Shreveport– The Centenary baseball team will take the field on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a year as the Gents open their 2021 regular season at home versus the Louisiana College Wildcats in a non-conference game set for 3 p.m. at Shehee Stadium.
The Gents' 2020 promising season was limited to just 13 games due to COVID-19 as Centenary picked up a 10-7 extra-inning victory over La Verne on March 1, 2020 in California. The Maroon and White finished the abbreviated season 9-4 and showed a strong offense as they scored 10 or more runs five times including 12 or more four times.
Centenary is predicted to finish third in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season by the league's coaches based on balloting in the annual preseason coaches' poll, it was announced last week. The Gents, as is the case every season, are primed to make a run at the conference title and a potential NCAA Tournament berth this season.
The Gents are led by 11th-year head coach Mike Diaz, who owns a 219-165-1 overall record (.567 winning percentage) and a stellar 81-29 (.736) record in SCAC games. Diaz has led the Gents to SCAC regular season titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018. In 2017, the Gents made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, becoming only the third Centenary athletics team (and the first in more than a decade) to reach NCAA postseason play. Diaz was named the SCAC Coach of the Year in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018. He was also named the West Region Coach of the Year by D3Baseball.com in 2017.
Senior outfielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas) returns this season to anchor the offense. Crowder led the team in six offensive categories last season and ranked second in four and third in another. He played in all 13 games last season and hit .389 (second on team) in 54 at-bats with 21 hits and 13 runs scored. He had nine extra-base hits and led the team in home runs (four), doubles (four), and tied for second with one triple. He was named the SCAC Baseball Hitter of the Week on Feb. 10, 2020 as he batted .400 (4-10) with three home runs, six RBI, six runs scored, and three walks in leading the Gents to a 3-0 start to open the season. He had a team-leading 18 RBI and posted a .459 on-base percentage and led the team in slugging at .722. He had eight multi-hit games and a three-hit game on Feb. 22 versus Eureka. He also hit two home runs and had four RBI on Feb. 8 versus ETBU.
Fellow senior Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) played in all 13 games as well and ranked in the top three on the team in eight different statistical categories and ranked fourth on the team with a .407 on-base percentage. He batted .327, third on the team, with 17 hits in 52 at-bats and 10 RBI. He had four multi-hit games including a three-hit game in the first half of a doubleheader against ETBU on Feb. 8. He had a four-hit performance on Feb. 22 versus Edgewood.
Ludwick is also one of the top returning pitchers for the Gents as well this season, as he went 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA with two starts and made four total appearances in 2020. He allowed seven runs, all earned, and 11 hits in 15 innings pitched. He walked five and struck out 15 and in two wins he pitched a total of 12 innings and allowed just two earned runs and 10 hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts.
Senior infielder Chris Haggard (Lake Charles, La.) led the team with a .391 batting average and a .509 on-base percentage last season in 13 games played. He was second on the team with a .543 slugging percentage and collected 18 hits (second on team) in 46 at-bats. He had 16 runs scored and seven RB. He walked eight times and struck out only four times all season and had four multi-hit games.
Senior left-hander Connor Lee (Sugarland, Texas) is also back as one of the Gents' leaders of the pitching staff. He started five games last season and went 1-0 with a 2.48 ERA, which was second on the team. He allowed 16 runs, eight earned, and 31 hits in 29 innings pitched. He walked seven and struck out 22. Lee started the season opener on Feb. 7, 2020 at ETBU and got the victory as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed one earned run and six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and a season-high seven strikeouts in a season-best 8.1 innings in a 6-5 Gents win over Edgewood on Feb. 21 as he received a no-decision. He also pitched 7.1 innings versus Whittier on Feb. 29 and received a no-decision as he allowed seven runs (but just one earned run) and 10 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
The Gents remain at home this week as they face the ETBU Tigers on Friday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. The Gents open SCAC play on Friday, March 19 at Austin College. The 2021 SCAC Baseball Tournament will be held May 7-9 at The Depot at Cleburne Station.
Live stats and live video are available for all home contests.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/schedule
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