RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (24-18, 11-7 CUSA) are back at home to resume Conference USA play, beginning the first of their final two league home series when they host Missouri State (26-12, 14-4 CUSA) at the Love Shack this weekend.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Apr. 24-26 (6 p.m. CT; 2 p.m. CT; 1 p.m. CT)
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 97.7 FM / LA Tech Athletics app / Varsity Network app
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Series History: First Meeting
 
The Bulldogs have won nine of their previous 11 games, yet have dropped two of their last three with a Saturday loss on the road at Kennesaw State and a midweek Tuesday loss at McNeese. However, Tech is on a streak of three-straight CUSA wins including a sweep at home over Middle Tennessee.
 
Trey Hawsey enters the weekend with an 11-game hitting streak, the longest of any Bulldog this season. Over his past 11 games, the sophomore first baseman is batting .417 with 20 hits, five runs, two doubles, a homer, nine RBI and 25 total bases. Colby Lunsford is one game shy of tying his longest hitting streak of the season at 10, batting .400 during his current streak.
 
The graduate third baseman has 10 runs scored, 18 hits, three doubles, 10 RBI and 24 total bases, all of which leads LA Tech over the past nine contests.
 
After tallying 13 hits as a team Tuesday night at McNeese, the Bulldogs have five consecutive games with double-digit hits as a team. It is the longest streak of 10+ hits for the 'Dogs since May 28-June 4, 2021. Over the past five games, the 'Dogs are batting .311 as a team with an average of 5.4 runs per game.
 
Hawsey and Lunsford each have nine hits over the past five games along with four other Diamond 'Dogs with six hits.
 
The Bears enter the weekend in second place among the CUSA standings, trailing first-place Jacksonville State by two games. Missouri State is coming off a midweek road loss to #24 Arkansas after walking off the Razorbacks at home, 15-14 in 10 innings, on March 31.
 
Missouri State has won five of their six CUSA series thus far, including sweeps over Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston at home and a road sweep at Delaware. Their only series dropped has been to Dallas Baptist after forcing a rubber match in Game 2 the weekend of March 27-29.
 
The Bears are one of three CUSA members among the top 30 in RPI, sitting in 18th nationally for the highest RPI in the league.
 
Curry Sutherland is one of CUSA's top sluggers, leading the conference with 13 homers and sitting amongst the top three in slugging percentage and OPS. Bryce Cermenelli has also been a consistent piece of the Bears' lineup, batting .379 for the second-best mark in CUSA along with 25 runs, nine doubles, a homer and 17 RBI.
 
Missouri State's pitching staff carries seven pitchers who have punched out at least 30 batters this season. Max Knight, who is primarily a bullpen arm with just three starts in 15 appearances, leads the team with 41 strikeouts through 29.2 innings tossed. Knight's five wins also lead the Bears and ties for the fourth-most in the conference.
 
Ross Fielder has been one of the top all-around arms for Missouri State, holding a 3.79 ERA and a 2-1 record with four starts in 12 appearances. He has fanned 39 opponents through 40.1 innings and has walked just six batters, despite opponents hitting .290 off of him.
 
Owen Slater and Jason Schaaf combine for 18 of the team's 38 starts and are tied for the most home runs allowed on their staff with six each. Schaaf has punched out 37 hitters through 38.1 innings, but can sometimes find himself in a jam with 57 hits and 13 walks allowed along with a .328 opposing batting average.
 
Slater is 4-2 with 10 starts in 11 appearances while holding a 6.50 ERA. He has fanned 31 through 44.1 frames, yet opponents are batting .305 when facing him and his 10 HBPs are tied for the most by a CUSA pitcher.
 
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