LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock continues its season-long road swing, making the trek down to Troy, Alabama, for the final conference series against the Alabama Trojans. Game one is set for 6 p.m. Friday, April 1, followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch in game two Saturday and a 1 p.m. start Sunday in the series finale. All three games will stream live on ESPN+.
Scouting the (Alabama) Trojans
Troy enters this weekend's series at 17-7 on the year and 4-2 in Sun Belt play, sweeping Louisiana in Troy to open league play before dropping two of three at UT Arlington last week. As a team, Troy is batting .272 with a .416 slugging percentage, led by Trey Leonard's .377 average and a .585 slugging percentage with Easton Kirk leading the team in home runs (four) and RBI (18). On the mound, Troy has a team ERA of 3.63, ranking second in the Sun Belt, allowing the opposition to bat .249 with a combined 244 strikeouts.
Series History
Little Rock and Troy have met 43 times previously with the Alabama Trojans holding a 23-20 edge in the all-time series, including a 13-5 mark at Riddle-Pace Field. This will be the first series between the two since 2019 and the first in Troy since 2018. Little Rock has won three of the last four series between the two Trojans with head coach Chris Curry 10-7 against Troy.
Midweek Recap
Little Rock scored the first six runs of the game and led 7-2 in the top of the fifth at second-ranked Arkansas Tuesday, but the Razorbacks scored 14 unanswered runs from the fifth through eighth innings to rally past the Trojans 16-8 at Baum-Walker Stadium. Four Trojans had a pair of hits, including Jake Wright with a pair of doubles and a home run from Canyon McWilliams.
Leading the League
Little Rock enters this week ranked first in the Sun Belt in batting average and 20th nationally, hitting .310 as a team. The Trojans boast a .462 slugging percentage, second in the league and 65th nationally, complemented by a .389 on base percentage, third in the Sun Belt and 73rd in the nation.
Arnold Record Watch
Fifth year senior Hayden Arnold heads into the weekend series with App State looking to continue to make his mark on the Trojan record books. The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year ranks among the top-nine in eight statistical categories in Trojan program history, including tied for fourth in appearances (67) and fourth in wins (17), strikeouts (259) and winning percentage (.605).
We're Going Streaking
A handful of Trojans enter this weekend's series with some extended streaks. Noah Dickerson is currently on a 10 game hitting and reached base streak, followed by Canyon McWilliams on a seven game hitting and reached base streak.
Trojans Among NCAA Leaders
Heading into this weekend's series, Little Rock ranks among the NCAA top-50 in seven statistical team categories. The Trojans are 16th nationally in doubles per game (2.45), ranking 20th in batting average (.310), 23rd in double plays per game (0.91), 31st in double plays (20) and 33rd in doubles (54).
Power at the Top
Little Rock has three players among the top-10 in the Sun Belt in batting average, led by Nathan Lyons (.385) in fourth, Canyon McWilliams (.366) in seventh and Jorden Hussein (.359) in 10th. Noah Dickerson is seventh in the league in slugging percentage (.690) and fifth in on base plus slugging (1.133), ranking fourth in RBI (24), tied for fourth in doubles (eight) and tied for sixth in home runs (six).
Jekyll and Hyde
Little Rock has been efficient at the beginning of games, outscoring the opposition 61-25 in the first three innings of games, racing out to 4-0 leads in each of its last two games against App State and Arkansas. But the Trojans' opponents have taken advantage late in games, outscoring the Trojans 75-40 from the sixth inning on.
Probable Pitching Rotation
The probable pitching rotation for this weekend's series is as follows:
• Game One (Friday) - RHP Hayden Arnold (LR) vs. RHP Garrett Gainous (TROY)
• Game Two (Saturday) - RHP Erik McKnight (LR) vs. RHP Brady Fuller (TROY)
• Game Three (Sunday) - TBA (LR) vs. RHP Bay Witcher (TROY)
Quick Hitters
• Little Rock continues its "Last Trip Around the Sun," playing its 31st and final season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans are 290-501 all-time in league play, winning the 2011 conference tournament title.
• Heading into this weekend's series, Little Rock has played 19 of its 22 games this season within the Arkansas state lines. 17 of those games have been played at Gary Hogan Field with road games at Central Arkansas (Mar. 9) and at Arkansas (Mar. 29).
• Little Rock is looking for its first win away from Gary Hogan Field since the 7-3 win at Georgia State on May 20, 2021, a span of nine games, including an 0-5 record in road games in 2022.
• As a team, Little Rock is batting .307 with runners in scoring position, including .335 with two outs in an inning as 67 of the Trojans' 139 runs have come with two outs.
• This weekend's series at Troy will be a homecoming for a pair of Trojan pitchers as Matthew Davis (Selma) and Chance Vaught (Mobile) have combined for 13 appearances. Both are expected to see action out of the bullpen this weekend.
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