FORT SMITH, Ark. - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Baseball will close out the regular season this weekend by hosting St. Mary's at Crowder Field in Lone Star Conference action.
The series begins Friday with a single game followed by a doubleheader Saturday and closes with a single game Sunday. Start time for all three days is 1 p.m. with a Senior Day presentation taking place prior to Sunday's game.
All four games will be broadcast on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network as well as on Fox Sports Radio 103.5. Live stats will also be available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: UAFS split at Oklahoma Christian, winning the final two games of the series after dropping the first two.
HOME RUN DERBY: The Lions hit nine of their 25 home runs on the season last week against the Eagles, including five in the series finale. Outfielders Hunter Church, Kinner Brasher and Cash Balentine all had multiple home runs.
LEADING AFTER 6: UAFS is 14-0 when leading after six innings but just 1-24 when trailing after six frames.
LSC STANDINGS: The Lions are 10th in the standings, two games behind the eighth-place Rattlers. UAFS will need to win at least three games this weekend to qualify for the LSC Tournament.
AT THE PLATE: Infielder Nolan Riley has upped his batting average to a team high .323 with a 13-game hitting streak and 31-game reached base streak. Church's two homers give him a team-high eight while infielder Brooks Sunny leads the Lions with 41 RBIs.
ON THE MOUND: Jakob Petross earned his first save of the season last week and started his first game of the season against the Eagles while Trevor Johnson picked up his first win of the year. Brayden Ross also had a save for the Lions last week.
SCOUTING STMU: The Rattlers are 20-26, 18-26 LSC entering the final week of the regular season. Outfielder Clay Bradford leads the Rattlers with a .359 average with four homers and 37 RBIs while Adrian Gonzales has a 2.51 ERA in 32.1 innings with a 1-0 record, splitting his appearances between starts and relief.
THE SERIES: The Rattlers lead the series, 23-15, with the Rattlers winning the latest meeting in 2021 at Minute Maid Park.
