ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Baseball continues its run of American Southwest Conference East Division games this weekend, as the War Hawks will battle Louisiana College in a three-game set on March 7-8 in Pineville, La.
Due to inclement weather earlier this week, both teams agreed to begin the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO l TWITTER
NOTES:
LAST TIME OUT – The War Hawks (3-9-1, 1-5 ASC) ended a rough February on a high note, handing UT Dallas its first conference loss with a 12-5 win to salvage a three-game series last Saturday in Abilene. Tied at 5-5 in the fifth inning, McMurry racked up seven unanswered runs in the sixth and eighth innings to win the finale.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS – Louisiana College (4-7, 1-5 ASC) will look to build on last season's 31-12 record from last year despite graduating 15 seniors. Last year, LC owned a 19-1 record at home. The Wildcats have had a tough schedule to open conference play, suffering a sweep to defeating ASC Champion Concordia-Texas and dropping two of three against Mary Hardin-Baylor two weeks ago.
Senior outfielder Brodie Falgoust leads the bats with a .379 average, while junior utility Alex Ashby has been productive with a .313 average, two homers, two doubles and team-best nine RBI this season. The pitching staff carries a 5.32 ERA into the series, led by Brooks Southall (0-2) with a 2.61 ERA in four starts and 20.2 innings.
SERIES HISTORY – McMurry holds a 16-10 edge in the all-time series, dating back to 2000. The last five games have went in favor of Louisiana College, including a three-game sweep last season in Pineville. McMurry's last win vs. the Wildcats came on March 3, 2017 by a final of 7-2 in Abilene. McMurry's last series win over LC came in 2016.
TRIPLE THREAT – Last year, McMurry finished with four triples all season. In just the first six games of this year, McMurry totaled seven triples, which stands heading into the weekend. The program record for triples in a season is 19, set in 2005. Catcher Reed Hodges leads the way with two triples on the campaign.
SAM I AM – Junior utility player Sam Hillyer has brought the offense for McMurry this season, leading the starting lineup with a .375/.531/.667 slash line. He is batting 18-for-48 with three homers, one triple, three doubles, nine walks, 11 runs and 14 RBI this season. He had the game-winning homer in a 16-inning walk-off over St. Thomas (Texas) in non-conference action last month.
CARNAHAN HEATING UP – Junior Marty Carnahan has been McMurry's hottest hitter of late, batting .344 in 32 at-bats. In 10 starts, he has 11 hits – four of which are extra-base hits – and six RBI. He has three doubles and hit a go-ahead grand slam against St. Thomas last month. The junior has also stolen seven bases to lead the team and rank fourth in the ASC. He stole two against Austin College last week.
ARM WORK – With a number of key pitchers unavailable early this season, the War Hawks have thrown 14 pitchers for at least one inning. Five of the 14 have been freshman hurlers, while four have been regulars in the offensive lineup. Freshmen Austin Arey and Travis Beauchamp have combined for 11 appearances to lead the team. Beauchamp also leads the team with 16.2 innings pitched.
BYINGTON BACK ON THE BENCH – Long-time McMurry skipper John Byington is one of the ASC's longest tenured coaches, as he enters his 12th season at the helm. The former Texas A&M standout also spent 10 years prior as an assistant coach, making this season his 22nd overall with the program.
LEE IS BACK – One of McMurry Baseball's all-time greats made his return to campus as an assistant coach this offseason, as Byington added Josh Lee to his staff back in August. Lee was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2004 following an All-American, an ASC Player of the Year and ASC Championship campaign as a utility player.
SILVER ANNIVERSARY – After a 47-year hiatus, McMurry Baseball restored its program in 1996 and will now enter its 25th season of modern era baseball. In that span, the War Hawks have celebrated four American Southwest Conference Championships and four NCAA Regional appearances in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2008.
SEEKING A RETURN TO PROMINENCE – The War Hawks hold an all-time modern record of 578-485-3 for a 54.2 winning percentage. McMurry's tie with Schreiner this year marks just the third draw since 1996. McMurry will look for their first winning season since 2015, where the team finished 31-13 overall and made a four-game run in the National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region tournament as an independent.
