Thursday, April 1
Ruston, La.
6 p.m.
Louisiana Tech University
vs
UAB
Photo by: Kyle Keyes
No. 17 LA Tech Hosts UAB for C-USA Series
3/31/2021 10:45:00 AM | Baseball
RUSTON, La. – No. 17 Louisiana Tech will play its first home Conference USA series at the new J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park starting this Thursday when the nationally ranked Bulldogs host the UAB Blazers. Thursday night's matchup will mark the start of LA Tech's first home weekend series since the Bulldogs hosted No. 1 Arkansas in the Love Shack.
Thursday-Saturday's series will mark the second of eight four-game conference series in 2021. All Conference USA series this season will consist of four games, one nine-inning game on Thursday, two seven-inning games on Friday and one final nine-inning game on Saturday. This weekend's series will begin a day earlier than usual due to Easter Sunday.
Game times for the conference series at J.C. Love Field are 6 p.m. on Thursday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's first contest of the doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. with the second game being played afterward. All four games will stream live on CUSA.tv.
Series Information
Game Times (Thursday-Saturday): 6 p.m. | 2 p.m. & then Game 2 | 1 p.m.
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Live Video Stream: CUSA.tv
Radio/Streamed Radio Broadcast: KNBB 97.7 FM (Thursday-Saturday) | latechsports.com (Thursday-Saturday)
Projected Starting Pitchers (Thursday-Saturday)
LA Tech: Jonathan Fincher (LHP), Ryan Jennings (RHP), Cade Gibson (LHP), Jarret Whorff (RHP)
Fincher: 4-0, 1.69 ERA, 37.1 IP, 37 K, 8 BB
Jennings (1): 2-2, 4.50 ERA, 30.0 IP, 27 K, 9 BB
Gibson (2): 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 27.1 IP, 24 K, 6 BB
Whorff: 4-1, 2.97 ERA, 36.1 IP, 29 K, 11 BB
UAB: Carson Knight (LHP), Riley Davis (RHP), Tyler O'Clair (RHP), Austin Bohannon (LHP)
Knight: 2-2, 6.66 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 K, 15 BB
Davis (1): 2-1, 1.95 ERA, 37.0 IP, 32 K, 10 BB
O'Clair (2): 2-2, 4.62 ERA, 37.0 IP, 26 K, 9 BB
Bohannon: 0-1, 1.69 ERA, 21.1 IP, 12 K, 14 BB
About the No. 17 Diamond Dogs:
Louisiana Tech's impressive 4-1 week vaulted the Bulldogs all the way up to No. 17 in D1Baseball's Top 25. In total, LA Tech was ranked in five national polls – D1Baseball (17), Perfect Game (18), USA Today Coaches Poll (19), NCBWA (20) and Baseball America (23) – following its home midweek triumph over ULM and series victory at Southern Miss to open Conference USA play. The red-hot Bulldogs have won nine of their past 10 games.
The Bulldogs tallied their first of three come-from-behind wins of the week in March 23's 9-7 win over the ULM Warhawks. Leadoff batter Taylor Young delivered a clutch two-out, two-RBI double off the center-field wall to help the Diamond Dogs erase a one-run deficit in the seventh inning of this past Tuesday's game. Centerfielder Parker Bates then made an incredible throw from center field in the ninth inning to cut down a ULM runner at the plate, keeping the score at 9-7 so left-hander Kyle Griffen could nail down the final two outs for the save.
In Hattiesburg, LA Tech recorded two more comeback wins, opening the series by erasing an early one-run deficit before storming back from four runs down on Sunday to take the series. LA Tech won two of its three games at Pete Taylor Park by just a single run, moving to 3-0 on the season in one-run ballgames.
Tech's 8-7 win on Sunday marked the first time since April 9-11, 2010, that a conference opponent won three games in a single series at Southern Miss, a streak of 45 consecutive series. The win also marked career win No. 250 for Bulldog head coach Lane Burroughs.
Cleanup batter Steele Netterville helped power the Bulldog offense throughout this past week, batting .368 with eight RBI, two doubles, two home runs and five runs scored to earn C-USA Hitter of the Week honors. Six of Netterville's RBI and both of his home runs came in Saturday's key doubleheader split in Hattiesburg. The Shreveport native leads the Diamond Dogs and ranks third in the C-USA with 28 RBI.
LA Tech's pitching staff also shined throughout the weekend, highlighted by left-hander Cade Gibson tossing Tech's fourth complete-game shutout of 2021 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Gibson is now 2-0 as a starter this season and has allowed just one run over 17.1 innings pitched in a starter's role. The Bulldogs are tied for first in the nation with five shutouts in 2021.
No. 17 Louisiana Tech holds a 16-13 record all-time against UAB. The Bulldogs have defeated the Blazers in eight of the previous 10 matchups, including five straight LA Tech wins dating back to 2018. The Bulldogs swept UAB in Ruston in 2019.
Scouting UAB:
UAB enters this weekend's series with a 2-3 record in its past five games, splitting its C-USA opener with Middle Tennessee in Birmingham.
Riley Davis, UAB's projected starting pitcher for game one on Saturday, tossed a complete-game shutout against the Blue Raiders this past weekend to earn Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Davis became the first Blazer since 2018 to earn conference pitcher of the week accolades.
The Blazers have shown off their prowess for stealing bases so far in 2021, swiping 31 bags on 42 attempts this season. Sophomore Jess Davis leads the Blazers with 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts, while freshman Chandler Simpson is a perfect 9-for-9 on steal attempts. Simpson and Davis also rank first and second on UAB's roster in batting average.
Senior catcher J Paul Fullerton was named to the 2021 C-USA Preseason Team. The catcher is off to a slow start in 2021, but he batted .317 with three home runs and 13 RBI in a shortened 2020 season.
