt play, Little Rock is off to its best conference start in program history.
• The Trojans' bullpen has tallied 13 saves this season, second-best in the Sun Belt.
• Right-handers Matt McDowell and Cory Malcom will make their usual weekend starts with Sunday's starter to be determined.
• A series win would give Little Rock six for the year, and a three-game sweep would be the first against a non-conference opponent since Creighton in 2014.

 
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH
The Golden Eagles come into the weekend series with four consecutive losses. Tennessee Tech was swept on the road by Murray State last weekend and took a six-run loss to Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night.
 
Like Little Rock, Tennessee Tech has a high-powered offense that is hitting .306 for the season. The Golden Eagles have six players with at least 100 at-bats hitting above .300 for the year. Leading them is Kevin Strohschein with .376 batting average, 37 runs scored, 62 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 50 RBIs and a .655 slugging percentage. He also leads the team with 45 strikeouts.
 
Tennessee Tech will go with right-hander Michael Wood (3-2) on Friday, right-hander Jake Usher (0-0) on Saturday and a pitcher to be named on Sunday. Wood has a 3.55 ERA with five starts and 11 appearances, and opponents are hitting .292 of him this season. Usher has a 4.21 ERA with four starts and 10 appearances, and opponents are hitting .204 this year. The pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 5.53.
 
SERIES AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between Little Rock and Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles are the only new opponent on the Trojans' schedule this season.
 
ON THE MOUND FOR LITTLE ROCK
Little Rock will go with its usual Friday and Saturday starters in right-handers Matt McDowell (1-1) and Cory Malcom (4-3), but Sunday's starter is currently up in the air. McDowell's last outing at Georgia Southern was a good one as he allowed just one run on six hits and walk while striking out two in 5.1 innings.
 
For Malcom, he'll be making his 10th start after a near-complete game last Saturday at Georgia Southern. Malcom went struck out a career-high nine batters in 8.0 innings while allowing just two runs on five hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
 
MAKING HISTORY
Little Rock's series win at Georgia Southern was the Trojans' fifth series victory of the season, its most since 2012. Sunday's win gave also gave Little Rock its 13th Sun Belt Conference win, tying for the second-most in program history. With a 13-8 Sun Belt record, the team is off to its best start in program history, and it only has room for improvement with nine conference games remaining.
 
RPI IMPROVEMENTS
Little Rock's RPI continues to climb as the Trojans went from 120 to 103 after it series win at Georgia Southern. With wins in five of its last six games, Little Rock's RPI moved from 170 to 103. Due to not playing on Wednesday night against Oklahoma State, Little Rock's RPI fell just a bit to 110.
 
The Trojans' best-ever RPI came in 2001 as Little Rock made its way to 92. Little Rock's RPI of 103 was the second-best in program history.
 
OFFENSIVE PROWESS
Little Rock's .299 batting average is the best in the Sun Belt and ranks 43rd nationally. The Trojans' .388 on-base percentage ranks second in the conference and 49th nationally. Little Rock's ability to score 6.7 runs per game ranks second the Sun Belt and 54th in the nation. The Trojans have been able to record 10.21 hits per game this season, second in the league only to UT Arlington's 10.41.
 
GREAT SCOTT!
Ryan Scott continues his epic season with the second-best batting average in the nation at .444. Including batting average, Scott leads the Sun Belt in six different categories including slugging (.722), on-base percentage (.528), hits (67), RBIs (47) and total bases (109). Nationally, Scott ranks ninth for hits, ninth for on-base percentage, 12th for total bases, 11th for slugging and 26th for RBIs.
 
A SEASON OF HIS OWN
Dalton Thomas has had a season of his own to remember as the junior has the second-best batting average in the Sun Belt at .398 and ranks 33rd nationally. Thomas has just three fewer hits than Scott with 64, ranking second-best in the conference and 21st in the country. In Sun Belt games, Thomas has the best batting average at .419 while also leading the league in hits (39), RBIs (29) and total bases (63).
 
MASTERING THE BUNT
Little Rock is one of the best bunting teams in the nation as it ranks 15th nationally with 42 sacrifice bunts. Ranked eighth in the country with 12 sacrifice bunts is Hayden Martin. In addition to being one of the best bunters in the country, Martin is one of the toughest hitters in the country to strike out as he ranks 128th.
 
SAVED BY THE PEN
The Trojans' bullpen racked up another save over the weekend, its 13th of the season. In conference play, Little Rock is the best at closing games as it has recorded nine for the year. Cody Daylor has recorded three so far in conference play, ranking fourth in the Sun Belt. For the season, Cody McGill has tallied four saves, ranking sixth.
 
Sophomore Preston Oberling has been the Trojans' top overall reliever this season with a 2.81 ERA, the best among the Trojans' pitching staff. In 25.2 innings and 15 appearances, Oberling has held the opposition to a low .153 batting average.
 
A WIN AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH ON FRIDAY WOULD…
…give the Trojans three straight wins and victories in 6 of its last 7 games.
 
A SERIES WIN AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH WOULD…
…give Little Rock six series wins for the season.
 
A SWEEP OF TENNESSEE TECH WOULD…
…be the first against a non-conference opponent in a three-game series since winning all three games against Creighton in 2014. It would also give Little Rock five consecutive wins, its second-longest winning streak this season.
 
UPCOMING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Zach Baker's next RBI will be his 20th.
• Cody Daylor is three strikeouts away from 30.
• Jarrid Garcia's next strikeout will be his 70th.
• Hayden Martin's next at-bat will be his 300th.
• This will be Ryan Scott's 160th game for Little Rock, ranking fourth all-time.
• With 240 total bases, Scott is seven away from the fifth-most in program history.
• Reed Willenborg's next strikeout will be his 40th.

 
ON DECK
Little Rock will continue non-conference action on Tuesday as it heads to Nacogdoches, Texas, to face Stephen F. Austin.