OVC Schedule Put on Pause as Trojans get Visit from UNO

GAMES 39-41 | New Orleans
Dates/Times	Friday, Apr. 28 - 6 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 29 - 4 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 30 - 1 p.m.
Location	Little Rock, Ark.
Field	Gary Hogan Field
Records	Little Rock (24-14, 10-5 OVC) New Orleans (23-18, 7-8 SLC)
Watch	Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Stats	StatBroadcast Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Twitter	@LittleRockBSB
Series	New Orleans leads, 36-13

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Following a midweek win over in-state rival UCA to clinch the season series, the Trojans get the weekend off from Ohio Valley Conference play as New Orleans comes to Gary Hogan for a three game set. First pitch of game one of the series will be Friday at 6 p.m. with games at 4 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Last Time Out
On Tuesday the Trojans defeated Central Arkansas up in Conway by a final score of 8-2. Little Rock scored seven early runs and then relied on a trio of pitchers to take things the rest of the way. Freshman Malcolm Brown made his first collegiate start and pitched three full innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out two. Camden Sargent was next and pitched four innings, allowing just two hits and an unearned run before Chance Vaught threw the final two frames, striking out four and not allowing a run. Two outfielders in Luke Pectol and Tyler Williams had impressive days at the plate as Pectol went 2-for-5 with a triple and homerun while Williams was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Pectol as well as Christian Bernabe each drove in multiple runs with Pectol getting three RBI and Bernabe two.
 
Scouting the Privateers
New Orleans enters the weekend with an overall record of 23-18 and is currently on a one game winning streak with a win over the Trojans former Sun Belt foe South Alabama in a midweek matchup. Last weekend the Privateers took one of three matchups at McNeese, losing Friday and winning on Saturday before dropping the rubber match in Sunday's contest. Currently, UNO site at 7-8 in Southland Conference play which is good for sixth in the nine team league. Much like Little Rock, the Privateers have been very good when playing at their home stadium this season with a record of 15-4 in games played in New Orleans. Going on the road has been a different story with a record of just 8-14 when visiting the home parks of their opposition. As a team, the Privateers are hitting .289 through 41 games played with an impressive 58 homeruns with a .388 on base percentage. UNO does not run too much having only attempted 27 steals on the season and being successful just 17 of those times. Junior Tristan Moore leads the offense in several categories including batting average (.343) homeruns (13), total bases (96), and slugging percentage (.701). On the mound, New Orleans has a team ERA of 5.49 and an opponent batting average of .251. Brandon Mitchell stands out from other pitchers on the Privateers staff and has thrown 27 more innings than the next closest player with 64.2 IP on the year. Mitchell has an ERA of 3.76 and 64 strikeouts to just 17 walks while limiting opposing batters to an average of just .212.
 
Series History
Little Rock and New Orleans have a significant series history dating back to May 6, 1995, with a 6-12 loss being handed to the Trojans at home. Despite New Orleans holding a 36-13 all-time record, the two programs have no recent history as there has not been a game played between the two since the 2010 season. In the most recent matchup, played at Gary Hogan Field, the Trojans were able to come out on top thanks to a rain relay that winded up canceling the game coming at the right time. Leading 4-3 as rain began to come down, the Privateers were able to score the game-tying run just before the game was called due to inclement weather. However, because the Trojans were the home team, the score reverted back to the last complete inning prior to New Orleans scoring and Little Rock was credited with a 4-3 victory.
 
Three Things to Know
 

• With Tuesday's win over UCA in the books, Chris Curry is one win closer to the 200 career victories mark as he now has 198 with a chance to reach the milestone this weekend. He will become the third Little Rock head coach to accomplish this feat, joining Jack Fulmer (202 wins from 1975-85) and Gary Hogan (274 wins from 1986-96).
• Luke Pectol had an impressive game on Tuesday against UCA. The Junior from Little Rock clubbed a two run homer in the top of the first to cap off a four run first inning by the Trojans offense and contributed another RBI later in the game courtesy of a triple into right-center. He also made an impressive leaping grab in the bottom of the first to take away extra bases from the Bears and help maintain momentum for the Trojans.
• As a team the Trojans continue to lead the OVC in two very important stat categories in team batting average (.294) and ERA (4.56). Little Rock has done an excellent job at limiting the long ball, having surrendered just 28 homeruns this season while hitting 45 of its own. The impressive numbers on paper have transferred well to on-field play as the Trojans sit at 10 games above .500 (24-14) and are currently in third place in the OVC (10-5).

 
Projected Starters
The expected pitching rotation for this weekend's series is as follows:
 
Friday, April 28: RHP Jackson Wells (LR) vs. TBA (UNO)
Saturday, April 29: RHP Noah Burkey (LR) vs. LHP Brandon Mitchell (UNO)
Sunday, April 30: RHP Hoss Brewer (LR) vs. LHP Colton Mercer (UNO)
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Baseball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockBSB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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