FORT SMITH, Ark. - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Baseball earned the No. 7 seed in the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament and will travel to No. 2 seed West Texas A&M for the quarterfinal round.
Game one of the best-of-three series gets underway at 6 p.m. Friday at Wilder Park followed by game two at 3 p.m. Saturday. The if necessary game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
All four games will be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network with live stats available at uafortsmithlions.com. Tickets are $10 for reserved seats and $5 for general admission and can be purchased here.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: UAFS split its final series of the regular season against UT Tyler, with UAFS playing as the home team after the series was moved to Tyler due to weather.
LSC TOURNAMENT: This will be the second LSC Championship appearance for the Lions, with the other coming in 2021.
IN THE POLLS: UAFS received two votes in this week's NCBWA South Central Region poll.
FAST START: UAFS is 15-7 when scoring first but 8-18 when the opponent scores first. The Lions are also 19-3 when leading after six innings, but 2-19 when trailing, so getting the lead early will be a priority for the Lions.
SETTING THE TONE: Batting out of the second spot in the lineup, Noah Davis currently has a seven-game hitting streak and 14-game on-base streak.
AT THE PLATE: Brandon Ulmer finished the regular season leading the Lions with a .354 batting average and tied with Davis with a team-high seven home runs. Davis and Nico Patrick each drove in 47 runs this season. Jordon Helm led the LSC with 12 sacrifice bunts.
ON THE MOUND: Starter Brayden Ross led the Lions with 49 strikeouts and seven wins this season in 64.0 innings pitched, while reliever Logan Grant posted a 3.27 ERA out of the bullpen with five saves.
SCOUTING WT: The Buffs are ranked No. 11 in this week's NCBWA Top 25 and finished the regular season with a 35-15, 34-14 LSC record. WT led the league in batting average at .343, led by Dylan Fesperman, who hit .412 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs. On the mound, the Buffs posted a 5.91 team ERA with starter Nick Marshall leading the team with 63 strikeouts.
FIRST TIME AROUND: West Texas A&M won three out of four games at Crowder Field March 28-30, with game one of the series being decided in extra innings.
THE SERIES: UAFS trails in the all-time series between the two programs, 16-6.
