ODESSA, Texas – The McMurry University baseball team will face its' first road test of the season as the War Hawks travel to Odessa, Texas to take on the University of Texas – Permian Basin in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.
The War Hawks are coming off a three-game sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State University last weekend. Over the course of the weekend McM pitching overpowered the Aggie offense, allowing just two runs and 12 total hits over the course of the weekend.
Spencer Smith led the way over the weekend, pitching a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out eight on just 66 pitches. Both
Chase Moreland and
Aaron Burns made the most of their first outings in McMurry Uniforms as well. Moreland struck out 12 batters over six solid innings on opening day, while Burns allowed just three hits in six innings while setting down five.
The Falcons of UTPB come into the weekend having dropped four straight to open the season, including an 8-1 loss in their home opener to Lubbock Christian. So far, the Falcons are being outscored 25-7 this season and were swept in a three-game series by Texas A&M International to open the season.
The War Hawks will look to be better on the road this year as they posted just a 6-14 record away from Walt Driggers Field last season. So far this year,
Ruben Zendejas leads the War Hawks with a .400 batting average while
AJ Dupre is hitting .375. Eight different McMurry hitters posted a RBI last week.
Casey Berryman is the only War Hawk with multiple RBIs (2).
Through the first weekend of Heartland Conference play, the McMurry pitching and defense have proved to be one of the best in the conference. McM boasts a team ERA of .75, which ranks second only to St. Mary's University. The War Hawks are also the top team in the conference in fielding percentage, making just two errors on the year so far (.982).
The two teams will play a double header on Friday starting at noon. Those games will then be followed by a nine-inning contest on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
