Games 26-28
ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES (15-10, 5-1)
at Troy Trojans (12-12, 2-4)
March 30-April 1, 2012 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m.
Riddle-Pace Field (2,000) Troy, Alabama
Radio: 95.3 FM & KNEA 970 AM & AStateRedWolves.com
TV: Saturday's Game - The Sun Belt Network & ESPN3.com
LiveStats at AStateRedWolves.com
LEADING OFF: The Arkansas State Red Wolves (15-10, 5-1) return to Sun Belt Conference action this weekend when they travel to Troy, Ala. to take on the Troy Trojans (12-12, 2-4) in a three-game series that gets underway Friday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m. Saturday's game is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised live by the Sun Belt Network and ESPN3.com, and the Sunday finale is set to get underway at 1:00 p.m. All ASU baseball games may be heard on 95.3 FM and KNEA 970 AM, and through the StateZone portion of AStateRedWolves.com. LiveStats may also be accessed by logging on to AStateRedWolves.com.
THE TEAMS: Arkansas State will take the field Wednesday on a four-game win streak after defeating SEMO 10-5 and UAPB 4-2 in midweek action. The Red Wolves also won Saturday and Sunday to claim last weekend's Sun Belt Conference series at Louisiana-Lafayette. A-State lost the Friday opener 9-2, but regrouped to even the series Saturday with a 6-4 win over the Cajuns, then secured the series victory with an 8-7 win Sunday afternoon. After two weekends of Sun Belt Conference play, the Red Wolves are in a first-place tie with Florida Atlantic and South Alabama at 5-1. Troy comes into Friday's opener at 2-4 in Sun Belt Conference play after losing its first two series of the season. The Trojans lost two of three at South Alabama two weeks ago and dropped two of three at UALR last week, winning the Saturday contest on both weekends. Senior right-hander Tyler Ray is the Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year and will make the start on the mound when the series opens Friday. Ray is 2-2 on the season with an ERA of 3.27 - part of a pitching staff with a team ERA of 4.26. First baseman Logan Pierce leads the Troy batting attack, hitting .375, with preseason All-SBC shortstop Tyler Hannah next at .330.
SATURDAY'S GAME TO BE TELEVISED: Red Wolves fans in Jonesboro may view Saturday's game live on Suddenlink channel 119 (Cox Sports Television). Other locations should check local listings for availability. The game will also be available live on ESPN3.com, and will also be archived 20 minutes following the conclusion of the game for viewing at any time.
THE TROY SERIES: Troy holds a 19-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams. Both of the Red Wolves' victories over the Trojans came during the 2010 season, when ASU defeated Troy 5-4 in game one of a three-game series at Riddle-Pace Field, and again in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament when A-State won 12-2. In the most recent matchup, Troy swept ASU in a three-game series in Jonesboro during the 2011 season, winning the three games by a total of four runs. Ranked No. 21 at the time, Troy won 1-0, 2-1 and 5-3 during the weekend.
ON THE MOUND FOR ASU: Senior right-hander Jacob Lee will get the start on the mound when the series opens Friday night, making his seventh start of the season. Lee has worked 36.1 innings on the year, striking out 34 batters. He has given up 15 runs (14 earned) on 36 hits, walked 14 batters and has an ERA of 3.47. Junior right-hander Daniel Wright will get the start on the mound in Saturday's game two. Wright has made seven appearances on the season, starting in six games. Wright has given up 22 runs (14 earned) in 37.0 innings of work. He has 31 strikeouts to his credit, has walked 10 batters and given up 38 hits. Wright's ERA stands at 3.56 heading into the weekend. Arkansas State has not announced a starter for the Sunday game.
ANOTHER STOLEN BASE FOR FAULKNER: Junior Michael Faulkner stole his 20th base of the season Wednesday night against UAPB, and goes into this weekend's series at Troy ranked fourth nationally following games played March 25. Faulkner also ranks second nationally in stolen bases per game at 0.9. Faulkner's 20 stolen bases also lead the Sun Belt Conference. Faulkner is just nine stolen bases away from tying the ASU single-season stolen base record of 29, set by Jerome Miller in 1978.
CAREER DAY FOR WRIGHT: Junior starting pitcher Daniel Wright struck out a career-high nine batters in 6.2 innings to pick up the win in ASU's 6-4 victory at ULL March 24. Wright, a former walk-on, retired 19 of the first 22 batters he faced, including the first nine. He held the Cajuns to .200 hitting on the day, 78 points below their team batting average, gave up just five hits and did not issue a walk. He threw 103 pitches on the day and his nine strikeouts are the most for any ASU player in a game this year.
UNDEFEATED IN WEEKEND SERIES: Following the Red Wolves 2-1 series win at ULL last weekend, ASU improved to 4-0 in weekend series action, defeating Evansville, South Dakota State, UALR and ULL.
