LAKELAND, Fla. - Currently on a three game win streak, the Fire baseball team is set for a full week of action. Games will commence on Tuesday and proceed all the way through the end of the week on Sunday as the Fire look to improve upon their already impressive start.
Game 21-22: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. University of St. Francis (8-5, Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference 0-0)
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Game 23: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Spring Arbor University (3-8, Crossroads League 0-0)
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Game 24: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Lawrence Tech University (1-10, Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference 1-8)
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Game 25-26: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Purdue University-Northwest (4-2, Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference 0-0)
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Game 27: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Concordia (Mich.) (17-4, Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference 7-2)
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Game 28: Southeastern University (19-1, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Mt. Marty (2-2, Great Plains Athletic Conference 0-0)
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Sun Conference Leader:
- Luis Diaz is having a career year thus far. The Miami native is leading the team with a .494 batting average, 27 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Diaz's stolen base figure leads all of the Sun Conference and ranks 15th in all of the NAIA.
- Not only does Diaz lead the Sun Conference, but he leads the nation in triples with six.
The Sluggers:
- Gerald Ceballos has been on a tear as of late. In the last week of play, the Sterling College transfer posted a .636 batting average and an on base percentage of .711. Ceballos has three home runs to his name, as well as, 21 RBIs.
- Alex Stephens, is hitting an impressive .449 in 19 games, with three home runs, six doubles, and an on base percentage of .453.
- As a collective group, the Fire are hitting .360 as a team which is good for ninth in all of the NAIA.
The Staff:
- There will be a plethora of innings to go around this week for the Fire's pitching staff, but luckily for Southeastern, they possess the arms to get the job done.
- Kade Wagner has been a staple in the Fire's weekend rotation. Wagner, a redshirt senior from Riverton, Utah, struck out five batters and, at one point throughout the game, retired 11 St. Xavier hitters in a row in his last outing.
- As a unit, the Fire pitching staff contains a sub-three ERA and is holding opposing hitters to just a .239 average.
- Adrian Rivera and John Jaegar anchor the bullpen with 0.00 and 0.75 ERAs, respectfully.
About the Fighting Saints:
- Leading the charge offensively for the Fighting Saints is Pat Michalak. The left-handed hitting outfielder collected 13 hits in 39 at bats for a .382 average. A native of New Lenox, Illinois, Michalak is getting on base in half of his plate appearances.
- If the Fighting Saints get in a position where they need to close the door, Dan Darling is there to seal the deal. Darling, who has only surrendered one hit in his six appearances, ranks 7th in all of the NAIA in saves (4).
- In the last meeting with the Fire, the Fighting Saints captured a 13-12 win in Lakeland, Fla.
About the Cougars:
- The Cougars of Spring Arbor are off to a less than favorable start in the 2017 campaign. After a 1-8 start, the Cougars have been able to string together a pair of wins in their last two games.
- Alex Holley has matched his home run total from last year just 11 games into the season. The senior infielder, launched two towering drives against Ave Maria in their 7-2 loss.
- Chris Triplett has been seeing the ball well at the plate, hitting .333 with a slugging percentage of .433.
- In their previous meeting, Spring Arbor fell to the Fire 7-6.
About the Blue Devils:
- Sean Fannon has been a bright spot for this Blue Devils hitting, .313 with three home runs and eight RBIs.
- When Brian Harris reaches base, more times than not he is stealing. Harris has reached base 10 times this season and has swiped six bases.
- The Blue Devils scuffle defensively ranking 31st in all of the NAIA in errors per game, averaging 2.182.
Purdue Northwest:
- In recent news, the NCAA accepted Purdue Northwest to be a part of the Division II level beginning with the 2017-18 school year.
- Thus far, the Pride have outscored opponents 51-41 with the majority of the damage coming in the second inning.
- Jordan Petty has been tough code to crack for hitters this year. In his first outing of the season the freshman allowed just one hit and struck out 12 batters.
- Jake Lindeman is on an offensive tear, hitting .429 while driving in eight runs.
Concordia:
- The Cardinals have throttled opponents this season outscoring teams 169-82.
- Blaine Milheim ranks 4th in all of the NAIA with 12 doubles. The sophomore from Eaton Rapids, Michigan is hitting .455 with 30 hits and 16 RBIs. He also leads the team with 11 stolen bases.
- In six starts Jimmy Mckane has been lights out. Posting a 1.54 ERA thus far, Mckane has struck out, a team leading, 27 batters in 35 innings of work.
- As a group, the Cardinal pitching staff contains a 3.05 ERA and has struck out 106 batters.
Mount Marty:
- Coming off of a 23-27 2016 season, the Lancers are headed by Andy Bernatow in his 13th season.
- In a span of six days, the Lancers will play a total of 11 games.
- Both Skyler Cary, and Justin Miller are off to hot starts possessing virtually identical numbers hitting .625 which is good for the top batting average in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The two men contain on base percentages of .700 and .769, respectively.
- On the slab Dakota Stone has only allowed five hits and has struck out five.
For updates on the action, follow @SEUFireBaseball on Twitter.
