Stephen F. Austin

May 3, 2007

NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are headed to San Marcos this weekend to face one of the top teams in the Southland Conference. Going into the first leg of a three-game road swing, the Lumberjacks find themselves in the middle of a conference race as they sit in fifth place in the SLC with a 12-9 record. There are five teams - SFA, McNeese State, Sam Houston State, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana - who are competing for the final three spots in the conference tournament. SFA was able to take two-of-three games from Nicholls State last weekend, suffering a tough 4-3 loss Sunday.

The Bobcats: After losing the series at Lamar last weekend, Texas State fell two games behind league-leader Texas-San Antonio in the conference standings. The Bobcats carry a 30-16 overall record and have a 15-6 SLC mark. Leading the Bobcats is David Wood who is currently batting .382. He has 76 hits and has scored 34 runs. He is also leading the team with 18 doubles, nine home runs and 59 RBI. Justin Fiske, Steven Siers and Mike Hart will be making the Friday, Saturday and Sunday starts, respectively. Fiske currently has the lowest ERA among the three at 2.09. He has 81 strikeouts compared to 27 walks. He has a 6-2 record this season. Siers has a 5-1 record in eight starts. In 56.1 innings, he's struck out 43 and walked 24. He has a 3.36 ERA on the year. Hart, who is 6-4 through 12 starts, is second on the staff with 66 Ks. He's walked 32 and has held the opposition to a .200 batting average.

Against the Bobcats: Texas State holds the advantage over the Lumberjacks with a 17-11 all-time record since 1988. Last season, SFA went 1-2 against the Bobcats in Nacogdoches.

The Coaches: SFA's Donnie Watson is in his second season at the helm of the Lumberjack baseball program. In his time with the 'Jacks, Watson has put together a 40-61 (.396) overall record and an SLC mark of 19-31 (.380). Ty Harrington is completing his eighth season with the Bobcats. In that time, he has posted a 259-201 (.563) overall record and a 130-80 (.619) Southland Conference mark.

The Starters

Friday - Erich Lehmann: Sophomore Erich Lehmann pitched 5.0 innings against Nicholls State last Friday, giving up four runs off eight hits while matching his season-high six strikeouts. He earned the win to move his season record to 7-2 and earn his 15th career win as a Lumberjack to break the school's all-time wins record. For the season, the Fort Worth native has a 4.32 ERA in 14 appearances. He's struck out 61 while only walking 14 through 85.1 innings of work.

Saturday - Jared Schrom: Sophomore right hander Jared Schrom struggled in his start against Nicholls State. Through 4.2 innings, Schrom gave up eight runs off 13 hits, while striking out five. Earlier in the week, Schrom pitched one inning of relief at Texas A&M, striking out one Aggie. This season, Schrom is leading the 'Jacks' pitching staff with 64 strikeouts. The Portland, Texas, native has a 4.17 ERA through 77.2 innings. He is 3-2 on the year.

Sunday - Lance Luetge: Senior southpaw Lance Luetge suffered his third loss of the season Sunday against Nicholls State. He gave up three runs off nine hits in the Lumberjacks' 4-3 loss. Luetge, a native of Industry, Texas, is leading SFA's starting rotation with a 3.50 ERA. He is 6-3 overall with one complete game. He has 45 strikeouts with 21 walks through 69.1 innings of work.

Hitter of the Week: Right fielder Jared Pitts was named the Aeropostale Southland Conference Hitter of the Week after batting .438 in four games last week. After starting off the week going 0-3 at Texas A&M, Pitts erupted over the weekend starting off with a solo home run on Friday against Nicholls State, marking his first home run since April 1. On Saturday, the Friendswood native was a perfect 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double, and an SFA single-game record eight RBI. One of his home runs was a grand slam - his first and SFA's third this season. Pitts became the second Lumberjack this season to go 5-for-5 and it was the third time a Lumberjack recorded five hits in a game.

Drive `Em In: Jared Pitts' eight RBI was the most for a single-game at SFA since the return of baseball. The previous record was seven, set earlier this season by teammate Steven Hill. In 2007, there have been four Lumberjacks to drive in five or more runs at least once this season. Hill has done so three times and Pitts, Noel Trevino and Chris Smith have done it once.

Breaking Records: The Lumberjacks put together a record-breaking weekend against Nicholls State. Jared Pitts' single-game RBI record was just one of the few. After giving up four runs off eight hits Friday, Erich Lehmann came away with the win, striking out six in the 9-4 victory, to earn his 15th career win as a Lumberjack and break the all-time wins record. In the same game, Steven Hill hit two home runs for his 31st and 32nd of his career, breaking the career home run record at SFA. The two dingers also tied him for the most in school history, a record he broke the following day.

Watch Lists: Lumberjack first baseman Steven Hill has been named to two watch lists for national player of the year awards. Last wek, he was named to the Dick Howser Trophy list and Wednesday afternoon, he was named to the "Wallace Watch" for the Brooks Wallace Award. Hill and Sam Houston State's Bobby Verbick are the only two Southland Conference players on the Howser watch list while Lamar's Michael Ambort joins the duo on the Wallace Watch.

Nationally Ranked: The Lumberjacks have left their mark on the national rankings in three different categories this season. Steven Hill is making a steady climb through the top five home run hitters. Currently, he is ranked second in the nation with 20, four behind Texas' Kyle Russel who is leading with 24. Hill is also ranked in the top 10 for home runs per game. Hill's numbers have also helped the team land 14th for home runs per game. Hill is also ranked among the top 10 for RBI per game and in the top 15 in slugging percentage.

Up Next: The Lumberjacks' countdown to the end of the 2007 regular season continues with a three-game series at Texas-Arlington before heading back to Jaycees Field to close out the year against Sam Houston State in a Thursday, Friday, Saturday series.