FORT SMITH - UAFS will look to bounce back from its first losses of the season this weekend when the Lions host the West Texas A&M Buffs in a three-game baseball series at Crowder Field.
The series-opening doubleheader will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday with the series finale set for noon on Monday. Live statistics and live stream will be available.
UAFS (6-2) began the season with six-consecutive wins before dropping a doubleheader to Northeastern State on Sunday at Thomas C. Rousey Field in Tahlequah, Okla. The losses ended what was the Lions’ best start since going 9-0 to open the 2015 season.
The Lions are batting 0.262 as a team with 15 extra-base hits – nine doubles, five triples and one home run.
Sophomore catcher Dylan Hurt leads the team in batting average (0.400), and right fielder Logan Allen leads the team in hits (nine), RBIs (eight) and doubles (two). Senior left fielder Dion Williams leads the team in triples (two), and senior center fielder Jace Pitchford leads the team in home runs (one).
The Lions pitching staff has compiled a 3.09 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 19 walks over 64 innings.
Junior right-hander Blake Welch leads all starters in ERA (2.70), senior right-hander Dawson Floyd leads the staff in wins (two), innings (19), complete games (1) and strikeouts (23), and freshman reliever Cooper Van Kooten and senior reliever Ryan McCutcheon are tied for the team lead in saves (one).
West Texas A&M (9-1) has seven games in a row and is coming off a four-game sweep of Adams State this past weekend, during which it outscored Adams State 34-3. Five of the Buffs’ wins this spring have been against Adams State, and their only loss was to Colorado State-Pueblo.
The Buffs are batting 0.318 as a team with 35 extra-base hits, including 23 doubles, five triples and seven home runs.
Senior outfielder Nick Canas leads the team in average (0.441), hits (15), doubles (five) and triples (two) and is tied with seven others for the team lead in home runs (one). Senior outfielder Brodie Bryan leads the team in RBIs (10).
West Texas A&M’s pitching staff has compiled a 2.06 ERA with 101 strikeouts and 44 walks over 83 innings.
Junior left-hander Zach Dixon leads all starters in ERA (0.00), junior right-hander Joe Corbett leads the staff in wins (three), complete games (one), innings (20 2/3) and strikeouts (30) and four different pitchers are tied for the team lead in saves (one).