Little Rock Faces Georgia State in SBC First Round

Little Rock vs. Georgia State
Location	Lafayette, Louisiana
Venue	Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park
First Pitch	Tuesday, May 22 - 1 p.m.
Records	Little Rock (27-26, 15-14 SBC) Georgia State (26-28, 10-19 SBC)
Watch	ESPN+
Stats	TrojanStats.com
Twitter	@LittleRockBSB
Notes	Little Rock | Georgia State

First Pitch
Little Rock returns to the postseason this weekend, heading to the 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament at Russo Park in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Trojans earned the number seven seed and will face 10th-seeded Georgia State Tuesday, May 22, getting underway at 3 p.m.

2018 Sun Belt Tournament
The 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament will be held May 22-27 at Russo Park in Lafayette, Louisiana. Tuesday will feature a single-elimination round between seeds seven through 10 with the two winners advancing to the double-elimination tournament starting Wednesday. Coverage is available on ESPN+ with Little Rock's coverage in the event covered on Twitter @LittleRockBSB.

Garcia Named First Team All-Sun Belt
Little Rock senior Justin Garcia has been tabbed a first team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, providing a steady presence in late innings for the Trojans. Filling the role as the Trojan closer, Garcia notched 10 saves for Little Rock, second-most in a season in program history and tying for the most in the Sun Belt. He ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in ERA among qualifying pitchers at 3.05, holding opponents to a .199 batting average, ranking second in the conference. Where he was at his most effective was striking out the opposition, doing so 76 times on the year, ranking 11th in the conference, while pitching just 56.0 innings. Garcia ranked 20th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 12.21 in 2018.

Trojans in the Sun Belt Tournament
This week in Lafayette marks the Trojans' 10th appearance in the Sun Belt tournament since joining the league in 1992. Little Rock has compiled an 8-15 all-time mark in the tournament, highlighted by the Trojans going 4-0 and winning the 2011 SBC tournament, qualifying for the NCAA tournament. 2018 marks the Trojans' third-straight appearance in the postseason, marking the first time in program history Little Rock has qualified for the Sun Belt tournament in three consecutive years.

Trojan Quick Hitters
• Little Rock is making its 10th appearance in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, compiling an overall record of 8-15 in its previous nine appearances. 
• 2018 will be Little Rock's third-straight appearance in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, marking the first time in program history the Trojans have made a postseason tournament in three-straight seasons.
• Little Rock's 15 Sun Belt Conference victories are the third-most since the Trojans joined the league in 1992 - two shy of the 17 conference wins in 2016 and one back of the 16 Sun Belt victories in 2000.
• Justin Garcia earned first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, making him the 35th different player to earn All-SBC honors and the 19th to earn first team conference accolades.
• Justin Garcia ranks 21st nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at 12.21. He ranks fourth in the conference in ERA (3.05), second in opposing batting average (.199) and 11th in strikeouts (76) while tying for the league lead with 10 saves.
• Chase Coker leads the Trojans and ranks 11th in the Sun Belt with a .309 batting average. He is tied for the league lead with six triples on the year, tied for 12th nationally and holding Little Rock's season record.
• Kale Emshoff has posted 16 doubles on the year, leading Little Rock and tied for eighth in the Sun Belt Conference. He is one of just three Trojans that has started all 53 games in 2018.
• Chandler Fidel is projected to get the start for the Trojans against Georgia State Tuesday. Fidel has started 14 games for Little Rock, posting a 6-4 record with a 4.23 ERA with a team-high 86 strikeouts.
• Marcus Ragan is tied for third in the Sun Belt Conference with 24 stolen bases, holding the Trojan team lead. He ranks sixth in the conference with 217 at-bats, starting all 53 games for Little Rock.
• Donavin Buck leads Little Rock with a 2.86 ERA, appearing in 29 games. Buck has posted a 6-1 record in 50.1 innings pitched with 39 strikeouts.

Scouting Georgia State
Georgia State posted a 26-28 overall record in the regular season and was 10-19 in conference play, finishing fifth in the East Division and 10th overall in league play. As a team, the Panthers are batting .263,  led by Brandon Bell's .333 average with 26 RBI. Nick Gatewood has been productive all season for the Panthers, batting .321 while leading the team in home runs (13) and RBI (49) while Justin Jones leads the team in doubles (14) and is second in RBI (28), hitting .308. Georgia State ace Hunter Gaddis is scheduled to get the start for the Panthers Tuesday, boasting a 3.19 ERA and is 9-4 in 14 starts this season. He has a pair of complete games, leading the team with 86 strikeouts in 93.0 innings pitched and pacing the Georgia State pitching staff which has a team ERA of 5.06. Jansen Acton has filled the role of closer for the Panthers, registering six saves in 15 appearances with a 2.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts.

Series History vs. Panthers
Little Rock has a limited history against Georgia State, posting an 8-4 all-time record against the Panthers. The Trojans and Panthers did not meet in the 2018 regular season, serving as each other's off opponent. Little Rock swept the season series in 2017 at Gary Hogan Field, taking all three games against Georgia State, including a 16-1 victory in seven innings in the series finale - a game pitched by Chandler Fidel who will face the Panthers Tuesday.

Last Time Out
Little Rock closed out the regular season by taking the final game of its series against Arkansas State 6-2, snapping a six-game losing streak in the process. The Trojans rallied in game one against the Red Wolves, tying the game 6-6 after the eighth inning, before allowing an unearned run in the ninth, falling 7-6. The Trojans managed just two hits in a 4-1 defeat to Arkansas State Friday before two run home runs by Nick Perez and Ryan Benavidez in the sixth inning of Saturday's game broke the game open, pacing the Trojans to the 6-2 win.

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