FULTON, Mo. -- After a success four-game home stand, the William Woods University baseball team embarks on a four-game road trip starting with a three-game American Midwest Conference series against the Williams Baptist College Eagles. The series opens on Friday afternoon with a nine-inning game starting at 3 p.m., and concludes on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
William Woods (22-7, 10-5 AMC) enters this weekend's series winners of nine of its last 11 games. In that stretch, the Owls have won eight AMC games, which has lifted them to fourth place in league standings. The winning streak has also enabled WWU to receive votes in the most recent NAIA Top 25 Poll.
More recently, WWU has won three of its previous four game, with starting pitching being the reason behind the success. The trio of Dane Smith, John Cavness, and Bubba Bradshaw went a combined 3-0 in their last three starts. The group has posted a 0.85 ERA over their last 21 inning of work, and has struck out 14 batters and allowed just three walks.
This recent run of quality starts is no fluke for William Woods, as the team holds a staff ERA of 3.68, which is the second-best in the AMC. The staff also hold the second-best strikeouts per nine ratio at 6.2.
Closer James Ball leads the conference in ERA with his 1.71 clip. The right-handed pitcher has been dominate in the backend of the Owls pen this season, as he has picked up a conference-leading eight saves this season, which is the most by an Owls pitcher since Alex Cann saved 12 games back in 2011.
Starters like Smith and Cavness has helped setup Ball for numerous saves this season. The starting duo are both tied for fourth in the league for wins, as both pitcher has collected five victories this season. Smith is second in the AMC in strikeouts with 39, and 10th in ERA at 2.92. While the left-handed Cavness is also in the top 15 in the conference in ERA with his 3.55 mark.
Not only has William Woods succeeded on the mound this year, but also at the plate. The WWU offense is one of the best in the league, as they rank inside the top three in several offensive categories.
The Owls are the second-best team in the league in batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.417) and stolen bases (73). The high batting average has allowed them to be the third-highest scoring team in the AMC, as they have driven in 190 runs and scored 259 times.
Centerfielder Cody Stewart leads the way for Owl offense with his .429 batting average, which is second-highest in the league. The Temecula, Calif., native also holds a .500 on-base percentage, and has scored 31 runs his season. Stewart has also displayed a lot of speed on the base paths, as he is a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen bases.
Zach Nichols (.382), Austin Clapp (.379), and Nick Spagnola (.379) also rank inside the conference's top 10 in batting average. Nichols is also tied for fifth in the AMC in RBI with 27, and tied for sixth in doubles with nine.
Matt Thomas is the team's leading RBI man, as he has driven in 32 runners, a mark that is tied for the second-most in the league. The left-handed hitter is also tied for second in doubles this season with 11.
Williams Baptist (5-22, 0-15 AMC) comes into this weekend's series looking to snap a 23-game regular season losing streak in conference play. The Eagles have yet to win a game in league play this season, and have not won an AMC contest in nearly a year, as they defeated Harris-Stowe on April 6, 2013.
The Eagles have not won a game since March 1, as they are bringing in a 15-game losing streak coming into Friday's game.
WBC ranks last in the conference in every major offensive category. They hold a .244 team batting average, and have only collected 192 hits and drove in 85 runs.
Despite the low team rankings, Kendall Fay has still be able to put together a strong 2014 season. The shortstop leads the team in batting average (.342), extra-base hits (8), and runs scored (21).
Just like its offensive numbers, Williams Baptist holds the worse ERA in the conference at 8.14. Cade Sawyer has been the team's best starter this season, as he is 2-1 with a 5.79 ERA in four starts this season.
William Woods swept the four-game series against WBC last season, and holds the all-time series lead at 42-11.
