LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock's challenging road week continues with a trip to San Marcos, Texas, facing nationally-ranked Texas State in a weekend series at Bobcat Ballpark. Game one is set for Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m., followed by game two Saturday, April 23 at 2:30 p.m. and the series finale Sunday, April 24 with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Leading the League
Little Rock enters this week ranked first in the Sun Belt in batting average and 34th nationally, hitting .298 as a team. The Trojans also lead the league in double plays per game (0.94), doubles per game (2.22) and double plays (30) ranking in the top-35 nationally in each of those statistical categories.
Arnold Record Watch
Fifth-year senior
Hayden Arnold heads into the weekend series looking to continue to make his mark on the Trojan record books. The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year is 10th nationally in walks per nine innings (0.92) and 16th in WHIP (0.89), holding a 7.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio (47:6), ranking 21st nationally. He upped his career strikeout total to 276, sitting second all-time in program history and trailing just Bennett Cromar's 290 from 2002-05.
Turning Two
Little Rock remains one of the nation's top double play teams, leading the Sun Belt in double plays this year with 30, and is 14th nationally in double plays per game at 0.94. Coupled with the league-best 43 in 2021, Little Rock has turned 73 over the past 83 games, averaging 0.88 per game.
Big Hitters
Little Rock has a number of hitters among the league's best with
Canyon McWilliams (.368) fifth and
Noah Dickerson (.354) eighth in batting average. The duo is also among the league's top-10 in slugging percentage, including Dickerson (.606) in eighth and McWilliams (.584) in 10th.
Swipe Right
Little Rock remains among the league leaders in stolen bases, ranking 52nd nationally with 54 and 40th in the nation in stolen bases per game (1.69). Three Trojans are among the league leaders in stolen bases, including
Tyler Williams (16) second,
Eldrige Figueroa (13) fourth and
Miguel Soto (11) seventh as the three are a combined 40-for-46 on the season.
Solid Smallwood
Sawyer Smallwood heads into the weekend boasting the best ERA in the Sun Belt among qualifying pitchers at 2.20. He is seventh in the league in opposing batting average (.210) and is first in fewest runs (nine) and earned runs (eight) as he has made 17 appearances thus far in 2022. Smallwood ranks 47th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.83) and 44th in WHIP (0.98).
Scouting the Bobcats
Texas State enters the weekend ranked number 17 nationally by D1Baseball.com, sitting at 29-9 overall and 12-3 in Sun Belt play, currently atop the league standings. The Bobcats have been tough at home, posting a 17-5 mark at Bobcat Ballpark. Texas State ranks second in the Sun Belt in batting at .297, right behind league-leading Little Rock, and leads the league in slugging percentage (.491) while the Bobcats are also second in team ERA at 4.15.
Series History
Little Rock and Texas State have met 23 times previously heading into this weekend with the Trojans having the upper hand, posting a 16-7 record in the all-time series, including a 7-2 mark in San Marcos. The Trojans swept the series at Gary Hogan Field in 2021 and won the series in San Marcos in 2014 (2-1), 2016 (3-0) and 2018 (2-1).
Projected Starters
The projected starters for this weekend's series are as follows:
•
Game One (Friday, Apr. 22) - RHP
Hayden Arnold (LR) vs. RHP Zeke Wood (TXST)
•
Game Two (Saturday, Apr. 23) - RHP
Jacob Weatherley (LR) vs. RHP Levi Wells (TXST)
•
Game Three (Sunday, Apr. 24) - TBA (LR) vs. RHP Cameron Bush (TXST)
Five Things To Know
• Little Rock continues its "Last Trip Around the Sun," playing its 31st and final season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference with an overall record of 295-504.
• Eldrige Figueroa continues to move up the Trojan record book as the fifth year senior has now played in 156 games in a Little Rock uniform, ranking eighth all-time in program history, starting 143 of those games.
• Jacob Weatherley has been strong in his last three appearances out of the pen, pitching 12.0 innings in relief and allowing just one run on nine hits with 10 strikeouts. Weatherley will rejoin the Trojan starting rotation this weekend.
• Texas State is the second ranked team the Trojans have faced this year, falling to number two Arkansas 16-8 on March 29. Little Rock is 8-20 against ranked opponents under head coach Chris Curry.
• This weekend will be a homecoming of sorts for the seven Trojans that are natives of the state of Texas. The closest to San Marcos is Jorden Hussein, a Houston native, with the other seven hailing from north Texas.
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