No. 12 Tiger Baseball takes on some ASC opponents midweek before jumping back into conference play against Schreiner.
The Tigers (11-5) went 2-1 against SCAC rival Southwestern last weekend. Trinity took games one and two but dropped the series finale on Sunday. Each win had a different standout player. Game one featured
Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, California / Grace Brethren) going 3-5 with a double and an RBI.
Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) showed his power in game two when he went 2-5 with a double and a homer.
Joseph Chavana (Laredo, Texas / J.B. Alexander) also was dominant on the mound, going seven innings while only allowing one run. The Tigers now sit in second in the conference behind 3-0 St. Thomas
SCAC Hitter of the Week - Colt Harris
For the first time this season, senior
Colt Harris (Katy, Texas / Houston Christian) has been selected as the SCAC Hitter of the Week.
From the SCAC Press Release:
Harris led the Tigers to an opening SCAC series win over Southwestern last weekend, improving to 11-5 overall. hit .400 (6-for-15) with five runs and five RBI, including a record-tying three home runs in a narrow loss to No. 5 East Texas Baptist. Harris also added a stolen base and finished with two walks to post a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging average.
Preview - Busy Week Part Two
The Tigers will play Concordia (TX) on Tuesday, March 19th at 6:00 PM on the road, and then Trinity will be back home against East Texas Baptist on Wednesday, March 20th at 6:00 PM. The Tigers will then travel to Kerrville to take on Schreiner on March 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.
On the Concordia Tornadoes: The Tornadoes are 9-10 so far this season. In ASC play, Concordia is only 2-7 as they went 2-1 against LeTourneau in their most recent series. Although CTX is only batting .270, they make up for it with a solid starting rotation and another good bullpen arm. Mason Brandenberger will be their go-to guy out of the pen as he is throwing to the tune of a 3.00 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. The Tiger staff will have to watch out for Colby Christian as he has shown the most consistent power in the lineup and he can change the game with one swing. All time, Trinity is 16-14 against Concordia.
On the East Texas Baptist Tigers: The reigning ASC champs are 15-4 and have already faced Trinity this season. In their game on March 12th, ETBU narrowly beat the Tigers by a score of 7-5 but TU hit four home runs. Offensively, East Texas Baptist is led by .375 hitter Nicholas Chavez as well as seven other hitters batting over .300. The lineup is deep and it is complemented by a pitching staff that has a team ERA of 4.87. ETBU will be a good test before the Tigers get back into SCAC competition. With the loss earlier this season, the Tigers are now 2-3 all time against East Texas Baptist.
On the Schreiner Mountaineers: The Mountaineers have struggled as they have a 6-14 record. Schreiner has struggled to put the entire game together this season. If the bats are hot, the pitching is not, and vice versa. The Tiger staff will have to watch out for outfielder Aidan Warren. Warren is batting .430 with flashes of power as he leads SU with two home runs. However, the Schreiner staff has struggled mightily this season as they have a 7.40 team ERA and have no consistent pitcher with an ERA less than 4.00. Trinity has a 53-19 record all time against Schreiner and are 23-8 on the road.
Key to the Game
Big Hitters: The Tigers will face two tough pitching staffs early in the week and then will see a struggling one. With that being said, Trinity bats will be locked in to rock a young Schreiner staff. Look for hitters like
Cristian Holloway (Brownsville, Texas / Veterans Memorial) and Lazzara to hunt the fastball early in the count to send balls into the gaps and possibly over the wall.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will be back home against the University of St. Thomas on March 28th, 29th, and 30th.