STRONG PERFORMANCE BY JOHNSON: Third baseman Claude Johnson hit .538 in the March 23-25 series against ULL. Johnson went 7-for-13 with two doubles and three runs scored. Johnson's four hits in Saturday's game ties the most for an ASU player in a single game this season. Johnson added one hit against SEMO March 27, and two more against UAPB March 28 and goes into the weekend series with Troy hitting a team-best .358, which also ranks seventh in the SBC.
McWILLIAMS, KYLE TAME LIONS: After Arkansas State gave up a pair of first-inning runs to visiting UAPB March 28, relievers Seth McWilliams and Cory Kyle came in to shut out the Golden Lions for the final 8.1 innings in the 4-2 ASU victory. McWilliams worked 4.1 innings to pick up his third win of the season, giving up no runs on two hits, with three strikeouts. Kyle worked the final four frames, retiring the final 12 batters he faced to earn his first save of the year. He struck out six batters and allowed just two hits, and neither Kyle nor McWilliams walked a batter on the night.
STREAKING: Junior catcher Ryan Roberts brings a team-best seven-game hit streak into this weekend's action at Troy. Freshman Collin Massanelli has reached base in all 14 games in which he has played during the season, and has gotten at least one hit 13 of those games. Sophomores Dustin Jones and Claude Johnson have each gotten a hit in five consecutive games heading into the Troy series.
FIRST ROAD WIN: ASU's March 24, 6-4 victory over the Cajuns was the Red Wolves' first true road victory of the season. Arkansas State defeated Dayton 9-3 March 9 on a neutral field at Clarksville, Tenn. for what was previously its only victory away from Jonesboro.
FIRST SAVE FOR WALLACE: Sophomore Bradley Wallace earned his first save of the season in Saturday's 6-4 victory, working the final 2.1 innings. The save was the third of Wallace's career.
SECOND STRAIGHT SWEEP: The Red Wolves posted their second straight sweep of in-state and Sun Belt Conference rival UALR March 16-18. Arkansas State opened their 2012 SBC slate against the Trojans and won 7-3, 2-3 and 8-4 to notch their sixth consecutive win against UALR. The Red Wolves also swept the Trojans to close out the 2011 regular season.
SECOND STRAIGHT SWEEP, PART II: The Red Wolves three-game sweep of UALR was the second consecutive weekend sweep when playing the same opponent in all three weekend games. Arkansas State also posted a three-game sweep over South Dakota State March 2-4, whipping the Jackrabbits 15-5, 12-7 and 10-1.
LEE OUTSTANDING AGAINST UALR: Senior Jacob Lee was outstanding in his Friday night start against UALR. Against the top-hitting team in the conference, Lee struck out seven batters and gave up just five hits – four of which were singles – to earn the win in ASU's 7-3 victory over the Trojans. Lee held the Trojans, who were hitting .328 and leading the Sun Belt in almost every offensive category, to a .200 batting average as a team and carried a shutout into the eighth inning.
ASU PITCHING STAFF SHUTS DOWN UALR: Facing the league leader in almost every offensive category over the weekend, the Arkansas State pitching staff was outstanding in shutting down UALR's offensive attack. The Red Wolves held UALR to a .194 batting average and just six multiple-base hits on the weekend – and no home runs. The Trojans came into the series with the league's best batting average at .328. Seven ASU pitchers combined to post an ERA of 2.25 against the Trojans, which had scored 10 or more runs in eight of their last ten games. In the three-game series against the Trojans, the ASU pitchers struck out 26 batters while giving up just 19 hits and nine total runs.
TRIO NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT: Juniors Michael Faulkner, Ryan Roberts and Logan Uxa were all named to the Austin Peay Riverview Inn All-Tournament team for their performances at the classic March 9-11. Faulkner hit .592 with a triple, Uxa hit .416 with a two doubles and a home run and Roberts hit .428 and from his catcher position threw out two baserunners trying to steal.
EXTRA INNINGS: Arkansas State's 11-inning game March 11 against Austin Peay was the Red Wolves' first extra-inning game of the season. The game lasted 4:35 and saw the Red Wolves battle back from a 9-3 deficit after five innings. Arkansas State tied the game in the ninth on an RBI single from first baseman Michael George before falling 10-9 in the 11th to the Governors. The Red Wolves evened their record to 1-1 in extra innings games this season against UALR March 17, posting a 3-2, 10-inning win to clinch the SBC series.
LEE ON PACE: Senior right-hander Jacob Lee is on pace to become the Red Wolves' career strikeout leader. With 228 strikeouts in his career and 34 on the season, the 2011 preseason SBC Pitcher of the Year needs 24 strikeouts to break the 40-plus year-old record of 251 set by Rusty Bourg in 1967-70.
BIG WEEK FOR FAULKNER: Junior Michael Faulkner was outstanding for ASU in its five games during the week of March 6-11. Faulkner hit .417 and was a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen base attempts. Faulkner went 10-for-24 at the plate with a triple, 7 runs scored and a pair of RBIs. He posted a slugging percentage of .500, drew three walks and was hit by a pitch, for an on-base percentage of .500 as well. He was named to the Austin Peay Riverview Inn All-Tournament team after hitting .592 with a triple and stealing six bases in the tournament.
