Alcorn Game Notes
LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University baseball program will go up against its final non-SWAC opponent of the 2019 regular season on Tuesday evening when it heads west to take on the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe.
As a team, Alcorn (13-26, 6-14 SWAC) currently ranks in the top-45 in the NCAA for triples per game and the top-60 for triples. The purple and gold have smacked 0.33 three-baggers per game and 13 overall in the 39 games played.
In conjunction with the triples, the Braves are among the top-five teams in the SWAC for fielding percentage (.949), homers per game (0.62), strikeouts per nine innings (8.0) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.14).
Senior
Carlos Lopez enters the series as Alcorn's all-time career strikeout record with 230. He passed the previous mark of 219 set by Steve Easter with a strikeout in the top of the ninth against Tougaloo on April 17th. Lopez has 58 punchouts in 2019, good for fourth in the SWAC.
Junior
Kyle Jenkins has been borderline unstoppable over the past two and a half weeks, producing a hit in eight consecutive ballgames while hitting for a .438 batting average, scoring 12 runs, accumulating three doubles, a triple, 14 RBIs and five homers over that span.
Jenkins is now fourth in homers per game (0.24), fifth in total home runs (9) and ninth in slugging percentage (.575) in the SWAC. The catcher from Jacksonville, Florida needs one more round-tripper to become the eighth player in program history to hit double-digit homers in the season.
Over the weekend in the three-game set with Mississippi Valley State, Jenkins went 7-for-13 (.538 average) with four home runs, seven runs scored, a double, a triple and three walks. In the series finale on Sunday, Jenkins set career-highs for hits (4), home runs (3), runs scored (5) and RBIs (6) in a 14-12 series-clinching victory.
Freshman
Tristin Garcia has provided a huge boost as the primary leadoff hitter, as he is the club leader with a .356 batting average (10th in SWAC), 47 hits and three triples while placing ninth in the SWAC in hits per game (1.38).
Garcia is also among the top-three in total bases (66), slugging percentage (.500), on-base percentage (.422) and stolen bases (3) while pacing the squad with 17 multiple-hit outings.
Senior
Brandon Barna became the 48th player in school history to reach the 100-hit milestone on March 30 with a two-RBI single in the top of the sixth versus Jackson State. Barna presently stands at 113 career base knocks which places him in a tie for 38th with
Der'Vincent Hamilton (2015-2018).
Junior
Brandon Rembert has been a pleasant surprise in his first season with the club, leading all Braves hitters with nine doubles and a .451 on-base percentage while placing second in average (.345), runs scored (32), hits (41) and slugging (.513). Rembert is among the top-40 nationally with a 11.9 toughest to strike out rating.
Junior closer
Austin Atwood has put the finishing touches on a majority team's 13 victories, as he's second in the SWAC with six saves while also picking up three wins, tied for the best total on the club.
Other notable Braves on the SWAC leaderboards include senior
Kirt Cormier with 1.03 runs scored per game (6th) and 28 walks (8th), senior
Jose Fernandez who has 48 strikeouts (10th) and junior
Jordan McGowan with three sacrifice flies (8th).
Scouting the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Louisiana-Monroe (19-24, 8-12 Sun Belt) are currently in fifth place in the Sun Belt's West Division and are 9-10 at their on-campus home, Warhawk Field.
The Warhawks have won three of their last four, taking two-of-three at Arkansas State over the weekend after beating Southern in Baton Rouge by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday.
Junior Andrew Beesley has appeared in all 43 games for the red and gold, compiling a team-best .370 average and 61 hits while also driving in 29 RBIs, hitting eight doubles and scoring 27 runs. In the power department, Chad Bell is the big-bopper for ULM as he's tops in homers (11) doubles (8) and total bases (99) to go along with 50 hits and 32 RBIs.
Senior starting pitcher Trey Jeans is the team's most consistent hurler, with an ERA of 3.61 over 57.1 innings. Opposing hitters are only batting .187 off of the southpaw and he paces the squad with 53 punchouts.
Alcorn and Louisiana-Monroe last met in Monroe on February 17, 2013 with the Warhawks taking the matchup, 7-3.
#FearTheBrave
