Shreveport- The Centenary baseball team will face the Southwestern University Pirates in a three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference weekend series beginning with a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. at Shehee Stadium.
Live stats and live video are available for all three games at the links below:
Stats: https://gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/boxscores/20240405_nau3.xml
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKX6wRuZceA
The Diamond Gents (11-10, 6-2 SCAC) took two of three games from Schreiner University on the road last weekend and have won six of their last eight. The Pirates enter the weekend at 15-11 overall and 6-3 in league play. Southwestern has played very well on the road this season sporting an 8-3 record and took two of three games from the University of Dallas Crusaders last weekend at home. The series concludes on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 1 and 4 p.m.
Centenary, which has played just four games at home this season and 17 road/neutral contests, has been dominant at home recently as the Maroon and White are an impressive 49-16 at Shehee Stadium since the beginning of the 2021 season. The Diamond Gents won three of four games over the Pirates last season, taking two of three during the regular season in Georgetown, Texas and winning an elimination game in the SCAC Tournament in Cleburne, Texas. Centenary swept Southwestern during the 2022 regular season in the Pirates' most recent visit to Shreveport.
Centenary was picked to finish second in the conference this season in the preseason poll released on Jan. 31 based on balloting from the league's head coaches. The Diamond Gents secured the final first-place vote and finished with 51 total points and it is the highest predicted finish for Centenary since the Maroon and White were picked to win the title prior to the 2018 campaign. Southwestern was picked to finish third, tied with Texas Lutheran.
The Diamond Gents enter the weekend as the SCAC's top hitting club with a .325 team batting average and boast a .405 on-base percentage (second in league) and are slugging .439 (second in league). The Diamond Gents' batting average is ranked 51st in the nation.
The Diamond Gents are averaging 7.3 runs per game, have scored 152 total runs, and have hit 12 home runs. They have 57 extra-base hits, 43 stolen bases, and have posted at least 10 hits in a game in 17 of 21 games this season and in five-consecutive games. Centenary is tied for first in total bases, tied for second in triples, third in both doubles and RBI, and tied for fourth in home runs.
Centenary has 248 hits which are tied for 38th in the country and leads the conference and the Diamond Gents have scored 10+ runs in a game eight times this season. Centenary has stolen multiple bases in a game 13 times and stole a season-high five against Trinity on March 9. The Diamond Gents have a team ERA of 5.16 and have thrown one complete game.
Centenary swept the individual SCAC Player of the Week awards on Monday as senior SS Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) was named Hitter of the Week and sophomore LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) earned Pitcher of the Week honors. Boone earned the distinction for the first time in his career and Myers won the award for the second-straight week.
Boone was red-hot last week at the plate as he batted .818 (9-for-11), posting multi-hit games in each contest, with three runs scored, five runs driven in, and three stolen bases in the Schreiner series which included a season-high four hits in Thursday's 7-0 win over the Mountaineers. Boone stole a base and scored a run in each contest and finished the week with an on-base percentage of .857 and .909 slugging percentage.
Boone is second in the conference and leads the team in batting average (.420) and is the team leader in hits (37), tied for fourth in RBI (18), fourth in runs scored (17), and has three doubles, a triple, and a home run. He has struck out just seven times in 88 at-bats with six walks and has posted 11 multi-hit performances including a four-hit game and four games with three hits.
Myers continued his stellar season on the mound for the Gents, picking up a complete game shutout victory in Thursday's 7-0 victory over Schreiner. The left-hander went the distance on the hill, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out seven in nine innings of work. With the impressive outing, Myers improved to 6-1 on the season with an 0.82 ERA – which ranks seventh nationally.
Myers picked up a win at Dallas on March 18 and was superb as he went seven innings and allowed just two hits with a season and career-high 13 strikeouts. Myers' 13 K's are tied for the second-most in a single game in the division III era (2012-present) in program history. He faced 25 batters and threw 134 pitches with 81 for strikes. He is sixth in the league in innings pitched (43.2) and seventh in strikeouts (37) in eight appearances and six starts with one complete game. He has allowed just two earned runs over his last 30.1 IP with 23 K's and just 17 hits.
Sophomore LF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) is one of seven starters hitting .300 or better this season and one of two, along with Boone, hitting .400 or better this season. Livesay is hitting an even .400 (fourth in the conference) and leads the team in OBP (.486) and slugging (.611). He has a team-high 90 at-bats and is tied for the team lead with Miller in homers (three), first in runs scored (28) and second in hits (36) and doubles (eight) with 18 RBI, a triple, 13 walks, and just 21 strikeouts. He leads the team in stolen bases (13) in 16 attempts. He has 13 multi-hit performances with a four-hit game and four 3-hit games.
