LEADING OFF: The Arkansas State baseball team will prepare for its final Sun Belt Conference weekend series of the year when it hosts Troy May 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium. The Red Wolves come into the series in a tie for second place in the league standings with Texas State after dropping two of three games to Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend. A-State is looking to rebound and improve its standing as a “bubble” team for the NCAA Tournament. A-State will send sophomore RHP David Owen to the mound Friday night, followed by senior co-captain Bradley Wallace Saturday. Junior LHP Chandler Hawkins will get the call on Sunday. All three games can be heard on 95.3FM The Ticket/970AM KNEA and on AStateRedWolves.com. Live video will be provided with a paid subscription to the StateZone.
A-STATE/TROY SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 31st, 32nd and 33rd meetings all-time between the two schools with Troy holding a 24-6 all-time advantage.
• A-State and Troy played each five times last season, including twice in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Red Wolves eliminated the Trojans from the tournament with a 3-2 victory.
• A-State won the final game of a three-game series in Troy last season when it jumped out to a 14-1 lead after three innings but held on late for a 15-14 win.
• The run total was A-State's highest offensive output of 2013.
• This will be Troy's first trip to Jonesboro since the 2011 season.
RIGHT IN THE MIX
• Arkansas State is still very much in the mix for making a late-season at advancing to an NCAA Regional.
• A-State listed as a “Bubble” team by both College Baseball Daily and Baseball America on their latest NCAA Tournament Projections.
• A-State is attempting to make its first postseason appearance since 1994 and just its third overall.
SENIOR DAY
• A-State will honor its five seniors before Saturday's game at The Tom for their hard work and dedication to the Red Wolves program. This year's senior are: Bradley Wallace, Dustin Jones, Cody Woodhouse, Morgan Croft and Zach Maggio.
TAKING DOWN NO. 2
• A-State defeated No.2 Louisiana-Lafayette 6-4 on May 4. The Ragin' Cajuns were the highest ranked team to ever play at Tomlinson Stadium and the highest ranked team that A-State has ever defeated in Jonesboro.
• The highest ranked team A-State had defeated was No. 2 Ole Miss in 2008. A-State defeated the Rebels 7-5 in Oxford.
• Since 2003, A-State is 9-19 against ranked opponents at Tomlinson Stadium. Prior to this year's victory the last home victory over a ranked opponent was during the 2012 season in a 10-5 victory over No. 22 Ole Miss.
FILL THAT STADIUM UP
• The Red Wolves enjoyed their second largest crowd on Tomlinson Stadium history on May 3 when 1,009 people were on hand to watch A-State take on the No. 2 team in the nation Louisiana-Lafayette.
WALLACE TIES CAREER-HIGH
• Senior right-hander Bradley Wallace tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts against No. 2 ULL on May 3.
• Wallace also struck out 12 against Western Kentucky in 2013.
• He is the third A-State pitcher to reach double-digit strikeouts in a game this season (David Owen and Chandler Hawkins have also equaled the feat.)
• Wallace and Cody Woodhouse combined to strikeout 17 in the game, the highest mark for team strikeouts in a single-game this season for A-State.
BAKER RUNS WILD ON THOROUGHBREDS
• In two games against Murray State this season, Austin Baker has a tremendous amount of success.
• He has totaled eight RBIs, seven hits and 18 total bases in those two games and set school records for total bases in a single home and tied the school record for home runs in a single game with 3.
