Baseball Embarks on Five-Game Week

LAKELAND, Fla.- After opening the 2023 season going 4-0 at the East/West Challenge last week, Southeastern baseball will look to a new challenge in the form of a five-game week as they host the University of Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and will then hit the road for four contests at the Cajun Collision this weekend.
 
The offense of the No. 1 ranked Fire picked up where it left off in the 2022 season, posting a collective .681 slugging percentage with 34 runs scored on 15 home runs in just four contests. Isaac Nunez had a sensational opening week at the plate, hitting .529 (9-17) with two home runs and an on-base percentage of .556 while newcomer Adonys Herrera led the Fire in run production with six RBI's behind two home runs and a double for a .412 average.
 
On the mound, Darien Smith was near flawless in his Fire debut, tossing 11 strikeouts with just two hits through six innings of work against No. 16 Vanguard University. Andrew Long also had a strong first outing, going 5.1 innings through two appearances including four against No. 2 Lewis-Clark State where he allowed just one earned run on three hits and struck out nine.
 
The Eagles began their season going 3-3 last week after sweeping Trinity Baptist College in a three-game series and dropping three straight to receiving votes Warner University despite narrow outcomes of 6-5, 4-2, and 4-3. Collectively, the Eagles posted a .225 batting average through opening week with Wilbert Vargas leading the way with a .350 average, three doubles, two home runs, and six runs scored. Josh Crawford and Jack Keeler were the two largest contributors to the pitching staff's 2.96 ERA with Crawford tallying 20 strikeouts through 12 innings with Keeler allowing just two earned runs through 11.1.
 
While at the Cajun Collision, the Fire will face Baker University on Friday at 3:30 and will follow that contest with a matchup against No. 23 Loyola University at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Fire will take on No. 14 Central Methodist at 12 p.m. and will round out the trip with a 3:30 p.m. contest against Louisiana Christian University.
 
The Wildcats of Baker University will open their new season this weekend after concluding last season with a 28-26 overall record and trip to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship where they were bested in 11 innings by Clarke University. The Wildcats return all four members of the Heart of America All-Conference Team from last season including their top two run producers in Brian Hawkins and John Rayburn who combined for 96 RBI's and 30 doubles.
 
The No. 23 ranked Wolfpack hold a current 4-2 record and are coming off a four-game sweep of receiving votes Louisiana State University Alexandria. Through their first six contests of the season, the Wolfpack have posted a collective .310 batting average with 5.5 runs per game. Christopher Bohrer leads the offense with a .474 average while Tucker Ganley and Cole Romero each hold three doubles and a team-high six RBI's. The pitching staff has accumulated a 3.42 ERA through 50 innings and have held opponents to a .238 batting average. Stephen Still allowed just on earned run through his first 10 innings of work, striking out 16.
 
Last season, the Fire pulled out a 9-8 victory over the Wolfpack in their first ever meeting.
 
The No. 14 ranked Eagles of Central Methodist have posted a 4-0 record after four wins over Our Lady of the Lake. A collective .353 batting average and .462 slugging percentage puts them at an average of 7.25 runs per game with Jeremy Conforti posting a team-best .400 average and six RBI's. Sebastian Escobar and Alan West both went seven innings without allowing an earned run with West striking out 13 for an average of 16.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
 
The Wildcats of Louisiana Christian also hold a 4-0 record with a series sweep over Dillard to kick off the season. Adrian Aguilar posted a .600 batting average on opening week while Ju'Juan Franklin's eight RBI's and three doubles leads the team. The pitching staff has only allowed one earned run through the first four contests and have held batters to just a .154 batting average.
 
To purchase tickets to Tuesday's home contest against Fort Lauderdale, go to https://southeastern.universitytickets.com/w/?cid=177.