Fire to Host Cougars and Gyrenes this Week

LAKELAND, Fla.- The No. 4 Southeastern University baseball team is riding a wave of momentum. The Fire have won 12-straight contests and are a perfect 6-0 in Sun Conference play. This past Friday, SEU took the Major League Baseball Detroit Tigers to the brink in a Spring Training Exhibition, as the Tigers had to walk-off against the Fire in front of 4,764 fans 5-4. The Fire also earned a 3-0 sweep over Warner this past week, outscoring the Royals 47-15 and belting 15 home runs throughout the series. The Fire now shift their focus to a non-conference game versus Mount Vernon Nazarene before hosting Ave Maria for a Sun Conference weekend series.

GAMES: COVERAGE:
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FIRE FOCUS:

• SEU leads the NAIA in six offensive statistical categories, including Hits per Game (12.3), Home Runs per Game (3.5), Team Batting Average (.374), and Team Slugging Percentage (.772).
• The Fire are averaging 5.9 extra-base hits per contest in 2020.
• Senior outfielder Zach Cornell has won three-straight Sun Conference Baseball Player of the Weeks. Cornell ranks second in the NAIA in batting average of any player with 40 or more at-bats, hitting a .544 clip. The Cartersville, Georgia native leads the conference in total bases per game, averaging 4.42.
• The Fire pitching staff has posted a 3.33 earned run average through 108 innings of work. SEU arms are averaging 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings as a collective unit.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Bryce Mulcahy has now carried no-hit bids into the sixth inning or later in back-to-back contests. Opposing bats are hitting just .118 off the St. Helens, Oregon native, as he has posted a 3-0 record and 0.78 ERA on the season thus far.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• This will be the first time SEU has taken on Mount Vernon Nazarene since the 2018 season, when Southeastern walked-off against MVNU 7-6 in Lakeland. The Fire and the Cougars met for five consecutive seasons from 2011-15. SEU leads the all-time series 9-3.
• The Fire lead the all-time series versus the Gyrenes 29-8.

THE COUGARS:

• Mount Vernon Nazarene suffered their first loss of the season this past Saturday, as they dropped the series finale to Pikeville 6-5.
• As a team, MVNU is hitting .333 at the plate and on the mound their pitching staff has compiled a 3.29 earned run average in 63 innings pitched.
• Junior infielder Jake Glover leads the Cougars in batting average (.464), hits (13), and is tied for the team lead in total bases (15).
• Senior right-handed pitcher Trenton Wood has been the top-arm for MVNU thus far, posting a 2-0 record, 1.38 ERA, and striking out 13 batters in 13 innings of work.

THE GYRENES:

• Ave Maria picked up its first Sun Conference series win of the season this past weekend, taking two of three from Florida Memorial at home.
• At the plate, the Gyrenes have struggled as a unit, hitting just .231 as a team and striking out in 24.6% of their at-bats.
• Sophomore utility man Jared Halteman has been a bright spot for AMU at the plate thus far, hitting a team best .409 (18-44) and also leading the team in stolen bases at five.
• The Gyrenes' pitching staff has posted a 6.45 ERA in 135.1 innings of work this season.
• True-freshman right-handed pitcher Trey Felker has been the most steady arm for Ave Maria, totaling a 1.03 ERA in four starts and 26.1 innings of work. The Titusville native leads the AMU pitching staff with 23 strikeouts.

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