MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The No. 25 ranked William Woods University baseball team opens its 2015 season with a road series in Tennessee, as the Owls will face Bethel University for the first game of the year and will close the weekend with a three-game series at Division II Christian Brothers University. The first pitch of the opening weekend is Friday at 1:00 p.m.
WWU will take on the Wildcats of Bethel University Friday, in a nine-inning match-up, starting at 1:00 p.m. in McKenzie, Tennessee. Then the squad will travel to Memphis, Tennessee to square off against Division II Christian Brothers University, the three-game series will kick-off on Saturday with a double header starting at 12:00 p.m., while wrapping up the road trip on Sunday with a nine-inning game against the Bucs at 1:00 p.m.
The Owls return several players from the 2014 squad that came off winning the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament title and advancing to the NAIA National Tournament, while finishing the year with a 39-12 overall record, amassing the best winning percentage and the most wins in programs history. The team also won 19 AMC games, which was the second highest amount of conference victories in the last seven years for the team. Among those returners are a first team All-AMC selection and seven honorable mention honorees.
Austin Clapp, the Macon, Missouri native, is a 2014 honorable mention selection and four-year starter for the Owls, he returns for his senior season, as the third baseman ended the 2014 season batting a .335, with a consistent fielding percentage of .914.
Cody Stewart is another senior that is coming off a stellar 2014 season, as the center paced the Owls offensively, batting a .428, while earning honorable mention honors and a Golden-Glove Award. The Temecula, California native will open the season batting in the third hole and will look to use his speed in the outfield.
Nick Spagnola, another 2014 honorable mention selection, will be returning right next to Stewart on the field, as the right fielder will look to build off a .350 batting average and a team-high 23 stolen bases during the 2014 campaign.
On the mound, the Owls return senior
James Ball, the Hillsboro, Missouri native, will look to close his senior season on a strong note, as the 2014 AMC Co-Pitcher of the Year posted 12 saves on the year in 68 innings pitched. He will be an important factor for the Owls bull pin throughout the year, while
Dylan Hastings, another closing pitcher for the Owls, will return to build off a team-best 1.03 ERA in 2014.
This will be the first meeting between Bethel University and William Woods, as the Wildcats are coming off a 24-19 overall record in 2014, while finishing the season 14-16 in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
BU returns four impact players from last season, which includes 2014 Co-Offensive Players of the Year, second baseman Wes Warren and outfielder Gadier Charriez. Warren led the Wildcats, finishing the season hitting a .371 with 52 hits and 36 runs scored, Charriez hit .355 at the plate with 50 hits and posting four home runs on the year. On the rubber, BU returns 2014 Wildcat Pitcher of the Year, Garrett Perry, who totaled a 4-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in 17 appearances.
The Owls weekend series against Division II Christian Brothers University will be the 12
th time meeting against the Bucs, as WWU holds the 7-4 overall record over CBU, which includes last year's season opener, as the Owls came away with a 7-3 victory.
In last year's match-up, WWU found themselves down 3-0 after giving up three quick runs in the first inning, however, the Owls offense was able to rally by putting together six runs in the final four innings to collect a season-opening 7-3 come-from-behind win. William Woods was able to score all seven of its runs on 11 hits, as
Nick Spagnola paced the Owls offensively, going 2-for-5 from the plate and driving in a run.
Ball, will look to have a reciprocal performance from last season opener against the Bucs, as he came in from the bullpen to throw five shutout innings, while striking out four batters in his Owls debut, and did not walk a single Buccaneer on the day.
CBU is coming off a 12-37 overall record in 2014 and a 3-27 Gulf South Conference record, from the Bucs 2014 squad Mac Cooley returns for his senior season, as he paced the Bucs offense hitting a .286 from the plate.
Currently, Christian Brothers University are 2-1 on the 2015 season, as the team had an impressive season-opening double header sweep against Lemoyne-Owen College, outscoring the Magicians 14-4 on the day, back on January 31
st. However, the Bucs are coming off a 10-6 loss in the hands of an AMC foe of the Owls, Freed-Hardman University on Tuesday afternoon.
"I look forward to seeing our group in competition," said head coach
Darren Munns. "Opening weekend is always fun, the guys are tired of beating on each other and ready to play somebody else"
Fans stay updated throughout this weekend for full recaps and scores for the season opening weekend from Tennessee.
