California Baptist University
Tarleton State University
BASE Preview: Lancers Head to Stephenville for Second Conference Series
3/21/2024 1:35:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE ---The California Baptist baseball team is set to head to Texas for the squad's first away Western Athletic Conference series as they face the Tarleton Texans. The Lancers are currently on a three-game losing streak after dropping a pair to UConn and falling to Dartmouth in a midweek match-up but will be looking to keep their conference record perfect as they enter the weekend 3-0 in WAC play. The Texans have dropped their last two conference series to Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon, coming into the weekend with an overall 11-10 record paired with a 2-4 WAC record.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
After dropping the last three of their four games, the Lancers will be looking to right their sails this weekend in Texas. CBU picked up a good win last Friday against UConn, a consistent regional team for the last five years. After the Huskies snagged game two of the series, Sunday was more competitive but ultimately went in favor of UConn. CBU's midweek tilt was tough after the Lancers came back from a 7-0 deficit but the Big Green tallied more runs in the final three innings to secure the win. The Lancers currently sit with a 13-8 overall record and are the only WAC team to have not dropped a game in conference play.
NICK DUMESNIL LITTLE LEAGUE HOMER🗣️#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/LVt3dl016q
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 20, 2024
Michael Carpentier and Nicholas Dumesnil have been strong contributors for the Lancers offensively, as Carpentier leads the team with a .364 batting average and Dumesnil owns a .318 average this season. The senior catcher leads the team in doubles at 11 and in hits with 32, tallying 19 RBI this year already. On the pitching front, freshmen have been golden for skipper Gary Adcock. Reliever Ryan Hetzler has been confident on the mound with a 1.20 ERA across 15 innings, while starter Lukas Pirko owns a 2.28 ERA and a 3-0 pitching record.
BY THE NUMBERS:
The Lancers have been dominant everywhere on the diamond this season and have the numbers to prove it. CBU currently sits at the top of the WAC as a team in doubles (46) and ERA (3.25), notching top-20 spots nationally as well. Individually, Julian Alvarez leads the WAC with his .493 on-base percentage, while Ryan Hetzler has the second-lowest ERA at 1.20. Michael Carpentier continues to hold his title of most doubles at 10 and now leads the WAC with the most runners caught stealing (12) as well.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Tarleton State
Dates/Times: Friday, March 22nd (4:00 p.m. PST); Saturday, March 23rd (1:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, March 24th (10:00 a.m. PST)
Location: Stephenville, TX (Tarleton Baseball Complex)
Video: ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
The Texans and Lancers have met just twice previously in 2021 and 2023. CBU owns a 5-2 overall record versus Tarleton, but most recently dropped the conference series to TSU last year. The Texans snagged the first two games of the Riverside series, but the Lancers took the final game with a commanding 13-5 victory.
THE TEXANS AT A GLANCE
The Texans have played quite a few solid programs this year and have taken wins off clubs like Southeastern Louisana, UTSA, and WAC foe Grand Canyon. Tarleton opened last week's conference series against GCU with a big win in Phoenix and went to extra innings in the second game of the weekend, but ultimately dropped the series 2-1. The Texans were predicted to finish ninth this season during the WAC preseason coach's poll, but have proven to be a contender for one of the WAC Tournament spots.
Trace Morrison and Tyson Drake sit at the top of the batting stats for the Texans, as just three hitters for Tarleton are hitting above .285. Morrison leads the team with a .311 batting average and has collected 23 hits this year paired with six doubles and a triple. The junior also has 18 RBI and a .419 slugging percentage across 20 appearances. Drake comes into the weekend with a .306 batting average and owns 19 hits with one home run and seven RBI.
Grant Garza is the name to know from the Tarleton pitching staff. The senior reliever is currently 5-0 in pitching wins with a 2.18 ERA across 20 innings of work this season. Garza has sat down 11 batters this season and has walked just five, while only allowing a single home run. Matt Haley is a go-to starter for the Texans and has shown well this season across 25 innings pitched. Haley has a 4.97 ERA and a 1-3 pitching record, leading the team with 20 strikeouts. As a staff, the Texans combine for a 6.20 ERA.
Lancer baseball tickets are on sale now at CBULancers.com/baseballtickets for all games at Totman Stadium.
