May 13, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - With only four games remaining on the 2008 schedule, the Lumberjacks hit the road to wrap up the regular season slate against Baylor and rival Sam Houston in Waco and Huntsville beginning Wednesday.

SFA has won 10 of its last 11 games and will take on Baylor in the final non-conference game of the year before heading to Huntsville for what has turned into a must-win series for the `Jacks. SFA trails both UT-Arlington and SE Louisiana by 1 ½ games apiece for the final two spots in the SLC Tournament and will need to take at least two of three games from the `Kats to have a chance at qualifying for the tournament.

Two wins by the `Jacks would require a sweep of either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over UTA, or Nicholls State over SE Louisiana. A sweep by SFA would then require two losses by either the Mavs or the Lions, while a pair of losses by the `Jacks or a sweep by either of the two schools they trail will eliminate SFA from contention.

Lance Luetge and Kevin Thomas will each be coming off of complete game victories entering the weekend, with each having gone the distance against UT-Arlington. Luetge's effort earned him SLC Pitcher of the Week honors and dropped his ERA to 3.62, the fifth-best in the conference.

On the offensive side for SFA, the name to watch is still Kevin Crabtree. The senior claimed his second consecutive SLC Hitter of the Week honor on Monday after driving in nine runs in three multi-hit games against the Mavericks. He stands with 11 home runs on the year - eight in conference play - and has now raised his average to .385 on the year, only two points below Steven Hill's single-season record from 2007.

SFA will tune-up for the `Kats against Baylor in Waco on Wednesday, the same Baylor Bears team that knocked off the `Jacks 4-3 in the QTI Baylor Classic on March 2nd. Baylor is 25-0 all-time against the `Jacks, with 21 of those wins coming in Waco.

Baylor is currently 28-22 overall, and 10-14 in the highly-competitive Big 12 Conference. Tim Matthews will make only his sixth start for Baylor on Wednesday, having struck out 33 batters on the year while only walking five. Freshman Jeremy Tamez is slated for the start, however Donnie Watson says that he wants to get multiple pitchers into the game to get some work before Huntsville.

Sam Houston is coming off dropping a pair of games to SE Louisiana in Hammond, La., but had won five of its last seven games before the stumble. The `Kats sport arguably the best offense in the SLC, leading the conference in team batting average, runs and slugging percentage. Seven Bearkats currently hold a batting average of at least .340, led by Keith Stein's .372 clip. Stein's 52 RBI leads the team while Bobby Verbick sets the bar with 12 home runs.

Guillame Duguay is schedule to put his 3.12 ERA on the line against the `Jacks on Friday, but after that SFA could have some success as the team's ERA stands at only 5.71 for the year.

Gametracker will be available at www.baylorbears.com for Wednesday's game, while Thursday and Saturday's games will each be broadcasted live on KSFA 860 AM from Huntsville. A LiveStats link will also be available for following the Battle of the Piney Woods at www.gobearkats.com.

Projected starting pitching matchups:

Wednesday

SFA: Jeremy Tamez (RHP) 2-0, 4.50 ERA, 22.0 IP, 6 K, 11 BB

Baylor: Tim Matthews (RHP) 4-1, 3.89 ERA, 41.2 IP, 33 K, 5 BB

Thursday

SFA: Lance Luetge (LHP) 6-6, 3.62 ERA, 82.0 IP, 40 K, 34 BB

SHSU: Guillame Duguay (RHP) 3-1, 3.12 ERA, 52.0 IP, 36 K, 17 BB

Friday

SFA: TBA

SHSU: Dallas Gallant (RHP) 6-3, 5.88 ERA, 59.2 IP, 43 K, 18 BB

Saturday

SFA: TBA

SHSU: TBA

-SFA-