Baseball Games of the Week (4/26 - 4/29)
UNLV at New Mexico (4/26 3 PM MT, 4/27 1 PM ET, 4/28 1 PM MT)
This weekend features a matchup between the top two teams in the Mountain West. The Lobos hold a three game lead over UNLV, but with a good showing, the Rebels can make up ground quickly.
New Mexico: The Lobos are incredibly hot right now, having won seven straight and 11 of their past 13. DJ Peterson is the team's top offensive threat and it really isn't close. He carries a .400 average, has scored 44 times, hit 19 doubles, knocked 12 balls out of the ballpark and has driven in 50, all team-highs.
Sam Wolff has started all 10 games he's appeared in and brings a 3-3 record into the weekend. He's struck out a squad-high 39 hitters. Josh Walker has saved seven and won four in his 21 appearances. He's second on the squad with 35 punch-outs.
UNLV: The Rebels will be coming into the weekend after a matchup with Arizona State. As mentioned before, UNLV comes in three games behind New Mexico and is coming off of a sweep of New Mexico State last weekend. Unlike their opponents, UNLV carries a more balanced offense, with eight players with 21 RBI or more. Mark Shannon leads the squad with 35 RBI and also has 11 doubles, while Brandon Bayardi has seven home runs, a team-high.
Buddy Borden has a 5-1 record in his 10 starts and has struck out 56. His weekend mate, Erick Fedde, has struck out 59 in his 10 starts.
Sacred Heart at Monmouth (4/26 - 3 PM 3T, 4/27 1:00 PM ET, 4/27 3:30 PM ET, 4/28 1:00 PM ET)
This series is one between the second place teams in the Northeast Conference. Both teams trail Bryant by one game.
Monmouth: This series may be bigger for Monmouth because next week the team travels to face Bryant in a key four game series. It also comes in on a bit of a rough stretch, winning just six of its last 11, with a game yet to be played Wednesday. The Hawks offense is a balanced one, as five regulars have 20 or more RBI and two more have 19 and 17 RBI respectively. Jake Gronsky has a team-high 10 doubles and is tied for a squad-high three home runs. He's also one of two with 22 RBI.
Lefty Andrew McGee is the team's ace this year, compiling a 7-1 record and 1.94 ERA in nine starts. His 52 strikeouts are 30 more than the next pitcher on the squad.
Sacred Heart: The Pioneers, on the other hand, are the opposite of their weekend foe. Sacred Heart has won eight of its last 10 and took three of four from Bryant last weekend to get itself back into the conference title race. After a rough start to the season, it has turned its season around in conference play, going 14-6. John Murphy has been, and is, the team’s leading hitter, in both conference play and overall. In conference play, he has three of his four home runs and 18 of his 27 RBI. His bat has blossomed in conference play. He also has three doubles and three triples in NEC play and has only struck out five times.
Freshman Jeff Stoddard has been ridiculous in NEC play. He has a 5-0 record in five starts, five complete games and has a miniscule 1.03 ERA.
#1 North Carolina at #7 North Carolina State (4/26- 6:30 ET, ESPN3, 4/27 - 6:30 ET, ESPN3, 4/28 - 7:00 ET, ESPNU)
This is a matchup of the ACC's two division leaders and interstate rivals.
NC State: The Wolfpack have to be one of the hottest teams in the country, as they haven't lost since March 30th, going 15-0, including sweeps of ranked Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Trea Turner has finally returned from an injury and is the team's go-to guy, hitting .438, scoring 48 runs, knocking out 56 hits and six home runs, all team-highs, despite playing in 10 less games. Tarran Senay leads the team in RBI with 45.
Despite his 4.48 ERA, Carlos Rodon has arguably been the team's top pitcher, compiling a 4-2 record in 10 starts. The most impressive stat, however, is his 95 strikeouts in 60 innings. NC State does have an impressive bullpen though. Chris Overton has five saves and an ERA of 0.00 in his 15 appearances. Grant Sesser has six saves, a 3-0 record and a 0.59 ERA in 24 appearances.
North Carolina: Until its loss to UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday, the Tar Heels had been just as hot as their weekend opponents, with their last loss coming to Clemson on April 1st. They had won 14 straight games. North Carolina has outscored its opponents 328-103 this year and has four regulars who have 34 RBI or more. Colin Moran leads the team in both RBI (65) and home runs (10). Cody Stubbs has 17 doubles, five home runs and 54 RBI.
The pitching staff has three hurlers with seven or more wins, including Benton Moss, who has a perfect 7-0 record in 11 appearances, including 10 starts. He also has a team-high 67 punch-outs. Kent Emanuel has an 8-1 record and 1.82 ERA in 10 starts with 58 strikeouts.
