ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry baseball team will play four games in three days as it travels toEdmond, Oklahoma for a nine-inning contest with Oklahoma Christian University before traveling to Wichita, Kansas to play a three-game set with Newman University over the weekend.

The War Hawks are coming off a 9-6 loss at the hands of Tarleton State that saw McM blow a four-run lead by allowing five runs in the fifth inning of the contest. In the game, Eric Mortiz led the way with three RBI while Jon Mejia and Cody Howard notched two hits apiece.

So far this season, Moritz has played nicely in the lead-off role, hitting .389 on the year while collecting two doubles, a triple and five RBI. Mejia is the leading RBI man for the War Hawks this season with eight, and Dylan De Leon is pacing McM in hits with 17.

Spencer Smith continues to be the driving force in the pitching staff as he remains undefeated through five games. The senior, righty currently boasts a 1.97 ERA and has both of the War Hawks complete games this year. Aaron Burns is also having a nice season, and has also collected two wins on the year. Through five appearances, Burns ranks fifth in the Heartland Conference in strikeouts (23) and has a 3.04 ERA.

Oklahoma Christian comes into the game with McM, having reached the .500 mark by defeating Tabor, 5-4 in 10 innings. So far on the year, Dillon Andrews leads the way for the Eagles, hitting .375 through the first 14 games. He also leads the team in hits with 21 and is second in RBI with eight.

On the mound, Luke Sandoval boasts a 2-0 record through three starts, but it is the OC bullpen that is arguably having the best season for the Eagles. Relievers Ryan Nash and Chris Burgess both have a sub-1.00 ERA. Burgess has appeared in six games and has a 2-0 record to go along with two saves and .96 ERA. Nash also has a .96 ERA on the year through four appearances on the year.

The Jets of Newman will enter the weekend series with the War Hawks with a 7-9 overall record, having taken two-of-three from Texas – Permian Basin. In a 7-2 victory over UTPB, Ricky Sanchez, Jordan Ollenberger and Christian Dye collected two hits each, with Sanchez driving in two RBI.

So far this season, Sanchez has been the most consistent hitter for the Jets, leading the team in batting average, hitting .383 so far. He also ranks second on the team in hits (18) and RBI (11). Ruben Marrero is the RBI leader for Newman, with 12 on the season.

When the War Hawks take on Newman, they will look to take their second-consecutive series against a Heartland Conference opponent having previously taken two-of-three from Texas A&M – International.

The nine-inning contest against Oklahoma Christian on Thursday is slated for a 2 p.m. start and the three-game set with Newman will be played Friday and Saturday. Double header action is slated for 3 p.m. with a nine-inning game to follow on Saturday at noon.