Baseball 2/20/2020 12:32:00 PM Zac Alfers
Baseball Hosts Tarleton State This Weekend

Hungry for its first series win, Eastern New Mexico baseball will welcome Tarleton State to the High Plains for a four-game set scheduled to begin Friday at 4 p.m.

SCOUTING THE TEXANS

Tarelton State split its first four-game series against UAFS last weekend after dropping the first two against the Lions and salvaging two wins to close out the series. The Texans slash line is an efficient .302/.432/.450 and ranks fourth in the LSC in batting average and second in both on base percentage and slugging percentage.

TSU fields five players who are hitting above .300 including three hitting over .400 highlighted by senior Blake Burns. Burns leads the squad with a .472 batting average with 17 hits, 13 runs, 13 RBI and is tied for the LSC lead with five home runs.

Junior right-hander Justin Waltmon leads the rotation arms for the Texans and has posted a 1-1 record in three starts while tossing 18.1 innings. Waltmon owns a 2.95 ERA and has struck out 17 batters with just seven walks. Opponents are hitting a weak .197 when facing Waltmon.

BEWARE OF THE TWO-HOLE

Redshirt junior Daniel Hunt is quietly becoming an extremely tough out batting in the number two spot of the lineup after hitting .313 in last week’s series with five hits and three RBI. The Tuscon, Ariz. native leads the Hounds with a .286 batting average with ten hits and five RBI throughout the first ten games of the season. Hunt has also proven himself as a capable defender and has posted a .930 fielding percentage from his shortstop position.

UTILITY POWER

With the recent conference expansion as well as the revamped schedule (50 LSC games) Head Coach Riley Price has had to get creative with his lineup and pitching rotation. With the Hounds facing quality competition week in and week out it is crucial for players to show they can contribute to the team’s success in more than one way. Two utility players who have shown they can excel in multiple facets of the game are senior Blake Frye and sophomore Alex Kuhn.

Frye has made six starts in left field and has tallied a double and scored a run in 20 at bats. In the field, Frye has been a lights out defender and has yet to commit an error while recording 13 putouts. In game two against Texas A&M International Frye was tasked with starting in left field before entering the game as a pitcher in the final 2.1 innings of the game. On the mound, Frye, facing seven batters, did not allow a run to cross the plate while allowing a hit, two walks and struck out two. With his recent success on the hill, Frye might be moved to a starting pitching role as soon as this weekend.

Kuhn is also a very versatile player after making nine starts in right field and was held out of game one in last week’s series against UT Tyler to keep his arm fresh as he took over on the mound in the sixth inning. In his first pitching appearance of the season, Kuhn posted three scoreless innings on two hits, a walk and three strike outs. Kuhn has been just as impressive at the plate with five hits, three runs scored, two RBI and an inside the park home run in 29 at bats.

BULLPEN BULLIES

A strong bullpen plays a key factor in limiting innings pitched from starters and finishing games in high-risk situations. The Hounds feature four relief pitchers who have tossed at least one inning and have yet to concede a run. The go-to arm coming out of the pen is junior Liam Sabiston who allowed just two hits, four walks while recording a pair of strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work.