SHREVEPORT-The Centenary baseball team will conclude its regular season schedule with a four-game set at IFPW on Friday and Saturday as both days are set for double-headers beginning at 11 am CT.
The Gents are coming off two exciting wins over Western Illinois, clinching a spot in The Summit League tournament next week in Tulsa. With the wins, Centenary improved to 26-22 overall and 15-7 in league play.
A two-out RBI-single by freshman Ryan Bell would put the Gents on top in extras in the final home game of the season, while junior right-hander Derek Dalzell earned both wins in relief, throwing two gutsy performances out of the pen.
Leading the way offensively is senior Cliff Shepard with a .370 average, 67 hits, 19 doubles and 41 RBI. Junior Keegan Acker is batting .333 and senior Jeff Ericson has continued to improve with a .331 clip. Also batting above the .300 mark is junior Alex Todd with a .323 average and senior Tell Ross with a .313.
Junior Scott Pasket is riding a 16-game hitting streak and has upped his average to .307 with another solid weekend at the plate.
On the bump, junior Boone Whiting paces the squad with 3.16 ERA and a 6-1 mark on the season. The LSWA Pitcher of the Week has fanned 103 batters in just 74.0 innings of work this season and recently became the all-time leader in strikeouts with 234 after fanning 12 Oral Roberts hitters last week.
Also in the starting rotation is junior David Benson with a 4.86 ERA and a 4-3 record, while sophomore Seth Lugo is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA. Dalzell improved to 4-2 on the season after the two wins on Tuesday and maintains a 4.68 ERA out of the pen.
Senior Dakota Robinson has also been solid with a team-best 27 appearances, a 3-1 record and a 3.89 ERA.
IPFW enters the weekend series with a 15-36 record and an 11-13 mark in league play. The Mastodons are just 6-9 on their home field this season.
Pacing IPFW offensively is Brett Clark with a .331 average, A.J. Christensen with a .328 clip, while Shaun VanDriessche has belted a team-best 16 home runs.
Nick Opitz has picked up five wins for the Mastodons, holding a 5-3 record and a 6.29 ERA through 68.2 innings pitched. Lucas Kesterson is 1-9 with a 6.58 with the second-most innings at 65.2.
Following this series, the Gents will travel to Tulsa for The Summit League Championships next week.
