Diamond Gents Set to Face Southwestern In Final Regular-Season Home Series

Shreveport - The Centenary baseball team will face the Southwestern University Pirates in a three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series this weekend beginning on Friday with a 6 p.m. single game at Shehee Stadium.

The series wraps up on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 1 and 4 p.m. The 2022 senior class will be honored following the second game on Saturday as this weekend is the final home series of the season for Centenary.

Live stats and live video are available for all three games at the links below:

Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/boxscores/20220422_bfo5.xml

Video: https://collegetvticket.com/event/centenary-college-vs-southwestern-university-4/

The Diamond Gents (20-13, 10-5 SCAC) swept Austin College last weekend at home while the Pirates (16-15, 7-8 SCAC) won two of three at St. Thomas over the weekend and defeated Texas-Dallas 8-4 at home on Tuesday.

Centenary, winners of a season-high six-straight games, has revenge on its mind this weekend after losing all four games to the Pirates last season, a three-game sweep in Georgetown and a 12-9 loss in the 2021 SCAC Championship in Cleburne, Texas which ended the Diamond Gents' season.

The Maroon and White are currently third in the conference standings with just two weekends remaining in the regular season. The Pirates are fourth, one game ahead of St. Thomas (6-9 SCAC). Trinity and Texas Lutheran are tied for first place with identical 14-1 records. The only losses for both the Tigers and Bulldogs this season came at the hands of Centenary last month. Trinity and TLU play each other this weekend in San Antonio. The top four teams at the conclusion of the regular season earn spots in the SCAC Championship scheduled for May 6-8 in Cleburne, Texas.

Centenary blanked Austin College last Thursday in the series opener, 10-0 in seven innings, and then swept a DH on Friday by scores of 7-6 and 5-1. The Diamond Gents completed their second-consecutive series sweep after doing so last weekend on the road against the University of Dallas are improved to 10-5 at home this season.

The Diamond Gents enter the series as one of the top offensive teams in the conference and in the country in division III as they boast a team batting average of .324 with an on-base percentage of .413 and are slugging .455. Centenary has scored 272 runs (averaging 8.3 per game), collected 376 hits, hit 17 home runs, have 97 extra-base hits, and stolen 69 bases. Centenary ranks in the top 50 in the country in batting average, hits, runs, stolen bases, and triples.

Centenary has scored 10 or more runs in a game 13 times this season and 30 times over the last two seasons. Centenary has scored 15+ runs in a game five times this season and scored in double digits six times in conference play. The Diamond Gents have also recorded 10 or more hits in game 22 times this season, and at least 13 hits 14 times. Eight Centenary players with at least 40 at-bats this season are hitting .300 or better and seven players have stolen five bases or more.

Centenary has been on fire offensively at home of late as the Maroon and White are averaging 10.5 runs per game over their last 10 games and have scored 10+ runs seven times. The Diamond Gents started the season 0-2 at home but have won 10 of their last 13. Centenary is 30-8 in its last 38 games on its home field.

Senior 1B/RHP Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) headlines the offense as he leads the team and ranks second in the conference with a .424 batting average. He is also the team and SCAC leader in hits with 53 and ranks in the top five in the conference in seven other individual statistical categories as he makes a push for SCAC Hitter of the Year honors. Ludwick has 33 RBI, 30 runs scored, 10 doubles, four homers, three triples, and two stolen bases.

Ludwick is also one of the league's most patient and disciplined hitters as he has drawn 25 walks compared to just 17 strikeouts in 125 at-bats. Ludwick is also one of the Diamond Gents' top pitchers as he is 4-2 in 46 innings pitched and has made a team-leading nine starts. He was named the SCAC Baseball Hitter of the Week after a superb series earlier this month at Schreiner, finishing 6-for-13 (.461) with five RBI, three runs scored, three extra base hits (two doubles and a home run), and three walks. He recorded his 200th career hit with a double in the eighth inning of game one of a DH on April 2 as he becomes just the fourth player in the current division III era (2012-present) in program history to record 200 or more hits in a career. Ludwick also becomes the 46th SCAC baseball player to reach 200 hits in his career. He is now just two RBI shy of 150 for his career and ranks second all-time in the division III era (2012-present) in the category.

Centenary freshman LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) has proven himself as the ace of the pitching staff this season as the rookie ranks third in the country in ERA (0.81) which also leads the conference. He is 5-0 and has made 11 appearances and five starts and in 44.2 innings pitched has allowed just four earned runs and 31 hits with 18 walks and 42 strikeouts. Herrera, a two-time SCAC Pitcher of the Week recipient, was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Rookie of the Week on March 31 and is one of just two SCAC pitchers to earn the conference Pitcher of the Week honor twice this season after he picked up the honor for the first time on March 1.

Junior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) ranks in the top five in the league in strikeouts (58) and innings pitched (54.1). He is 6-3 with a 3.81 ERA and has two complete games and two saves. Primeaux was the winner in Centenary's 10-0 victory last Thursday as he tossed a complete game allowing only three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He then picked up a save the next day in Centenary's thrilling 7-6 win in game one of a DH as the Diamond Gents rallied from a 6-2 deficit in the eighth inning to post the comeback win. He now has 12 career saves and is just five shy of the D3 era career record held by Taylor Henry with 17.

The 2022 senior class - Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas), Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas), Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas), and Ian Veserra (Cypress, Texas) along with the five fifth-year seniors will be honored on Saturday and the ceremony will be live streamed.

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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