OFFENSE COMES ALIVE: The Arkansas State offense exploded for 37 runs in the Red Wolves' three-game sweep over South Dakota State March 2-4, blasting 40 hits along the way. The Red Wolves slugged eight doubles, two triples and two home runs in the three games against the Jackrabbits and posted a team batting average of .354. ASU's 37 runs in the series was the most since the Red Wolves scored 38 against New Orleans in 2010.
KYLE SHUTS DOWN JACKRABBITS: With a 30 mph wind blowing out that had already played a part in five runs through the first four innings for South Dakota State, senior reliever Cory Kyle went to the mound and shut down the Jackrabbits through the final five innings, striking out six in ASU's 15-5 win March 2. Kyle picked up the win after holding the Jackrabbits to just one hit after SDSU had belted out eight in the first four frames. Kyle allowed just two baserunners in the final five innings, walking one and giving up one single.
EMERY COMES THROUGH: Junior outfielder/designated hitter Ryan Emery led the ASU batting attack during the week of Feb. 20-26, hitting .467 with two game-winning RBI hits to help the Red Wolves to a 4-2 record. With the Red Wolves trailing 4-3 in the eighth inning of game two against Evansville, Emery hit a two-run single to erase the deficit and send home the winning run in ASU's 5-4 win. He came up big again in the Sunday finale, delivering an RBI single up the middle in the eighth that again proved to be the winning run in a 3-2 victory for the Red Wolves. For the week, Emery went 7-for-15 with four RBIs, a run scored, a walk and a sacrifice.
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOME DEBUT: With their 11-3 victory over Murray State Feb. 22, Red Wolves extended their winning streak in home openers to 22 games, a run that dates back to the 1991 season.
4-K INNING FOR FARLEY: Arkansas State senior right-hander Brandon Farley notched a rare four-strikeout inning in the Red Wolves' 11-3 victory over Murray State Feb. 22. After Murray State's Ty Stetson reached on a dropped third strike to lead off the seventh inning, Farley proceeded to mow down the next three batters to close out the frame with four strikeouts. Farley faced seven batters on the afternoon, striking out five without giving up a hit or issuing a walk.
FIRST WIN FOR SHORDON: True freshman Levi Shordon made the most of his first career start against Murray State Feb. 22, picking up the win in ASU's 11-3 victory. In four innings of work, the lefty from Simi Valley, Calif. gave up just three hits and one run, while striking out one. Shordon gave up the run in the first, then settled in and pitched three and one-thirds innings of shutout baseball to earn his first win.
CAREER HIGH FOR FAULKNER: Arkansas State junior Michael Faulkner drove in a career-high four runs in the Red Wolves' 11-3 victory over Murray State Feb. 22. Faulkner's previous career high was three runs, set in 2001 against Memphis and again against Louisiana-Lafayette.
MOTHER NATURE UNKIND: The Red Wolves came up on the short end of a 2-1 score against Lamar in the season opener, with both the Cardinals and Mother Nature playing a role in the loss. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the ninth, Arkansas State was poised to tie the game or take the lead when the game was called due to weather. The Red Wolves had runners at first and second with just one out when heavy rainfall forced officials to call the game, giving Lamar the win.
STRONG DEBUT FOR LEE: Arkansas State senior Jacob Lee was outstanding in the season opener for the Red Wolves, striking out five batters in six shutout innings of work on the road at Lamar. Lee walked just one batter and surrendered just five hits – all singles.
FIRST HOME RUN: Arkansas State sophomore Claude Johnson slugged his first career home run during the Red Wolves' opening weekend at Lamar. Johnson went 1-for-2 in Sunday's finale to notch the home run. As a freshman last year, Johnson hit .220, going 11-for-50 with three doubles and two RBIs.
NEWCOMERS SHINE: Newcomers Stuart Levy and Drew Burks both enjoyed solid outings in their first two games as Red Wolves during opening weekend, each hitting .333 in a pair of games against Lamar. Burks, a junior transfer from Coffeyville CC, started at DH and went 2-for-6 with a double and a walk to post an on-base percentage of .429. Levy, a true freshman from Little Rock, drew one start at catcher and went 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch to record an on-base percentage of .500.
ASU IN SEASON OPENERS: The Red Wolves are 32-32 all-time on opening day. Arkansas State dropped its season opener Feb. 17, falling 2-1 on the road at Lamar. The Red Wolves are 2-2 in season openers under head coach Tommy Raffo, defeating Texas State 4-3 in 2009 and Southern Illinois 14-5 in 2010.
SUCCESS UNDER RAFFO: Arkansas State has won two games at the Sun Belt Conference tournament each of the past two seasons under fourth-year head coach Tommy Raffo. Prior to Raffo's coming to Jonesboro, Arkansas State had not won a game at the SBC Tournament since the 1997 season. The Red Wolves advanced to the tournament semifinals in 2010 and went 2-1 in pool play a year ago - with the only setback being a 13-inning loss to eventual runner-up Florida International.
