Diamond Gents Set For Seven-Game Road Trip In California

Claremont, Calif. – The Centenary baseball team begins a seven-game west coast road trip on Saturday with a non-conference contest versus Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday at 12 p.m. (2 p.m. CT) at Arce Field.

Live stats and live video are available for Saturday's game at the links below:

Stats: https://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/bsb/2021-22/boxscores/20220226_yfse.xml

Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cms/

Centenary (6-4) enters Saturday's game red-hot offensively after recording consecutive run-rule blowouts over the Alma College Scots on Monday, 13-3 and 12-2, both in seven innings to sweep a non-conference doubleheader at Shehee Stadium. 

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (4-2) won two of three games at Emory in Atlanta, Ga. last weekend. The Stags opened their season with a series win at home versus George Fox. Centenary and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will meet for the first time on Saturday. The Gents and Stags will play again on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT).

The Diamond Gents took three of four games in the series and improved to 5-3 at home, and extending their winning streak to three after Alma won the first game of the series on Sunday, 7-5. Centenary tied its season high with 14 hits and stole a season-best seven bases in each game of Monday's DH and added seven doubles and a triple in game one and four extra-base hits in game two. The Maroon and White picked up another 10 hits in game two and finished the day with an impressive 25 runs on 21 hits and totaled 44 runs and 42 hits in the series. The seven stolen bases are tied for the seventh-highest single-game total in the division III era (2012-present). Centenary most recently stole seven bases in a game twice last season.

The Diamond Gents, currently receiving votes (7) in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll, improved to 25-6 in their last 31 home games dating back to the beginning of last season. Centenary scored double-digit runs for the third-straight game and fourth time this season after the Maroon and White scored 10+ runs in a game a staggering 17 times last season. The Maroon and White averaged over eight runs per game last season.

Centenary's 44 runs in the series are the most scored in a series since also scoring 44 March 19-20 of last season at Austin College (three game series). The Diamond Gents are averaging 7.2 runs per game through the first 10 games this season and are averaging 11.8 runs per game over the last five games.

The Diamond Gents will face the University of La Verne (3-1-1) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) in La Verne, Calif. and again on Wednesday, March 2 at the same time. Centenary will face Occidental College (2-5-1) in a three-game series March 5-6 in Los Angeles. Centenary is 2-7 all-time versus La Verne and 3-4 against Occidental.

Centenary enters the weekend hitting .287 as a team with a .379 OBP and is slugging .442. The Diamond Gents have a team ERA of 4.06 and have tossed a pair of complete games. The Maroon and White have collected 34 extra-base hits with 60 RBI and two sacrifice flies. Centenary has also been active on the base paths so far, stealing 23 bases in 26 attempts to rank fifth in the country in division III in stolen bases, just three off the national lead.

Senior 1B/RHP Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) is the Diamond Gents' leading hitter so far this season with a .405 batting average and a team-high 15 hits. He is tied for the team lead in doubles (3) and RBI (10). Ludwick has hit one homer, stole on base, and has an OBP of .452 and is slugging .568.

Junior 2B Cole Collins (Shreveport, La.) had an amazing offensive series versus Alma as he was a scorching .428 (6-8) with three home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, eight runs scored, three walks, and three stolen bases. He was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week earlier this week, a prestigious national honor that recognizes the top performers at each of nine positions from the previous week. Collins is the team leader in home runs (3) and is second on the team with nine RBI. He is hitting .538 with an OBP of .647 and is slugging over 1.000 with three doubles and is tied for the team lead in stolen bases with four.

Freshman OF Cade LaBruyere (Iowa, La.) is off to a fantastic start in his rookie season as he is hitting .320 with a .414 OBP and is slugging .480. LaBruyere has eight hits, eight runs, two doubles, and a triple. He has nine RBI and four stolen bases. Senior SS Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas) is hitting .293 with a .341 OBP and a .488 slugging percentage. Robinson had 12 hits, a team-best 11 runs scored, and a team-high five extra-base hits (three triples and two doubles). He has five RBI and three stolen bases.

Senior C/2B Tyler Erickson (Houston, Texas) is hitting .289 with a .325 OBP and is slugging .421. Erickson has collected 11 hits, scored six runs, and eight RBI. He has three doubles and one triple. Senior OF/DH Tyler Welch (Lake Charles, La.) is batting .333 with a .467 OBP and is slugging .375. Welch is tied for the team lead in stolen bases with four and has eight hits and scored nine runs. He has a double, three RBI, and has showed tremendous patience at the plate as he has walked six times while only striking out five times.

Junior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) has made a team-high five appearances and pitched a team-leading 17 innings. He made his first-career start on the mound for the Diamond Gents in their 12-2 win in game two of Monday's DH, and after allowing a pair of runs in the first inning, Primeaux dominated as he proceeded to pitch a career-high seven innings and strike out a career-best 11 batters.

Primeaux struck out the side easily in the second, then struck out a pair in both the third and fourth innings. He retired the first two batters of the fifth himself on grounders to the mound and nearly got the final out as well but the ball chopped just too high over his head but was field by Robinson at short for an easy play. Primeaux allowed back-to-back hits in the sixth but retired the final two batters of the inning, one on a strikeout, to end the threat. He retired 14 in a row from the second inning until allowing a one-out double in the sixth. He is 2-1 this season with a 2.65 ERA and a team-high 23 strikeouts. Primeaux has only walked four batters all season and is striking out 12.18 batters/nine innings.

Senior Luke Royle (Dodge City, Kan.) made his first start of the season for Centenary in game one of Monday's DH and was impressive as he pitched his first-career complete game, going all seven innings and allowed just three runs, all earned, on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw just 77 pitches, 51 for strikes, and faced 28 batters. Royle has a 2.77 ERA this season with only three walks and 10 strikeouts.

The versatile Ludwick is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA on the mound in two starts. Junior RHP Christian Diaz (Houston, Texas) has made a team-high three starts and fellow junior RHP Peyton Thibodeaux (Lake Arthur, La.) has posted a 1.35 ERA as he has developed into one of the Diamond Gents' top arms this season. Junior LHP Collier Cloinger (Bossier City, La.) has also pitched well so far this season as he has made two starts and boasts a 1.80 ERA.

Below is Centenary's complete schedule for its California trip:

Saturday, Feb. 26: vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 12 p.m. (2 p.m. CT)

Sunday, Feb. 27: vs. La Verne - 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) 

Monday, Feb. 28: vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) 

Wednesday, March 2: vs. La Verne - 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) 

Saturday, March 5: vs. Occidental (DH) - 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (1 & 4:30 p.m. CT)

Sunday, March 6: vs. Occidental - 10 a.m. (NOON CT)

See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/schedule

Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.

Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.

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