FULTON, Mo.- The William Woods baseball team will host their final home opener of the 2013 season tomorrow night, when the team takes on the Missouri Valley College Vikings at 6:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Owls (26-15, 20-8 AMC), have won 14 out of their last 15 games, including taking three of four from No. 16 Lyon College and sweeping Benedicine-Springfield on Sunday. In the double-header against the Bulldogs, the Owls took game one 9-6 and game two 8-4.
In game one, which was a make-up from a month ago, the Owls held a 5-3 in the top of the fourth.
Adam Brush came on the mound and didn't start the game like he wanted and gave up three runs, giving the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead. Brush, however, settled down and was able to keep the Benedictine-Springfield bats quiet allowing no runs or hits.
Matt Thomas came on in relief of Brush in the seventh and closed out the game, picking up his seventh save on the season for the Owls.
The offense totaled 11 hits led by the 1-2-3 hitters of Greg Hamrock,
Stephen Kohler and
Zach Nichols, as the trio combined to go 7-for-10 with four runs scored and four RBI. Thomas,
Derek Fletcher and
Eilert Meyers each added an RBI in the game as well.
In game two, the offense scored in the first four innings, putting four runs on the board in the first, one in the second and third and two in the fourth, taking a comfortable 8-0 lead for starter
Garret Haslag. The starter picked up the victory throwing five two/third innings pitched, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out two. The offense totaled nine hits, led by
Justin Elmore going 3-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI. First baseman
Ryan Sweet also had a good game going 1-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI.
The Vikings (3-30, 2-22 HAAC) are having a tough season this year, but ended their 21 game losing streak with a 12-6 victory over Culver-Stockton College. The Viking offense scored four runs in the first, two in the third and six in the fourth for the win. The team totaled 15 hits led by Josh Hartin going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. The 7-8 hitters of Dominique Smith and Jacob Stafford combined to go 4-for-6 with four runs scored and six RBI. Starter Devin Burnworth picked up the victory, throwing a complete game, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits and struck out three.
Brush Breaks School Record In Career Wins
With his victory against Benedictine-Springfield, starter
Adam Brush is now the school's all-time leader in career wins with 19, breaking the previous mark of 18 wins held by Zack Lamb since 2002. He is also the current record holder in the lowest career ERA (Min. 100 innings pitched) at 3.15.
Harrison Moves His Way Up Record Books
Senior
Jacob Harrison has had a strong four year career as an Owl, as he holds a 0.353 average, totaling 195 hits, 149 runs scored, 23 doubles, seven triples, four home runs, and 81 RBI. He is the all-time leader in runs scored, five hits off tying the all-time record, is tied for second in triples trailing the leader by one, the all-time leader in stolen bases with 63 and is second all-time in at bats with 553.
Owls Set To Play Lyon In First Round
The American Midwest Conference playoffs start on Friday in Springfield, Ill, and the Owls will enter as the No. 3 seed and will likely take on No. 2 seed Lyon College. The Owls and Scots just squared off in a four game series, with William Woods out-scoring the Scots 24-14.
Owls Offense Dominates Conference Pitching
In conference play, the Owls out-scored their opponents 230-125 and had a team batting average of 0.331.
Ryan Sweet holds the top average in 14 games played with a 0.515 average (17-for-33) with 11 runs scored and seven RBI. Hamrock batted a solid 0.448 in 27 games played (43-for-96) with 26 runs scored, eight doubles and 16 RBI.
Stephen Kohler hit 0.418 with 29 runs scored, six doubles and 20 RBI.
Matt Thomas (0.408), Harrison (0.392),
Zach Nichols (0.380) and
Justin Elmore (0.371) were the Owl hitters batting over 0.350. Nichols led the team in runs scored (32), home runs (4), doubles (10), RBI (31) and total bases (62).
Players to Look Out For (William Woods)
The Owls have a 0.328 average as a team, with seven players batting 0.330 and above. Hamrock has earned a 0.433 average on the season (55-for-127), with 35 runs scored, 14 doubles and 20 RBI. He holds the top average in the conference and has now moved up to sixth overall in the NAIA in batting. Kohler the no. 2 hitter behind Hamrock, is batting a 0.423 average with 52 hits, 33 runs scored and 23 RBI. His 0.423 average is second in the conference and 14
th in the NAIA, giving William Woods two players in the top 15 in the nation in batting, tying Talladega (Ala.) who also has two players in the top 15.
Sweet (0.404), Nichols (0.383), Elmore (0.370), Harrison (0.368) and Thomas (0.330) all have been key factors for the Owls in the lineup this season and will be looked upon in the conference playoffs for continued success.
On the mound,
Adam Brush holds the top ERA for starters with a 2.84 to go along with his 6-3 record in 57 innings pitched.
Jeremy Ahillen has moved his ERA under 3.00, getting a 2.93 with a 4-2 record in 40 innings pitched. Dane
Smith holds a 3.35 ERA in nine games played, earning two complete games and a K/BB ratio of 33/14.
Reliever
Matt Thomas has been reliable out of the pen, having a 1.27 ERA (3-1 record) in 14 games played, and is leading the conference in saves with seven and is tied for 19
th overall in the NAIA in saves.
Players to Look Out For (Missouri Valley)
The Vikings are led by Bob Warchuck, batting 0.322 leading the team in hits with 29, adding 13 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, four RBI and 38 total bases. Devin Burnworth is another player to look out for, as he is hitting 0.291 with 25 hits, four doubles and leads the team in RBI with 12. Missouri Valley as a team is batting 0.238 and has been out-scored on the season 184-92. The pitching staff has a 7.08 ERA on the season, with Burnworth leading the way with a 4.30 ERA to go along with his 2-3 record in eight games played.