Longtime UAB assistant Perry Roth took over the head role for the Blazers before the season, earning his first victory as UAB's head coach on Feb. 20 against Valparaiso. The Blazers are 9-9 in Birmingham this season and 0-4 so far on the road.
Thursday-Saturday's series will mark the second of eight four-game conference series in 2021. All Conference USA series this season will consist of four games, one nine-inning game on Thursday, two seven-inning games on Friday and one final nine-inning game on Saturday. This weekend's series will begin a day earlier than usual due to Easter Sunday.
Game times for the conference series at J.C. Love Field are 6 p.m. on Thursday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's first contest of the doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. with the second game being played afterward. All four games will stream live on CUSA.tv.
Series Information
Game Times (Thursday-Saturday): 6 p.m. | 2 p.m. & then Game 2 | 1 p.m.
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Live Video Stream: CUSA.tv
Radio/Streamed Radio Broadcast: KNBB 97.7 FM (Thursday-Saturday) | latechsports.com (Thursday-Saturday)
Projected Starting Pitchers (Thursday-Saturday)
LA Tech: Jonathan Fincher (LHP), Ryan Jennings (RHP), Cade Gibson (LHP), Jarret Whorff (RHP)
Fincher: 4-0, 1.69 ERA, 37.1 IP, 37 K, 8 BB
Jennings (1): 2-2, 4.50 ERA, 30.0 IP, 27 K, 9 BB
Gibson (2): 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 27.1 IP, 24 K, 6 BB
Whorff: 4-1, 2.97 ERA, 36.1 IP, 29 K, 11 BB
UAB: Carson Knight (LHP), Riley Davis (RHP), Tyler O'Clair (RHP), Austin Bohannon (LHP)
Knight: 2-2, 6.66 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 K, 15 BB
Davis (1): 2-1, 1.95 ERA, 37.0 IP, 32 K, 10 BB
O'Clair (2): 2-2, 4.62 ERA, 37.0 IP, 26 K, 9 BB
Bohannon: 0-1, 1.69 ERA, 21.1 IP, 12 K, 14 BB
About the No. 17 Diamond Dogs:
Louisiana Tech's impressive 4-1 week vaulted the Bulldogs all the way up to No. 17 in D1Baseball's Top 25. In total, LA Tech was ranked in five national polls – D1Baseball (17), Perfect Game (18), USA Today Coaches Poll (19), NCBWA (20) and Baseball America (23) – following its home midweek triumph over ULM and series victory at Southern Miss to open Conference USA play. The red-hot Bulldogs have won nine of their past 10 games.
The Bulldogs tallied their first of three come-from-behind wins of the week in March 23's 9-7 win over the ULM Warhawks. Leadoff batter Taylor Young delivered a clutch two-out, two-RBI double off the center-field wall to help the Diamond Dogs erase a one-run deficit in the seventh inning of this past Tuesday's game. Centerfielder Parker Bates then made an incredible throw from center field in the ninth inning to cut down a ULM runner at the plate, keeping the score at 9-7 so left-hander Kyle Griffen could nail down the final two outs for the save.
In Hattiesburg, LA Tech recorded two more comeback wins, opening the series by erasing an early one-run deficit before storming back from four runs down on Sunday to take the series. LA Tech won two of its three games at Pete Taylor Park by just a single run, moving to 3-0 on the season in one-run ballgames.
Tech's 8-7 win on Sunday marked the first time since April 9-11, 2010, that a conference opponent won three games in a single series at Southern Miss, a streak of 45 consecutive series. The win also marked career win No. 250 for Bulldog head coach Lane Burroughs.
Cleanup batter Steele Netterville helped power the Bulldog offense throughout this past week, batting .368 with eight RBI, two doubles, two home runs and five runs scored to earn C-USA Hitter of the Week honors. Six of Netterville's RBI and both of his home runs came in Saturday's key doubleheader split in Hattiesburg. The Shreveport native leads the Diamond Dogs and ranks third in the C-USA with 28 RBI.
LA Tech's pitching staff also shined throughout the weekend, highlighted by left-hander Cade Gibson tossing Tech's fourth complete-game shutout of 2021 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Gibson is now 2-0 as a starter this season and has allowed just one run over 17.1 innings pitched in a starter's role. The Bulldogs are tied for first in the nation with five shutouts in 2021.
No. 17 Louisiana Tech holds a 16-13 record all-time against UAB. The Bulldogs have defeated the Blazers in eight of the previous 10 matchups, including five straight LA Tech wins dating back to 2018. The Bulldogs swept UAB in Ruston in 2019.
Scouting UAB:
UAB enters this weekend's series with a 2-3 record in its past five games, splitting its C-USA opener with Middle Tennessee in Birmingham.
Riley Davis, UAB's projected starting pitcher for game one on Saturday, tossed a complete-game shutout against the Blue Raiders this past weekend to earn Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Davis became the first Blazer since 2018 to earn conference pitcher of the week accolades.
The Blazers have shown off their prowess for stealing bases so far in 2021, swiping 31 bags on 42 attempts this season. Sophomore Jess Davis leads the Blazers with 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts, while freshman Chandler Simpson is a perfect 9-for-9 on steal attempts. Simpson and Davis also rank first and second on UAB's roster in batting average.
Senior catcher J Paul Fullerton was named to the 2021 C-USA Preseason Team. The catcher is off to a slow start in 2021, but he batted .317 with three home runs and 13 RBI in a shortened 2020 season.
Longtime UAB assistant Perry Roth took over the head role for the Blazers before the season, earning his first victory as UAB's head coach on Feb. 20 against Valparaiso. The Blazers are 9-9 in Birmingham this season and 0-4 so far on the road.
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