| GAMES 37-39 | UT ARLINGTON |
| Dates |
Friday, Apr. 30 - Sunday, May 2 |
| Times |
Friday, Apr. 30 - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 1 - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 2 - 2Â p.m. |
| Location |
Arlington, Texas |
| Field |
Clay Gould Ballpark |
| Records |
Little Rock (18-18, 9-6 SBC)
UT Arlington (19-22, 7-5 SBC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+
Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast
Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Twitter |
@LittleRockBSB |
| Notes |
Little Rock | UT Arlington |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock once again gets set for an extended stay on the road, beginning a seven-game road trip with a weekend series at UT Arlington in a key Sun Belt West Division showdown. The Trojans and Mavericks are scheduled to play Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m., followed by the series finale Sunday, May 2 at 2 p.m.
Wild Wild West
It will be another big weekend in the Sun Belt West Division as the top four teams all play each other. Little Rock sits atop the division at 9-6, traveling to second place UT Arlington (7-5), while third place Louisiana (8-7) hosts fourth-place Texas State (7-8). All four teams atop the division standings enter the weekend separated by just two games.
We Got the Funk
Senior right handed pitcher
Aaron Funk picked up the third Sun Belt weekly accolade of his career earlier this week, being named Pitcher of the Week following his game two performance against Louisiana. Funk went 7.0 innings and scattered four hits with two walks while striking out eight and not allowing any runs. He becomes the second player in program history to earn Pitcher of the Week three times, joining Brad Cherry (2003-04).
Road Warriors
Little Rock is getting use to playing away from Gary Hogan Field as this week's series at UT Arlington begins a seven-game road swing and is part of a tough stretch where the Trojans will play 12 of 15 away from Little Rock. From March 5 through May 11, Little Rock is scheduled to play 26 road games with just 10 home dates at Gary Hogan Field during that stretch.
Arnold Record Watch
Entering the weekend, senior
Hayden Arnold ranks seventh in program history in career strikeouts with 202, inching closer to sixth-place Randall Clayton, who tallied 230 from 1986-90. He also enters the weekend with 191.0 innings pitched, needing 5.2 innings to match Jacob Anderson's 196.2 from 2000-01 for 10th all-time in program history.
Scouting the Mavericks
UT Arlington enters the weekend at 19-22 on the season and 7-5 in Sun Belt Conference play, sitting second in the West Division. UTA is batting .251 as a team with a .383 slugging percentage, hitting 32 home runs with 171 runs batted in on the year. On the mound, the Mavericks have a team ERA of 4.53, striking out 341 batters as opposed to 146 walks with opponents batting .248.
Series History
Little Rock heads into the weekend with a 9-16 all-time mark against UT Arlington and a 4-11 record at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington. Head coach
Chris Curry is 6-9 against the Mavericks since taking over the helm of the program as the Trojans have won the last two series between the two teams, notching 2-1 decisions in both 2018 (Little Rock) and 2019 (Arlington).
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Little Rock has taken advantage of being in front as the Trojans are 18-6 this season in games in which they have held a lead at any point in the game. On the flip side, Little Rock has had to rally to win in 10 of its 18 victories this season, with the largest comeback the four-run ninth inning rally against South Alabama on April 11.
2. Senior
John Michael Russ continues to emerge for Little Rock, leading the team with a .336 batting average and a .422 on base percentage, ranking sixth and seventh in the Sun Belt, respectively. A Buster Posey Catcher of the Year watch list candidate, Russ has started 34 games, including 28 at catcher, batting in the cleanup spot for the Trojans in 24 of those games.
3.
Aaron Barkley continues to be a force out of the bullpen for the Trojans this season, posting a 5-2 record and a 2.30 ERA with six saves in 44.1 innings pitched over 17 appearances. Barkley's six saves is tied for second in the Sun Belt as the grad transfer ranks eighth nationally in WHIP (0.81), 14th in walks per nine (1.02) and 22nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.80), leading the Sun Belt in all three categories.
4. Sophomore
Jake Wright was inserted to the lineup as Little Rock's starting catcher last week and came up big in his first four games. The Benton native went 5-for-14 in four games last week, batting. 357 with three RBI and four runs scored. In the series against the Cajuns, Wright batted .444 (4-for-9) while gunning down three of five contested Louisiana steal attempts.
5. Texas marks the seventh different state the Trojans will have played in this season as five players on the Little Rock roster hail from the Lone Star state.
