Three-Game Set at Duquesne Begins Friday
May 8, 2008
On Deck: After playing no mid-week games due to final exams, the Saint Louis Billikens head to Pittsburgh this weekend to take on Duquesne in their final Atlantic 10 Conference road trip of the season. The Billikens (22-25, 7-14 A-10) and Dukes (21-24-1, 14-7 A-10) start the three-game series on Friday with a 3 p.m. (CT) tilt. Saturday's game begins at noon (CT), while Sunday's finale is slated for 11 a.m. (CT). Following the Action: All home games may be followed through GameTracker on SLU's official athletics Web site, www.slubillikens.com. All home games are played at The Billiken Sports Center, located on the eastern edge of campus adjacent to Chaifetz Arena. Admission is free to all Billiken baseball games. About the Billikens: Saint Louis claimed one win in a three-game series at Richmond last weekend. In game one, the Billikens ended up on the short end of a pitchers' duel when Scott Turmail allowed two runs on seven hits, but the Billikens managed just one run on four hits. The Billikens found their offense in the second game, pounding out 16 hits en route to a 12-3 victory. Greg Rodgers went 4-for-4 with four RBIs, while Andrew Guerra registered five RBIs. In the finale, Guerra posted two doubles to become SLU's all-time single-season leader in the category, but the Billikens dropped the rubber match 7-5. Ryan Bennett leads the team in hitting with a .365 average, while Guerra hits .327. Guerra and Tom Pinnell have a team-high 55 hits apiece. J.D. Dunn is hitting .325 with a team-high 25 stolen bases, while Mike Beal has a .315 batting average. Greg Rodgers leads the team with a team-high 40 RBIs. Scott Turmail leads the pitching staff with a 2.94 ERA and a 6-4 record. As a team, the Bills are hitting .279 and score 5.7 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 5.46 ERA and has allowed opponents a .293 batting average.
Scouting Duquesne: The Dukes enter the week in a three-way tie with Charlotte and Xavier atop the league standings at 7-14 in the A-10 and 21-24-1 overall. They have made a remarkable turnaround after beginning their season 0-10. Mike Carroll is leading the team in hitting with a .368 average. Derek Mechling hits .325 and has pounded a team-leading 11 home runs. Aaron Janusey is second on the club in hitting with a .337 average and 10 home runs. Ryan Juran and Paul Bugajski are the main starters on the pitching staff, and they register 6.84 and 7.00 ERAs, respectively. Bugajski leads the squad with 37 Ks. As a team, the Dukes are hitting .280 and score 6.5 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 7.24 ERA and allows opponents a .312 batting average. Rank and File: Several Billikens rank among the Atlantic 10 Conference leaders in various statistical categories. Andrew Guerra leads the league with a SLU single-season record 20 doubles. Scott Turmail leads the league in innings pitched (88.2) and is tied for the league lead with five complete games. He is also tied for third with six victories, and he leads the A-10 and is ranked 10th in the nation with an average of 1.01 walks per nine innings. Dave Sever is fifth with 64 strikeouts. Greg Rodgers leads the league with 42 walks, and J.D. Dunn is fourth with 25 stolen bases. Catcher Casey Moore is tied for first in the league with 22 runners caught stealing. Double Trouble: Sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra cracked three double last week to become SLU's single-season leader. He surpassed Jason Boehlow in the record book, who hit 18 doubles during the 1992 season. Running of the Bills: As a team, Saint Louis has already stolen 70 bases on the year, which is the most since the 2000 team swiped 92 bags. The school record for stolen bases in a season is 108, a feat accomplished by the 1991 team. J.D. Dunn leads the team with 25 steals in 30 tries. Freebies: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers has drawn a league-leading 42 walks so far this season, which is the third-most all-time in a single season at SLU. He is 10 walks away from Brad Brown's single-season record 51 walks during the 1991 season. He has 113 for his career, which is fourth all-time. No Freebies: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has walked just 10 batters in 88.2 innings while striking out 55. In the latest NCAA statistical report, he ranks 10th nationally and first in the Atlantic 10 in fewest walks allowed per nine innings. New Leader: Head coach Darin Hendrickson is in his first season as the Billikens' skipper. Hired in the summer of 2007, Hendrickson has found success at each of his three previous head-coaching stops during his 12-year tenure. Most recently, he led Central Missouri to three regular-season and tournament championships over the last four years and twice had his team in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Previously, he led St. Louis Community College Forest Park to four NJCAA Super Regional championship games and Fontbonne University (St. Louis) to a conference title in that program's third year of existence in 1998. Hendrickson has a 13-year career record of 512-199. He is assisted by Kevin Moulder, Will Bradley and volunteer assistant Danny Jackson. The Atlantic 10 Conference: Saint Louis is in its third season in the A-10. In their debut in 2006, the Billikens made a memorable run through the conference tournament and emerged as league champions, marking their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 40 years. The Billikens were picked to finish 10th out of 14 squads in the league race this season. The top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the A-10 Tournament, which for the first time will be played at a neutral site at Campbell Stadium in Camden, N.J., beginning May 21. Season Accolades: Sophomore second baseman Andrew Guerra is the reigning A-10 Player of the Week after hitting .571 last week and driving in 11 runs. He belted three home runs, and also became SLU's single-season leader in doubles when he recorded his 20th double of the season on Sunday. Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has twice picked up A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. In his first appearance in a Billiken uniform on Feb. 23, he allowed just four hits and struck out three in a complete-game shutout at Belmont. For his effort, he was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and was dubbed the Northeast Region Player of the Week by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. He was named A-10 co-Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Feb. 16 after picking up a save against Fontbonne and tossing eight shutout innings against Dartmouth. 500 Wins: The Billikens' 10-8 victory against Fordham on March 29 marked the 500th win in the 12-year head-coaching career of Darin Hendrickson. He achieved 209 wins during his four-year tenure at Central Missouri, 126 in four years at Fontbonne, 155 in four years at Forest Park CC and 22 so far in his first season with the Billikens. Beal Street: Sophomore designated hitter Mike Beal (St. Louis, Mo./Glendale CC) is fourth on the club with a .315 average ... has 12 doubles and 25 RBIs ... belted his second home run of the season in the second Richmond game ... doubled and scored against Illinois State ... went 1-for-3 with two RBIs against Harris-Stowe. R&B: Senior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) leads the team in hitting with a .365 average ... is riding an eight-game hitting streak, posting a .471 average during that stretch ... recorded two hits in each of the three games at Richmond ... scored twice in the second game against the Spiders. Well Dunn: Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) has started all 47 games in center, making him one of just two Billikens who have started every game ... ranks third on the team with a .325 average, and first in runs (41) and stolen bases (25) ... has three homers and 25 RBIs ... has reached base safely in all but one game this season ... drove in a run and scored in the Richmond finale ... doubled and scored in the second Richmond contest ... walked twice in the opener against the Spiders. Don't Mess with Texas: Sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas/Rice University) ranks second on the club with a .327 average ... picked up A-10 Player of the Week honors after hitting .571 and driving in 11 runs last week ... also became SLU's single-season doubles leader when he cracked his 20th double Sunday at Richmond ... posted a career-high four hits and drove in two and scored twice in the Richmond finale ... had a career-high five RBIs in the second game against the Spiders ... registered three hits against both Harris-Stowe and Illinois State. Moore Power: Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) is hitting .258 with one homer and 14 RBIs ... has caught 22 base runners trying to steal, which is tied for first in the conference ... had two hits and drove in a run in the second against Richmond ... singled in the first game against the Spiders. A Little Moore Power: Junior shortstop/pitcher Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) has a 3-2 record and a 3.82 ERA in a team-leading 15 appearances, all in relief ... has 17 hits and 15 runs scored ... drove in a run and scored in the Richmond finale ... went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in the second game against the Spiders. Lights Out: Sophomore right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Forest Park CC) has made 14 appearances (11 starts) on the mound ... is also seeing playing time in the outfield ... had a hit in the second game of the Richmond series ... drove in three runs and scored twice in the Illinois State contest. Pinpoint: Junior third baseman Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) has started all 47 games, making him one of just two Billikens who have started every game ... hitting .307 with 32 RBIs to rank second on the squad ... scored a run in the second Richmond finale ... singled in the second game against the Spiders ... followed up a four RBI performance against Harris-Stowe with a 3-for-6, three RBI day at Illinois State. Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) leads the team with 40 RBIs ... ranks fourth all-time at SLU with 113 career walks ... went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored in the second Richmond game ... cracked a solo home run in the first game of the Richmond series ... had two RBIs in the Illinois State game. Leave It To Sever: Junior right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) is fifth in the league with 64 Ks ... has strung together two-straight strong outings, including the second game at Richmond when he allowed two runs (one earned) on just seven hits in eight innings for his fourth win of the year. The Mailbag: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail (Florissant, Mo./Forest Park CC) leads the pitching staff with six wins and a 2.94 ERA ... leads the conference in innings pitched (88.2) ... opponents are hitting just .243 against him ... has pitched into the seventh inning in every start this season, including going eight-plus innings in the last six ... pitched his team-leading fifth complete game of the season in the first Richmond game, yielding two runs on seven hits. |
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