FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University baseball team will host its 2014 home opener on Tuesday afternoon, as they will entertain Culver-Stockton College for a non-conference matchup. First pitch from Owls Field is set for 4 p.m.
William Woods (12-3) is coming off a four-game week that saw them go 2-2 over the stretch. The Owls took two of three in their American Midwest Conference season-opening series against Hannibal-LaGrange University, and followed that up with a 13-8 loss at the hands of Central Methodist University on Sunday afternoon.
Culver-Stockton (7-7) comes to Owls Field on a four-game winning streak, and winners of five of its last six contests. The Wildcats swept a four-game set with Robert Morris-Springfield over the weekend. C-SC outscored its opponent 56-5 in the four-game sweep.
Matt Thomas had quite the week for the Owls, as he went 10-of-18 (.555) at the plate with two home runs, three doubles, and 11 RBIs in the four-game week. On the year, Thomas is hitting .375 with a seven extra-base hits and 15 RBIs.
Cody Stewart still leads the team in hitting with his .500 batting average after 15 games. Stewart's batting average is the 12th-best in the NAIA. The Temecula, Calif., native has a team-high 21 hits in 42 at-bats on the season, and has posted a team-best .566 on-base percentage. The speedy centerfield also leads the team in stolen bases, as he is a perfect 6-for-6 on the year.
As a team, William Woods is hitting .312, which is the 12th-best batting average in the country, and has scored 107 runs in 15 games for a 7.1 runs per game average, a mark that is the 14th-highest in the NAIA.
Dane Smith has been the ace of an Owls pitching staff that is posting the 36th-best ERA in the nation at 3.10. The Halls, Tenn., native is currently 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA. The four wins are the 10th most in the NAIA, while the 0.67 ERA is the 22nd-lowest ERA in the country.
Smith has tossed back-to-back complete game one hitters in his last two starts, with the most recent coming against Hannibal-LaGrange last Thursday. The righty threw seven scoreless innings and struck out six to help his team pick up the 9-0 victory. Smith has allowed just two runs in his 27 innings this season.
Culver-Stockton posted 56 runs in its four-game sweep of Robert Morris-Springfield over the weekend. The Wildcats scored a series-high 28 runs in game three to defeat their opponent 28-0. After starting the year 2-6, C-SC has won five of its last six games to get back to the .500 mark at 7-7 coming into Tuesday's game.
Brock Kartheiser lead's a Culver-Stockton offense that is hitting .276 as a team this season. The junior is hitting a team-best .419 with 18 hits in 43 at-bats. Kartheiser leads the Wildcats in hits, doubles (six), triples (one), RBIs (10) and total bases (26).
Cyrus Wimberly and Craig Bastert have each made a team-high four starts on the year, as they headline a pitching staff that has compiled a 3.40 ERA in 14 games. Wimberly leads the team with his 2.52 ERA in 25 innings, but he has yet to pick up a win on the year, as he is 0-2. Bastert's two wins leads the team on the year and has struck out a team-best 29 batters in 21 innings, but he holds a 4.29 ERA.
Culver-Stockton leads the all-time series 16-3, and won last year's only meeting, 6-2. William Woods' last win in the series came back on April 24, 2012 with a 12-11 victory at Owls Field.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2014 season.
