Trojans Set for Opening Round of Sun Belt Tournament

LITTLE ROCK- Earning the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Trojans will face No. 6 seed Troy in the opening round of the competition at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. First pitch scheduled for 9 a.m.
 
Little Rock is currently 28-26 (18-11 Sun Belt) and finished second in the West Division of the Sun Belt. After a midweek victory over Central Arkansas and a sweep in the three-game set against Arkansas State, the Trojans are currently on a four-game winning streak.
 
The Trojan pitching staff was superb in their win over the Bears, as the quartet of Jose Torres, Aaron Funk, Mason Leeming and Dillon Delgadillo held their opponents to just one run in the ball game. Little Rock's offense exploded for 44 hits in the weekend series. Ryan Benavidez led the way, going 8-for-16 with a clutch home run in the 11^th inning of the series opener against the Red Wolves.
 
Racking Up the Hardware
Chandler Fidel and Riley Pittman each received First Team All-Sun Belt honors for their outstanding 2019 seasons, announced Monday afternoon by league officials. Both Trojans are received the recognition for the first time in their careers. As Little Rock's Friday-night starter, Fidel earned first-team honors as a starting pitcher. The junior finished the regular season with a career-best 3.52 ERA while posting a 5-4 record in his 14 starts. The Garland, Texas native led the Sun Belt in innings pitched (94.2) during the 2019 season, and also finished third in the conference in both ERA and strikeouts (96). Fidel held batters to a .233 average, which was sixth-best in the Sun Belt.
 
Pittman was one of the Sun Belt's most feared hitters in 2019, anchoring the Trojan lineup as their designated hitter. The senior led the team in batting average, home runs, doubles, total bases and RBI, posting a .337 average with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, 123 total bases and 51 RBI. These were all career-highs for Pittman.

The North Richland Hills, Texas native received Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on April 16 for his incredible week at the plate, going 8-for-10 (.800) with a four-double performance against UAPB, tying the school record for doubles in a game. He went on to break the Little Rock all-time record for career home runs, as he now has 26. Pittman tallied 22 multi-hit games on the season while he also etched his name in the Little Rock record books in multiple categories. Pittman currently ranks second all-time in career at-bats (600) and seventh in hits (171).
 
Scouting Troy
The Trojans come into this weekend's series with a 29-27 record (16-14 Sun Belt). Troy is coming off a series win over South Alabama. When Little Rock faced Troy in a series starting on April 26, Little Rock won two of the three games in their series victory. The Trojans have posted a .286 team batting average with 63 home runs. Chase Smartt leads the way with a .343 average and five home runs. Their pitching staff has registered a 5.66 team ERA. Cory Gill is slated to start the game, currently sitting at a 4.24 ERA and is 7-3 on the year.
 
Playoff Time
After the opening round, the Trojans will either advance to play the winner of Georgia Southern and an opponent to be determined or fall into the single-elimination bracket.
 
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