Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Baseball: Lourdes kicks off its spring trip with three games in Georgia.  The Gray Wolves will face Clarke in a neutral site contest on Saturday before facing seventh-ranked Georgia Gwinnett in game two.  Lourdes will then battle the Grizzlies against on Sunday before heading to North Carolina on Monday to face Montreat.

Head Coach Josh Bradford: In his fourth season in the Lourdes dugout, Josh Bradford has a 51-59 (.464) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves, as well as in his career as a collegiate head coach.  He is the third head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Probable Starters: Wyatt Smith (RHP, 1-0, 7.20) will be handed the baseball to get things going for the Gray Wolves on Saturday against Clarke before Joey Oehlers (LHP, 0-1, 18.00) takes the mound in the evening against Georgia Gwinnett.  Bryn Biemiller (RHP, 0-1, 9.00) will pitch on Sunday against the Grizzlies to wrap up the weekend while Lourdes has yet to announce a starter for Monday at Montreat.

Series Notes: Lourdes and Clarke are meeting on the diamond for the first time ever on Saturday.  Georgia Gwinnett is 4-0 all-time against the Gray Wolves in a series that began March 6, 2020.  The Grizzlies won both meetings in Lawrenceville, Ga. in 2021 by scores of 15-10 and 17-13.  Lourdes and Montreat will be meeting for the first time ever on Monday.

Wrapping Up Two Weeks Ago: Lourdes opened the season with a 20-10 win in game one at Pikeville on Feb. 18 before dropping game two 14-4 in a game called by darkness in the sixth inning.  On Sunday, the Bears swept both games of a doubleheader, taking the opener 12-3 before winning the nightcap 10-5.  Steve Haugh batted .615 on the weekend with eight runs batted in while Joel Suraganan hit .417.

Scouting Clarke: The Pride had their six game winning streak snapped in game two last Saturday with an 11-2 setback to William Carey.  Clarke faces Georgia Gwinnett Friday night before playing Lourdes.  Victor Lara leads the team batting .375 with 12 runs batted in while Paul Von Zboray is hitting .357.  Bubba Thompson hits .345 with two homers and six RBI.

Scouting Georgia Gwinnett: The Grizzlies have won seven straight games after downing #3 Tennessee Wesleyan 8-4 in 11 innings on Tuesday.  Georgia Gwinnett hosts Clarke on Friday night before facing Lourdes.  Jesus Pacheco is batting .475 this season while Brett Dingess has a .440 batting average.  Ajay Sczepkowski is hitting .391 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Scouting Montreat: The Cavaliers enter the weekend following a doubleheader split at Bluefield on Feb. 24.  Montreat travels to Johnson (Tenn.) for a three-game series prior to hosting the Gray Wolves.  Norman Kelly is batting a team-leading .432 while Caleb Abshier is hitting .327.  Jaider Morelos has a team-high four home runs and 18 runs batted in.

Haugh Has Big Opening Weekend: Steve Haugh batted .615 (8-for-13) with a double and eight runs batted in for the Gray Wolves in the first four games of the season.  He hit safely in each contest, with three multi-hit games, including a three-hit effort in the series finale.  He drove in five runs in the opener while adding two walks and a stolen base in the four-game set.

Harper Shines Out of the Pen: Avery Harper was the lone Gray Wolf to not surrender a run over the opening weekend.  He came out of the bullpen in game three of the series, tossing two hitless innings while striking out two.

Going for Two: Lourdes racked up 10 doubles over the first four games of the season.  A.J. Brinson had three two-baggers while Harrison Jackson also added a pair of doubles.

Facing Ranked Foes: Seventh-ranked Georgia Gwinnett will be the first ranked opponents Lourdes has faced this season.  The Gray Wolves are 3-38 all-time against the NAIA top-25, going 0-2 last year after dropping a pair of games at 21st-ranked Northwestern Ohio.  Lourdes has dropped five straight against ranked opponents since a March 11, 2020 win at #16 Bryan.

First Winning Season Ever: Lourdes finished last year over .500 (25-22) for the first time in program  history.  The only previous time the Gray Wolves had even finished a year at the .500 mark was in 202 when Lourdes went 7-7 in the COVID-19 shortened campaign.

Gray Wolves Tabbed Eighth in WHAC Preseason Poll: Lourdes was picked to finish eighth in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference in the 2023 preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  The Gray Wolves were slotted just behind Cornerstone and just ahead of Aquinas.  Northwestern Ohio was tabbed as the preseason favorite.

This and That: Lourdes improved to 6-6 in season openers with the win at Pikeville ... the Gray Wolves are 57-157-1 all-time in true road games and 28-34 at neutral sites ... Lourdes is 17-15 all-time in extra inning affairs after going 3-1 last season ... the Gray Wolves play their first 11 games away from home and 25 of their first 29 overall.