Upcoming in Gray Wolves Baseball: Lourdes returns north to open the home portion of its spring schedule with a pair of twinbills this weekend. The Gray Wolves host Cornerstone on Saturday to open Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play before welcoming Lawrence Tech to Mercy Field on Sunday afternoon for a twinbill.
Head Coach Jeremy Snow: In his third season on the Lourdes bench,
Jeremy Snow has a 54-101 (.348) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves, as well as in his career as a collegiate head coach. He is the second head coach in Lourdes program's history and is the winningest coach in program history.
Probable Starters: Lourdes expects to hand the baseball to
Braxton McKart (2-0, 3.38 ERA, 16 K's) for game one of Saturday's doubleheader against Cornerstone.
Zach Brown (0-2, 3.80 ERA, 20 K's) will handle duties on the mound in game two. McKart has made three appearances this season, starting in all three games while Brown has seen action in four games, including four starts. Lourdes has yet to determine starters for their series against Lawrence Tech.
Series Notes: The all-time series against Cornerstone has proven to be a back-and-forth battle as Cornerstone owns an 11-10 advantage in the series. The Golden Eagles have won four of the last five meetings between the schools. The series between Lawrence Tech and Lourdes tied at 3-3. The Blue Devils won two of three games a season ago after the Gray Wolves claimed two of three contests in 2017.
Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes returned from its spring break trip sporting a 1-6 record during the week. The Gray Wolf offense was solid during the trip, keeping the contests close throughout the week. Five of the Gray Wolves seven games in Tucson, Arizona were decided by two runs or less.Â
Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles enter the weekend after splitting a pair of games against Davenport. After suffering a 7-6 setback to the Panthers, Cornerstone responded with a 7-6 victory of their own in game two. Through 19 games this season, the Golden Eagles are led offensively by Aaron Krupansky's 21 hits, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored. Dustin DeBeau currently leads the team hitting at a .372 clip from the plate and also leads the team with a .517 on-base percentage. On the bump for Cornerstone, Chandler McKinney leads the way with two victories. Noah Reed owns a staff-low 3.50 ERA and leads the team with 27 strikeouts in five appearances this season. Cornerstone has six pitchers with at least 10 strikeouts through 19 games.
Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils return home this week after splitting a twinbill against Aquinas in their final games in Auburndale, Florida last week. Lawrence Tech will host No. 19-ranked Indiana Tech on Saturday before making the trip to Toledo. Jackson Walkowiak currently leads the team, sporting a .444 batting average and is tied for second on the team with 16 hits. Sean Fannon has a team-leading 19 hits to lead Lawrence Tech. On the mound for the Blue Devils, Caleb Homan owns a 3-1 record in five appearances. He leads the staff with a 3.15 ERA. Sam Brace and Alex Wietrzykowski ranked first and second on the team with 28 and 22 strikeouts, respectively.
Among The WHAC Leaders: Cameron Gallo has positioned himself among the leaders in the WHAC in multiple offensive categories following his hot start to the season. Gallo ranks third in the WHAC in batting average (.477), second in slugging percentage (.682), second in triples (3) and second in hits per game (1.62).
Michael Davis currently ranks second in the WHAC, scoring 1.08 runs per contest.
WHAC Openers: Lourdes is just 1-6 all-time when playing in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference openers. The Gray Wolves picked up their first WHAC-opening victory last season, defeating Michigan-Dearborn 13-3.
Lots Of Arms: Lourdes has had 17 players appear on the mound at one point this season. Of the 17 players who have appeared on the bump, 12 athletes have seen action in multiple games.Â
Tough To Hit Off Of: Zach Brown as solidified himself as a top option for the Gray Wolves pitching staff. The junior hurler currently leads the team and ranks second in the conference allowing opposing batters to hit at just a .188 clip at the plate.
All-Time Winningest Coach: Entering their twinbill against Grace earlier this season, head coach
Jeremy Snow was one win shy of tying the all-time record for career wins as a coach at Lourdes. Lourdes swept the doubleheader, putting Snow in sole possession of first place on the list. In just three seasons, Snow has amassed 54 wins at the helm of the program.
Success At The Plate: While
Cameron Gallo is the lone Gray Wolf hitting above .400 currently, Lourdes has six other athletes with at least 19 at bats hitting above .300. The Gray Wolves also have 38 extra base hits this season, nine more than their opponents.
This and That: the Gray Wolves are 50-93 at Mercy Field all-time ... Lourdes appeared in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in 2018 ... Lourdes is 54-155-1 all-time in WHAC play ... Lourdes tied its longest winning streak in program history earlier this season after sweeping Spring Arbor and Grace in consecutive twinbills.
