Jackson, Miss. – The Centenary baseball team will take part in the Millsaps Invitational this weekend as the Gents will face Edgewood College twice and Eureka College on Friday and Saturday at Twenty Field.
The Gents (4-1) open the tournament on Friday versus the Edgewood Eagles at 1:30 p.m. The game will be the season opener for the Eagles, who hail from Madison, Wisc. Centenary then faces Edgewood again on Saturday at Noon and then wraps up play versus the Eureka College Red Devils of Eureka, Il. at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and live video for all three of the Gents' games this weekend will be available at: www.gomajors.com.
Centenary split a non-conference doubleheader with the Louisiana College Wildcats on Saturday at Shehee Stadium in its most recent action, taking game one 3-1 in seven innings and falling 11-7 in a nine-inning game two.
The Gents took game one behind another superb pitching performance from senior right-hander Matthew Devillier (Lake Charles, La.) as he tossed a complete-game, his second in a row this season, and allowed just one run on five hits while walking two and striking out five. Devillier, named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week earlier this month, went the distance in the Gents' 7-0 win over ETBU at home on Feb. 8, allowing just one hit in seven innings with two walks and four strikeouts. He improved to 2-0 on the season and has allowed just one run in 14 innings of work this season.
Senior right fielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas) and first baseman Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) combined for five of Centenary's eight hits in the game one victory as Crowder notched a single and a double and scored one run. Crowder was named the SCAC Hitter of the Week earlier in the month after leading the Gents to three wins last weekend as he batted .400 (4-10) with three home runs, six RBI, six runs scored, and three walks. He hit two home runs in the 12-5 victory over the ETBU in game two of a doubleheader on Feb. 8 and Crowder also homered in Centenary's season opener against ETBU on the road on Feb. 7.
Crowder had two hits, two RBI, a walk and a run scored while junior Tyler Welch (Pineville, La.) had a hit and drove in two. Junior Connor Lee (Sugar Land, Texas) started on the mound for the Gents and allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in 3.2 innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out two. Ludwick (0-1) took the loss in relief as he allowed three runs, all earned, and two hits in two innings.
The Gents will stay on the road following this weekend's trip to Mississippi as Centenary heads west to face Cal Lutheran (Feb. 26), Occidental (Feb. 28), Whittier College twice on Feb. 29, and the University of La Verne (March 1) all in the Los Angeles area.
Centenary faces Louisiana College again in a makeup game on Monday, March 9 in Pineville (game originally scheduled for Feb. 14). The Gents then open SCAC play at home March -14 against Trinity for a three-game series.
A link to the complete 2020 schedule can be found here: www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2019-20/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home games and admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic events. #GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
