Game Notes

RUSTON, La. - After a long weekend on the road and a much-needed week of rest, Louisiana Tech returns home this weekend when the Bulldogs welcome UAB to town for a three-game Conference USA series, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Friday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

The weekend series between LA Tech and UAB is scheduled to continue at 3 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting, while the finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday in Ruston.

The Bulldogs enter the series against UAB with a 16-17 overall record and are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses at Middle Tennessee last weekend. LA Tech is still in search of its first C-USA series win after starting league play with a 3-11 record through the first five weekends. Heading into the weekend, the Bulldogs have posted an impressive 12-5 record when playing on its home field.

"UAB is a very well-coached team and they are playing really well lately," head coach Greg Goff said. "They have one of the best pitching staffs in the country. They have the No. 1 defense in the conference, so they are not going to beat themselves. We are going to have to be at our best to beat those guys."

Fresh off a series win over Rice last weekend, UAB heads to Ruston with a 21-14 overall record and an 8-7 mark in Conference USA. The Blazers are right in the middle of the league standings in sixth place after winning three of their last four C-USA series.

UAB had a pair of big wins last weekend when No. 12 Rice traveled to Birmingham, as the Blazers the first two games of the series before dropping the finale to the Owls Sunday afternoon. Most recently, UAB lost a midweek game on the road at Alabama, which means the Blazers enter the series versus the Bulldogs having lost two straight.

---

SERIES HISTORY

Louisiana Tech and UAB are looking to break a 7-7 tie in the all-time series when the two teams compete in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend in Ruston. In the 14 total meetings, LA Tech has won six games at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, but the Blazers got the best of the Bulldogs in their most recent meetings. In 2014, UAB defeated the Bulldogs in a three-game league series in Ruston to complete the series sweep on the road. UAB won the first game, 8-1, in the opener before completing the series sweep with a pair of victories over Tech in a doubleheader on that Saturday.

SCOUTING REPORT

At the plate

Louisiana Tech enters this week looking for a little more consistency with the bats, but the Bulldogs have seen steady improvement in the box over the last few weeks. As a team, LA Tech is hitting .256 as a team, while the Bulldogs have posted a .360 on base percentage through 33 games, which ranks fifth in Conference USA. Bryce Stark is LA Tech's leading hitter coming into the series with a .338 average and 20 runs batted in.

UAB comes to town as the second-worst hitting team in C-USA as the Blazers are batting .245 on the season with 44 doubles, nine home runs and 18 home runs. The Blazers are led by senior outfielder Chase Davis, who comes into the weekend with a .280 clip with six doubles and 12 RBIs. As for driving in runs, UAB's leading RBI hitter is Jeff Schalk, who has a team-high five home runs and 23 RBIs, while hitting .267 overall.

On the mound

Louisiana Tech's pitching staff enters this week with a 4.31 earned run average, which currently ranks sixth in Conference USA. The Bulldogs will stick with its normal rotation this weekend versus UAB, starting with left-hander Tyler Clancy (5-3; 3.81 ERA) set to take the mound in the series opener Friday. LA Tech will follow up with right-hander Phil Maton (3-1; 2.96 ERA) in the middle game Saturday, while right-hander Laetten Galbraith (3-5; 3.35 ERA) will close out the series in Sunday's finale.

The Blazers enter the series with the second-lowest earned run average in the league with a 3.10 ERA and will send a trio of right-handers to the mound this weekend, including two starters that saw action against LA Tech last season. James Naile (5-2; 1.71 ERA) is set to start for UAB Friday, while Alex Luna (3-2; 3.15 ERA) and Johnny Lieske (2-3; 4.18 ERA) will pitch in the following two games for the Blazers. Both Luna and Lieske pitched against LA Tech last season with Luna receiving a no decision and Lieske earning a win after defeating the Bulldogs, 4-2, in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader.

PROMOTIONS

A weekend full of promotions is set for Bulldog Baseball fans when LA Tech hosts UAB in a three-game series at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. Starting with the series opener at 6 p.m. Friday, the Bulldogs look to "White Out" the Love Shack as the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free white LA Tech Baseball T-shirt upon entry to the stadium.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs will host Faith and Family Day, while also holding an Ice Cream Social where the first 250 fans will receive free ice cream in a miniature LA Tech batting helmet. Bulldog fans planning to attend the 2015 LA Tech Football Spring Game at 1 p.m. Saturday will receive a voucher to purchase a $3 discounted ticket to the baseball game at 3 p.m. that same day.

To wrap up the weekend, LA Tech will host its annual Greek Day and Bark in the Park for the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday. All Louisiana Tech Greek members are invited to J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, while Bulldog fans are also encouraged to bring their dogs out to the ball park to enjoy Sunday's game against the Blazers.

Multiple in-game and postgame promotions will be held throughout the weekend, including Baseball Bingo, a tennis ball toss on the field and Kid's Day, which is held every Sunday for home games. An inflatable bounce house will also be available in front of the stadium Saturday and Sunday for younger Bulldog fans to enjoy.

WITH THE CALL

Fans can tune in to the LA Tech Sports Network on KNBB 97.7 FM to hear Dave Nitz call all the action from J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park for all three games this weekend. The series between LA Tech and UAB can also be seen and heard by LA Tech All-Access subscribers, while live stats will be available by accessing the link on the baseball schedule page on LATechSports.com.

ON DECK

After the Bulldogs play hosts to UAB this weekend, LA Tech will gear up for yet another busy week with five games in seven days, all of which will come on the road. Tech will begin the week by traveling to Nacogdoches, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin Tuesday before making the short trip to face ULM Wednesday in Monroe. The Bulldogs will then hop on a flight to Miami to battle C-USA foe FIU in a three-game league series, beginning at 6 p.m. CT Friday, April 24.

---

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please follow @LATechBSB on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.