FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Baseball opens the 2021 season this weekend, travelling to Minute Maid Park for the Houston Winter Invitational.
The Lions will play three games at the home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros, one game each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
To kick off the year, UAFS will face host Central Missouri at 6 p.m. Friday, with a quick turnaround of a 10 a.m. first pitch Saturday against Lubbock Christian. The Lions conclude the weekend Sunday at 2 p.m. against St. Mary's.
There will be no live stream of the games, but all games will have live stats to follow the play-by-play. Tickets are available at astros.com/invitational for $17 for adults and $8 for youth ages 4-14. Children three and under are free. No tickets will be sold at the stadium.
NOTES:
LAST SEASON: UAFS went 13-9 in a 2020 season shortened by COVID-19. The Lions were fourth in the LSC standings when the season ended.
AT THE PLATE: The Lions return their top seven hitters from last season. Infielders Morgan Crenshaw and Brooks Sunny along with outfielder Tristan Kalina all hit over .340 last season. Six of the seven had at least 13 RBIs.
ON THE MOUND: UAFS brings back four of its top five pitchers from last year in terms of innings pitched. Both Trevor Johnson and Brayden Johnson anchor the starting rotation, while senior Foster Pace led the team in ERA last season out of the bullpen.
TWICE IS NICE: This is the second trip to Minute Maid Park for the Lions in the Houston Winter Invitational, with the first being in 2017.
PRESEASON POLL: UAFS was tabbed sixth in the LSC Preseason Poll, receiving 274 points, just a single point behind St. Mary's for fifth.
HEAD COACH: Head Coach Todd Holland enters his seventh season as head coach of the Lions. He sports a career record of 463-321, including a 159-111 mark in his first six seasons at UAFS.
SCOUTING UCM: The Mules were 20-3 last season, batting .350 as a team. They return seven of their top eight bats, including senior infielder Dusty Stroup, who hit .453 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs. On the mound, the Mules are led by starter Collin Jones and reliever Tyler Kuhlmann, who posted a 4-0 record and 1.84 ERA in relief.
SCOUTING LCU: The Chaps went just 7-17 in 2020, and return their top three RBI bats from a year ago. On the mound, they bring back five of their top six pitchers by innings pitched.
SCOUTING STMU: The Rattlers return their top 11 hitters from last year, as they hit .296 as a team. Outfielder CJ Ricondo hit .400 with a home run and 15 RBIs last spring. On the mound, the Rattlers return all 10 pitchers that appeared last season.
