Complete Notes |
Conference Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The top of the American Athletic Conference baseball standings will clash this weekend when Tulane heads to No. 11 ECU for a three-game series, starting Friday. After a strong midweek showing, American teams will continue to battle against each other in the sixth weekend of conference play.
Seven of the nine American teams are coming off wins to enter the weekend after combining for an 8-3 midweek record. The American improved to 35-15 against nonconference opponents in April and 150-95 (.615) overall against other leagues this season. The American owns the fifth-best NCAA RPI ranking among the 31 Division I conferences with six of the nine American teams featured in the top 100 of the latest RPI report. ECU is a top 10 RPI team, coming in at No. 7 with a 31-10 overall record. With UConn listed at No. 22, The American is one of six conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) to boast two top-25 RPI teams.
The Pirates have swept six opponents this season, winning six in a row after defeating UNC Wilmington and Old Dominion in midweek contests. ECU completed a three-game series sweep of UConn last Saturday to improve to 11-1 to lead The American. The Pirates welcome Tulane to LeClair Stadium for a three-game set this weekend. Alec Burleson picked up his fourth pitching win on the mound against Old Dominion Wednesday and also leads five Pirates batting over .320 this season with a team-high .361 batting average and 56 hits. Bryant Packard is hitting .360 with 37 runs scored, 49 hits and 16 doubles. Last time out, lefthander Jake Agnos tossed a personal-best 8.2 innings and fanned a career-high 14 batters in a 5-1 series-opening win against UConn. Agnos collected his third American Pitcher of the Week accolade and garnered national weekly awards from Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball.
Tulane’s offense has continuously shined throughout the season, as the Green Wave looks to bounce back in Greenville, N.C., after a midweek setback against Southeastern Louisiana. Leading The American in 10 offensive statistical categories this season, Tulane sits in second place in American standings with an 8-3 conference record. The Green Wave has scored double-digit runs in 14 games this season and double-digit hits 23 times, tallying 20 or more runs three times on the year.
Batting .417 to lead The American, junior third baseball Kody Hoese ranks atop the nation in home runs (21) and total bases (148). Hoese additionally is the conference’s leader in slugging percentage (.881), on-base percentage (.500), RBIs (52), hits (70) and runs scored (57). In Tulane’s most recent conference game, the Green Wave put up 20 runs on 20 hits in a 20-5 win runs-rule win at Memphis.
Houston will head to USF for a three-game series with Friday’s opener being streamed on the
American Digital Network. Winning eight of its last nine games, Houston completed a season series sweep of Sam Houston State in the Don Sanders Cup with a 9-3 win Tuesday night. The Cougars moved into third place in American standings alongside Cincinnati with an 8-7 record after taking two of three from the Bearcats a week ago. Junior closer Fred Villarreal was named to the Midseason Update for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award. Villarreal leads The American and is tied for 15th in the nation in saves (9) and tied for 21st in ERA (1.65). He also leads the conference in appearances (24) and ranks second in opponent batting average (.192).
USF has won four in a row and will return to conference play this weekend. The Bulls swept The Citadel last weekend and defeated Florida Gulf Coast 6-1 Wednesday night. Senior Joe Genord is hitting a team-best .348 with 45 RBIs. Righthander Baron Stuart will get the start Friday. He threw a career long 8.0 innings against The Citadel on April 18.
Following a two-game midweek sweep of North Alabama, Memphis will take a trip to Orlando, Fla., to face UCF. The Tigers defeated the Lions 3-2 Monday before erupting for a season-best 18 runs on a season-high 17 hits in an 18-11 win Tuesday. Freshman Hunter Goodman has established himself as one of the best rookies in The American this season, ranking top 10 in the league in batting average (.360), hits (59), home runs (8), RBIs (47), stolen bases (10), total bases (96) and slugging percentage (.585). Colton Neel has been a standout two-way player for the Tigers ranking third in the conference in saves (8), while also recording 37 hits and driving in 22 runs.
UCF also enjoyed a midweek victory, walking off against Bethune-Cookman in the 10th inning Tuesday night. Matthew Mika went 3-for-5 with a home run and a walk-off RBI single. The senior finished the night with three RBIs, hitting a long ball in each of his last three games. UCF forced the Wildcats to strand 14 runners on base, the second most by an opponent this season.
After falling to No. 7 Louisville Tuesday night, Cincinnati rebounded with a 5-2 win over Eastern Kentucky to split its midweek action. Joey Wiemer was 2-for-3 and swiped four bags on the night—the most stolen bases of any Cincinnati player since the 2013 season. Mitch Holding and Jeremy Johnson hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning to fuel a five-run surge. The Bearcats’ homestand continues with Wichita State in town this weekend.
Wichita State concluded an eight-game homestand with a 9-4 loss to Oklahoma Tuesday. The Shockers will play eight of their next nine games on the road, starting with a trip to Cincinnati. Jordan Boyer (.364) and Luke Ritter (.357) continue to pace Wichita State at the plate. Boyer is fifth and Ritter is ninth in individual hitting in The American.
UConn rallied behind its pitching staff on Wednesday in a 2-1 win over Rhode Island. Six UConn pitchers allowed just one run against the Rams, including eight shutout frames to finish the ballgame. UConn closer Jacob Wallace recorded his conference-leading ninth save of the year, pitching a clean final frame after being named to the NCBWA’s Stopper of the Year Midseason Update earlier in the day. UConn takes a break from American play over the weekend and will head to Huntsville, Texas, for a three-game series at Sam Houston State.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, April 26
Memphis at UCF* - 6 p.m.
Wichita State at Cincinnati* - 6 p.m.
Tulane at ECU* - 6:30 p.m.
Houston at USF* (ADN) - 7 p.m.
UConn at Sam Houston State - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
Wichita State at Cincinnati* - 4 p.m.
UConn at Sam Houston State - 4 p.m.
Tulane at ECU* - 4 p.m.
Memphis at UCF* - 6 p.m.
Houston at USF* - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 28
Wichita State at Cincinnati* - Noon
UConn at Sam Houston State - Noon
Tulane at ECU* - 1 p.m.
Houston at USF* - 1 p.m.
Memphis at UCF* - 1 p.m.
All times Eastern and subject to change
*Denotes conference game