LITTLE ROCK – With a five-game road trip out of the way, Little Rock baseball (9-16, 2-4 Sun Belt) will open up an eight-game homestand with a three-game series against Appalachian State (10-15, 1-5 Sun Belt) beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday at 2 p.m., before wrapping up on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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Join the Trojans at
Gary Hogan Field for Food Truck Friday as food trucks from Katmandu, Southern Salt, Black Hound BBQ and KONA Ice will be on site beginning at 5 p.m. Friday will also be Greek and RSO Night as all fraternities,
sororities and registered student organizations are invited to come out and support the Trojans.
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Little Rock and App State have a brief history against each other since the Mountaineers' first baseball season in the Sun Belt was in 2015. The Trojans hold the all-time series lead at 4-2 with Little Rock's last win occurring in the series opener last season in Boone, North Carolina. Appalachian State first visited Little Rock in 2015 and was swept in a three-game series — all on walk-off hits. Last year, the Mountaineers' two wins against the Trojans were on walk-off hits. Of the six
games in the series, five have ended on walk-off hits.
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The Trojans will start right-hander
Cory Malcom (2-1) on Friday, right-hander
Ryan LeMoine (0-2) on Saturday and lefty
Chandler Fidel (2-3) on Sunday. The Mountaineers will throw right-hander Travis Holden (1-3) on Friday, lefty Colin Schmid (3-3) on Saturday and righty Luke Watts (1-2) on Sunday.
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- On Friday, Little Rock will begin an eight-game homestand — its longest of the season.
- Little Rock holds the all-time series lead against Appalachian State at 4-2.
- Of the six games in the all-time series, five have ended on a walk-off hit.
- The Trojans swept the Mountaineers in App State's last visit to Gary Hogan Field in 2015.
- Trojan starter Cory Malcom hasn't allowed a home run in 69.1 innings dating back to last season.
- Malcom's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10.75 ranks first in the Sun Belt and 11th nationally.
- A series win would be the Trojans' first against a Sun Belt opponent this season.
- A series sweep would be the Trojans' second consecutive over the Mountaineers at Gary Hogan Field and would put Little Rock over .500 in Sun Belt play.
- Hunter Owens leads the conference with 28 RBIs and has the second-best batting average at .392.
- Owens comes into the weekend with a seven-game hitting streak.
- Bryce Dimitroff has reached base in eight consecutive games.
- Little Rock's fielding percentage of .980 ranks 22nd in the nation and is tied for the best in the Sun Belt Conference.
- The Trojans' 22 home runs rank third in the conference and 55th nationally.
- Ryan LeMoine and Dylan Slayton have appeared in 16 games this season — the most appearances in the Sun Belt and fourth most in the nation.
- Little Rock's 46 doubles for the year rank second in the Sun Belt.
