MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- After getting the start of the 2014 season delayed by Mother Nature last week, the William Woods University baseball team will finally kick-off the year with a five-game, four-day trip through the Volunteer State starting on Thursday against Christian Brothers University. First-pitch for the season-opener is set for 1 p.m. at Nadicksbernd Field.
William Woods was originally slated to open the year against Christian Brothers for a three-game series last weekend in Memphis. However, due to Winter Storm Nika the series was delayed and pushed to one game set to open a five-game road trip through Tennessee.
Aside from playing the NCAA Division II Buccaneers, the baseball Owls will take on NAIA opponent University of Northwestern Ohio on Friday afternoon in Henderson, Tenn., before closing out the trip with a three-game series at NCCAA Victory University.
WWU returns a heap of talent for a 2013 squad that saw made it to the American Midwest Conference championship game. First-Team All-Conference selection, Stephen Kohler, returns for his senior season, after leading the AMC in hitting with his .418 average. The Wildwood, Mo., native collected a .459 on-base percentage primarily hitting in the two-hole last season.
Kohler will be one of the key table setters for Zach Nichols this season. The senior drove in a team-high 45 RBI's last year, and led the team in slugging with a .581 clip, thanks to 17 extra-base hits and a team-best four homeruns.
On the mound, William Woods will provide a lot of depth, led by University of Missouri transfer Ryan Yuengel. The righty joins the staff after two-years in the Tigers program, and helped UM win the 2012 Big 12 Championship by tossing 0.2 shutout innings against Oklahoma University.
The Owls also return First-Team All-AMC closer Matt Thomas. The crafty lefty picked up his second straight seven save season a year ago, and posted a 1.73 ERA over 26 innings along the way.
Christian Brothers is already two games into the season, and are still looking for its first win after getting swept in a two-game set against Lindenwood University. The Buccaneers allowed a pair of late runs in both games, as they fell 5-3 in game one and 3-2 in game two.
William Woods will take on fellow NAIA team Northwestern Ohio in game two of the five-game trip on Friday afternoon in Henderson, Tenn. The Racers already have a pair of signature wins on the year, as they took two-of-three from No. 8 Tennessee Wesleyan to open the season. First pitch for Fridays' game set for 12 p.m. Â
WWU will conclude its season-opening venture with a three-game series at Victory University. Saturday afternoon will feature a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m., and the weekend will close on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. contest. The Eagles have yet to play a game this season, and will begin its third year of competition after the program was founded back in 2012.
Fans should check back with wwuowls.com to keep up on this weekend's games. Live stats for the Christian Brothers contest back be accessed by clicking here.Â
