Game 15-17 • Austin Peay • Tomlinson Stadium & Kell Field • Jonesboro, Ark.
vs. Austin Peay (7-4, 0-0 MVC) - Friday, March 11, 6 p.m.
Sr. RHP Andy Ferguson (1-1, 5.73 ERA) vs. Soph. LHP Zach Toney (1-0, 2.45 ERA)
vs. Austin Peay (7-4, 0-0 MVC) - Saturday, March 12, 4 p.m.
Jr. RHP Jacob Lee (0-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. Sr. LHP Jack Snodgrass (0-0, 1.69 ERA)
vs. Austin Peay (7-4, 0-0 MVC) - Sunday, March 13, 1 p.m
Sr. RHP Brad Allen (2-0, 3.72 ERA) vs. Jr. LHP Jeremy Dobbs (2-0, 5.00 ERA)
GAME TIME: The Red Wolves enter their fourth weekend of baseball action hosting OVC foe, Austin Peay State this weekend for a three game series beginning with Friday's 6 p.m. start. ASU then faces the Governors on Saturday at 4 p.m. and wrap the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. ASU is 2-0 against the Ohio Valley Conference this season after sweeping the season series against Murray State.
THE OPPONENT: Austin Peay stands at 7-4 overall after splitting a midweek series with South Dakota State, winning 10-7 on Tuesday and dropping the Wednesday contest 2-8. The Governors big wins of the season have been a 3-0 sweep of Valpo (7-3, 11-10, 7-3) and a win over Illinois State (5-4) and Eastern Michigan (10-5).
The Governors will pitch three LHP this weekend starting with Zach Toney who currently carries a 2.45 ERA and a 1-0 record in three appearances while leading the team with 19 strikeouts. Next up for the Gov's is Jack Snodgrass who owns a 0-0 record and a 1.69 ERA in two starts. He also has 10 strikeouts and has held opponents to a .167 average. The Sunday starter for APSU will be Jeremy Dobbs who is 2-0 on the year with a 5.00 ERA. He ranks third on the team with 14 strikeouts and has pitched nine innings in three relief appearances and has held opponents to a .205 batting average.
Freshman second baseman Jordan Hankins had a 10-game hitting streak snapped in Wednesday's game against South Dakota State but leads the team and the OVC with a .590 batting average and 23 hits. He ranks second on the team with 13 RBI and third with 10 runs scored. Michael Blanchard ranks second on the team with a .448 batting average and 13 hits. Rolando Gautier is third with a .390 average and ranks second with 15 hits. John Hogan leads the team with 15 RBI and three home runs while ranking third with 14 hits and a .326 average.
THE SERIES: ASU leads the all-time series against the Governors 6-3 and hold a 3-2 advantage in Jonesboro. The teams have not played since the 1999 season when they split a two-game series.
HITTING STREAK: Senior first baseman Jordan Castaldo currently leads the Red Wolves with a 23-game hitting streak which dates back to last season and currently ranks second in A-State history behind Kevin Tate who had the longest hitting streak in school history with a 28-game streak in 1991. Castaldo is currently tied with Josh Yates' hitting streak of 23-games which spanned the 2006-07 seasons.
SEASON SWEEP: With its 5-1 win over Murray State Wednesday the Red Wolves completed a season-sweep of the Thoroughbreds. Earlier this season ASU picked up an 8-4 win at Tomlinson Stadium over Murray earlier this season.
CLOSING OUT GAMES: The Red Wolves have been able to close out games they are leading this year and have used the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to score the bulk of its runs; scoring 10 in all three innings this season. ASU has also put up a big inning in the second scoring nine runs this year in the second inning. ASU is also 6-0 when leading after six and seven innings and 5-0 when leading after eight.
BATTING LEADERS: Sophomore outfielder Ryan Emery and Castaldo lead the Red Wolves with .425 and .386 batting averages, respectively and are tied for the lead with 17 hits each. Castaldo has also logged seven doubles this season. Tyler Smith leads the team with nine RBI. Todd Baumgartner ranks second on the team with 12 hits and has hit the lone home run for the squad this season. Outfielder Michael Faulkner 4-5 3-4 on stolen bases this year, which leads the team. Castaldo, Faulkner and Baumgartner also leads the team with 10 runs scored.
PITCHING LEADERS: ASU has four relief pitchers who have yet to give up an earned run led by senior pitcher Sam Jew who has pitched 12.2 scoreless innings for the Red Wolves and ranks third on the team with 14 strikeouts. Cory Kyle has pitched 13.2 innings in relief for a 2.63 earned run average, he also has two saves for ASU. Jacob Lee leads the team with 19 strikeouts and own s the lowest ERA of the usual starters With a 3.00 ERA. He has made three appearances and ranks second on the team with 18.0 IP. Brad Allen leads the team with 19.1 innings pitched and has allowed just eight earned runs while ranking second with 15 strikeouts. He has four appearances and three starts.
DOUBLE STEAL: In their first win of the season ASU ASU picked up a 8-4 win over OVC foe Murray State. Red Wolves centerfielder Michael Faulkner and third baseman Zach Maggio pulled off a double-steal against the Thoroughbreds, which was one of two steals in the contest for Faulkner. Faulkner led the Red Wolves against Murray State with three hits and two runs scored.