Freshman 1B Alex Miller (Cypress, Texas) is hitting .380 (seventh in conference) and is second on the team in RBI with 21 and third in hits (30). He is tied for the team lead in home runs with three. The rookie has a .462 OBP (fourth) and is slugging .557 (second) with 20 runs scored (third), three doubles, a triple, and four stolen bases. Miller has eight walks and just six strikeouts in 79 at-bats and has posted 11 multi-hit games and done so in four-straight contests.
Miller, named SCAC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 27, was also named the Div. III Rookie of The Month by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Feb. 28 after he batted .462 (12-for-26) with nine runs, eight RBI, five walks, three homers, and two doubles in the month of February. He posted four multi-hit games over the seven he played in, headlined by a 3-for-5 day with two doubles, a run scored, and RBI in a 13-3 win at Occidental on Feb. 24. Miller went 5-for-13 with four runs, four RBI, and two homers in the Gents' three-game sweep of Occidental.
Senior C Jake Gonce (Katy, Texas) is eighth in the SCAC in batting average (.361) with 26 hits, 16 runs scored, 12 RBI, a homer, a double, four walks, and two stolen bases. Sophomore 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.) is batting .342 (.432 OBP/.417 slugging) and is tied for fourth in the league in run scored with 23. He has 25 hits, 19 RBI, two doubles, and a team-high 19 walks in 73 at-bats with just nine strikeouts and seven stolen bases.
Senior RF Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) is hitting .310 (.384 OBP/.524 slugging) and is leading the team and tied for fifth in the conference in RBI with 23. He has 26 hits, 13 runs scored, a team-high 10 doubles, two homers, a triple, and three stolen bases. Sophomore CF Collin Pitts (Lufkin, Texas) is hitting .313 (.348 OBP/.458 slugging) with 26 hits, 11 RBI, eight runs scored, five doubles, two triples, a homer, and one stolen base. Sophomore DH Lenny Forth (Flower Mound, Texas) is hitting .256 (.360 OBP/.279 slugging) with 11 hits, five RBI, five runs scored, three walks, and a double.
Freshman DH Walker Wicklund (Shreveport, La.) is hitting .273 (.270 OBP/.394 slugging) in 14 games and 33 at-bats with nine hits, seven RBI, five runs scored, a homer, and a double. Freshman Miles Keith (Lindale, Texas) is hitting .280 (.379 OBP/.400 slugging) with seven hits, seven runs scored, three doubles, an RBI, two walks, and one stolen base.
Junior P Zachary Malone (Hallsville, Texas) has been a steady arm out of the bullpen this season as he is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances and one start. In 18.2 IP he has struck out nine. Junior LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) has made seven appearances (all starts) and is 1-1 with a 5.97 ERA. In 31.2 IP he has struck out 25 batters. Senior P Blaine Hardy (Shreveport, La.) is 2-0 with a 5.46 ERA in eight appearances and five starts with 23 K's in 29.2 IP. Sophomore RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA but has the Diamond Gents' only two saves. He has 18 K's in 14.2 IP.
A PEEK AT THE PIRATES:
Southwestern is hitting just .239 as a team with a .357 OBP and slugging .332. The Pirates have hit 17 home runs and average 6.5 runs per game. The Southwestern pitching staff has a 5.76 ERA and has yet to throw a complete game.
Hitter to Watch: Senior OF Maxwell Mims is first in the conference in RBI (31) and sixth in batting average at .385.
Pitcher to Watch: Senior Braden Simpson has a team-leading 1.98 ERA in six appearances with a 1-1 record and 14 K's in 13.2 IP.
*Diaz Record Watch: Centenary head coach Mike Diaz, now in his 14th season, needs just six more SCAC regular-season wins to move into third-place all-time in SCAC history in SCAC regular-season wins.
Diaz became the all-time winningest coach in program history last season with his 292nd win on April 16, 2023 at home versus Schreiner University and is now 310-221-1, having passed former HC Ed McCann (1999-2010) for the all-time wins mark.
Looking Ahead:
The 2024 SCAC Baseball Tournament is scheduled for May 3-5 in Cleburne, Texas. Centenary has appeared in the SCAC Championship game five times in its history, winning it twice and finishing as runner-up in 2013, 2015, and 2018. The top four teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the 2024 SCAC Tournament.
Centenary trails Trinity University by a half-game as the Tigers, the preseason favorite, are 7-2 in league play and 18-7 overall. The Diamond Gents and Tigers met on March 9 in San Antonio with Trinity recording a 13-4 win in what was considered a non-conference contest despite the two being league foes.
Centenary and Trinity will finish the regular season against each other in Shreveport April 26-27. The Diamond Gents will honor their 2024 senior class following the second game of a DH on Saturday, April 27.
See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
