FULTON, Mo.- The William Woods University baseball team will finally have their first home opener of the season, as they will host conference foe Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday and Sunday.
Last Time Out
The Owls last played on March 8
th in their first conference games on the season against Hannibal-LaGrange University. Due to the weather, the games had to be played in Kansas and William Woods earned their first conference win on the season, with a 5-1 victory in game one.
The team was led by the pitching performance of
Adam Brush, who threw a complete game, allowing one run on six hits. That performance earned him American Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Week Honors.
The Trojans were leading 1-0 in game one, up until the seventh inning when the Owls scored five runs, with RBI coming from
Jordan Thompson (2),
Jacob Harrison, Greg Hamrock and
Derek Fletcher. The offense continued to roll in game two, as the team scored three runs in the first, three in the fourth and in the fifth and one in the sixth, as the Owls held a 10-5 lead after seven innings.
However, William Woods couldn't hold that lead in the bottom of the ninth, as the Trojans scored six runs, with the winning run coming on a bases loaded walk for the shocking 11-10 victory over the Owls. Hamrock had another strong day at the plate going 3-for-5 with one run scored and two RBI, while
Eilert Meyers also swung the bat well, going 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Matt Thomas whom has normally been reliable out of the pen for the Owls, took the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) and was able to get only one out.
Harris-Stowe meanwhile is off to a slow start on the season, as they hold a 1-12 overall record, and were just recently swept by Mid-Continent, falling game one 9-8 and in game two 15-6. At one point in game one, the Hornets trailed 8-4, but were able to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh scoring four runs and forcing extra innings. MCU, however, added one run in the top of the eighth and were able to hold on for the one run victory. Alex Mancillas and Reymond Vazquez each went 2-for-4 and added two RBI.
Mother Nature has slowed down Owls schedule
Before the season started, the team was preparing for a long season with high hopes, after finishing third overall in the conference in 2012. However, due to the snowstorm that pounded the Midwest, the Owls have only managed to play 12 games, nearly all on neutral fields. The team had to cancel the Joplin Tournament, games against Central Methodist, Indiana Tech, Mid-Continent and Hannibal-LaGrange to name a few. With spring just around the corner, it should now be nothing but sunshine, as the team prepares a run at the AMC Title in 2013.
Head-To-Head
Both teams are off to a slow start on the season, however the Owls lead the Hornets in every statistical offensive category that includes runs, batting average, RBI, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns and have a slight edge in slugging percentage. The pitching match-up is the same story, but the Owls hurlers have pitched in 83.2 innings, while the Hornets have only thrown in 50 innings.
Players to keep an eye out for
Greg Hamrock so far this season is hitting .424 through 11 games played, leading the team in hits (14), doubles (5), and in total bases (19). Hamrock, like Brush, has also received AMC Player of the Week Honors.
Justin Elmore is also off to a strong year at the plate, hitting .412 through eight games played, and the Owls have five hitters batting over .300.
Stephen Kohler has the third highest batting average on the team at .367, and is tied for third in hits (11) and has scored five runs while adding three RBI.
Jordan Thompson (.355), Meyers (.342),
Derek Fletcher (.333) and
Kyle Switzer (.300), round out the hitters who are hitting at least .300.
The Hornets are led by Travis Brown, as he is hitting .407 on the year through eight games, leading the team in hits (11), doubles (3), RBI (5) and in total bases (14). HSSU overall is hitting .271 on the season, with Javier Martinez and Reymond Vazuez both hitting over .320, combining for 17 hits and six RBI.
Home Field Advantage
In their final 19 games on the season before the team prepares for American Midwest Conference playoffs, the Owls will play 12 of those games at home. Currently William Woods stands in third place in the AMC, trailing second place Missouri Baptist (2-0 AMC, 8-5 overall), and first place Lyon College (4-0 AMC, 18-5 overall). Besides MBU and Lyon, no other team in the conference has an overall record above .500.
Owls rank high in AMC pitching and hitting
The Owls overall batting average of .304 ranks third in the conference and the team also ranks second in stolen bases with 26, trailing only Williams Baptist whom has 30. The team also ranks in the top five in runs scored (65), hits (102), runs batted in (54), and triples (3).
The pitching staff holds an overall ERA of 4.84, placing them second in the AMC, trailing only Lyon, holding a 4.10 earned run average. The hurlers are also holding their opponents' batting average to a conference best .258, which is led by Brush, holding them to a .190 average.
Brush and Thomas's quick start ranks near the top in Conference
Junior pitcher
Adam Brush is off to a great start this season, holding a 1.90 ERA to go along with a 3-1 record and a K/BB ratio of 16/8. His ERA currently ranks him first in the conference through 23.2/innings pitched and his .190 opponent batting average, places him second behind Julien Soucy of Missouri Baptist.
Brush also ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts (16), hits allowed (16), runs allowed (9) and wins (3). Meanwhile reliever
Matt Thomas has been huge out of the bullpen, as the Brashear, Mo., native ranks first in the conference in saves with three and holds a 2.08 ERA. Thomas ranks second behind Brush in opponent batting average at .235.
Game time is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, with game two set to start shortly after the final of game one. Sunday's double-header will start at Noon as well.
