ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- After seeing the four-game series backed up twice due to weather, the William Woods University baseball team is finally headed east on I-70 to continue its American Midwest Conference slate. The Owls will take on Harris-Stowe State University on Sunday and Monday, with the doubleheaders set for a 1 p.m. start on both days.
Quick Look - William Woods
The Owls bring a 17-7 record (3-1 AMC) into the series and are currently on a three-game winning streak.
Brian Carr and
Jacob Harrison have been hitting lights out for WWU over the past several games, currently boasting batting averages of .468 and .425 respectively. Carr has collected a team-high eight doubles on the year for a slugging percentage of .702 on the campaign, and is one of nine Owls with a home run in 2012. Harrison has also collected a home run on the campaign, adding five doubles for a slugging percentage of .525. Harrison is also the leading scorer for WWU, with 19 of the team's 149 runs on the year.
Derek Fletcher leads the Owls with 16 RBI, one of five players with double-digit marks in the category on the season.
As a team, the Owls are currently hitting .322 - 34th-best in the NAIA - with a collective slugging percentage of .441 - 47th - on the strength of 56 extra-base hits. WWU has drawn 92 walks on the year and struck out just 110 times in 2012. The Owls also boast top-20 rankings on the pitching ledger as well, holding its opponents to a .233 average through 24 games and posting a team ERA of 3.12, both good for 13th in the NAIA.
Robbie McMorris and
Adam Brush lead the Owls pitching staff, with McMorris posting a 4-1 record and Brush a 3-1 record in six starts apiece. McMorris holds an ERA of 2.41, with his opponent's batting average of .183 ranked 30th in the country. Both also rank nationally in hits allowed. McMorris is 32nd in the country in hits per nine innings (5.88) and 39th in overall hits (22) while Brush is 50th in overall hits (23) and also ranked 45th in strikeouts per nine innngs with 9.95. The Owls also claim four undefeated pitchers on the 2012 campaign.
Kyle Burns won both of his decisions and is joined by
Zach Secoy,
Kyle Muzechka and
Gianfaro Randazzo, each with one win.
Matt Thomas leads the Owl bullpen, with a record of 2-1 on the year to go along with five saves - 11th-best in the country.
Devensively, the Owls have also been solid, being charged with just 33 errors in 789 chances for a nationally-ranked fielding percentage of .958 (42nd). The Owls also boast the 31st-highest number of assists on the season with 239, and have connected on 16 double plays on the year.
Quick Look - Harris-Stowe
Harris-Stowe State University comes into the series with a 12-16 record overall and a 4-3 mark in AMC action. As a team, the Hornets have posted a batting average of .285 on the year, with Devin Foreman leading the way with a mark of .404. It's been a bit of feast or famine for the Hornets, however, as they boast a slugging percentage of .468 on the year behind 30 home runs and 80 total extra-base hits. Foreman leads the team with nine, with three other players each collecting four on the year.
HSSU has allowed its opponents to hit at a strong .370 pace, giving up 20 home runs on the year to go along with 106 walks and just 110 strikeouts. As a staff, HSSU has an ERA of 9.60, with only Brandon Wehking and Eric Estes with individual marks under 5.0. James Brochu has seen the most work of any HSSU pitcher on the year, going 30.1 innings in his 15 appearances, earning a 3-1 record mostly in relief. Starting pitchers have not fared well for the Hornets, with James Longo posting an ERA of 8.77 in six starts and Steve Massoth recording an ERA of 12.73 in his six starts.
Defensively, the Hornets have been charged with 52 errors in 833 chances on the year, for a fielding percentage of .938.