BAUMGARTNER ON THE HILL: Senior Todd Baumgartner has been viewed as a utility man throughout most of his career, but something he has never done has been pitch, well that changed over the weekend when the 6-1 right-hander took the mound for ASU pitching 1.2 innings to close out the game against No. 13 Virginia. Baumgartner held his own, facing seven batters allowing just two hits and no earned runs.
LEE PRESEASON SBC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Arkansas State junior starting pitcher Jacob Lee was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year announced the league last week. Lee also earned a Preseason All-Conference nod.
Lee is the top returning pitcher for the Red Wolves from last season whose pitching staff ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference. Lee had a team-best 3.80 ERA and worked to a 8-3 record including 92.1 innings pitched. Lee struck out a team-best 83 batters and held opponents to a .246 batting average. He owned a 6-2 record in league play and helped the Red Wolves to a 12-2 victory against Troy in the 2010 Sun Belt Conference tournament for which he earned all-tournament honors.
BAUMGARTNER EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE NOD: Senior outfielder Todd Baumgartner was named to the Sun Belt Conference preseason all-conference team. Baumgartner has one of the top returning bats for the Red Wolves and was a 2010 All-Sun Belt Conference selection. Last season, Baumgartner ranked second on the team with 42 RBI and had a .336 batting average. He also had 74 hits, 49 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. In the field, he was nearly perfect committing just one error in 112 chances for a .991 fielding percentage.
BASEBALL AMERICA ALL-SBC PRESEASON: Sophomore outfielder and junior RHP Jacob Lee earned preseason all-SBC honors by Baseball America. The Red Wolves were tabbed to finish sixth in the standings while Faulkner was called the best leadoff hitter in the league by Baseball America and Lee was tabbed as the second best pro prospect in the conference.
TOP RETURNERS: Although the Red Wolves lost its top bat from last year to the Kansas City Royals organization, ASU returns three of its top four batters from last year. Senior infielder Jordan Castaldo has ASU's top returning bat with a .363 batting average from last season. Castaldo had 74 hits with 30 runs scored and 39 RBI. Castaldo led ASU with 20 doubles and two home runs.
Todd Baumgartner was named preseason all-conference and ranks second among ASU returners with a .336 batting average with 84 hits, 49 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He also was nearly perfect in the field with a .991 fielding percentage.
Michael Faulkner earned all-tournament honors last season after posting a .336 batting average which ranks second among returners and was third last year as a true freshman in 2010. Faulkner has 23 stolen bases last year and 55 runs scored on 81 hits. He also had 25 RBI.
On the hill, ASU gets a pair of hot starters back in senior Andy Ferguson and junior Jacob Lee, who was named SBC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Ferguson started in 15 games for the Red Wolves and made 16 appearances overall as the Red Wolves usual Friday night starter, he led the Red Wolves starters with 101.1 innings pitched surrendering just 118 hits and 53 earned runs for a 4.71 ERA and is one of the Red Wolves top returning pitchers from last year. He pitched one complete game and shared a shutout. Walked just 30 batters on the year and held opposing batters to just .291 batting average while recording 74 strikeouts
DICKINSON NAMED ASSISTANT COACH: Dickinson brings 10 years of coaching experience to the Red Wolves including four years at the Division I level working as a pitching coach at the University of Washington. During his career, Dickinson has worked with numerous Major League Baseball prospects including 2010 MLB All-Stars Tim Lincecum, John Lester and Evan Meek.
Overall, Dickinson coached 13 drafted pitchers including a first and second round pick while at Washington. Dickinson served as an assistant coach at Montesano High School in 2009-10 where he led the squad to a 21-4 first-place league finish and an appearance in the state playoffs.
Prior to his appointment at Washington, Dickinson served as head coach at Edmonds Community College where he led the squad to a third-place finish in the NWAACC Tournament and a 75-16 record as head coach, including a 40-8 conference mark.
Dickinson also served as head coach at Skyline High School in Issaquah in 2003, guiding the team to a 14-7 overall mark and a 13-5 conference record. He also served as pitching coach at Edmonds CC in 2000 and 2001.
Aside from his work at Edmonds and Skyline, Dickinson has also served as pitching coach at Taylor Baseball, a top youth summer program, since 2001. Taylor took third place in the national AAU tournament in 2001 and in 2002, finished second at the USA Baseball Federation national tournament. During the 2005 summer season, Taylor finished second at the USABF World Series and completed the season with a 59-7-1 record.
A native of Aberdeen, Wash., Dickinson graduated from Montesano High in 1994. After one year at Green River CC, he played three seasons of college baseball as a pitcher at Alabama-Birmingham, lettering in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 1999, he earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from UAB.
WREN NAMED VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH: A native of Hattiesburg, Miss., Wren joins the ASU staff after spending the last six years as owner and instructor of Wren Baseball and Softball Academy in Hattiesburg. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Petal (Miss.) High School, where he coached the school's hitters to the highest team batting average in school history during the 2003-04 season. Following his time at Petal High School, Wren was the offensive manager and hitting coach for the Baton Rouge River Bats, an independent professional team in Baton Rouge, La.
Wren began his collegiate baseball career at Southern Mississippi, where he was named a freshman All-American following the 1996 season and first-team All-Conference USA following the 1997 season. He transferred to Mississippi State prior to his senior season and earned first-team All-SEC honors and third-team All-America honors as a first baseman following the 1999 season.
Following his career at Mississippi State, Wren was drafted in the 33rd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent three seasons in the Dodgers organization, playing for the Yakima Bears, the Vero Beach Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers during 2001 spring training.
