Southwest Baseball Team Hosts Roane State in Region VII Best of Three Series
For more information contact: Keith Gentry, (901) 333-4114 e-mail mgentry@southwest.tn.edu, Farris Bldg., Room 1002, 5983 Macon Cove, Memphis, TN 38134
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) - The 4th-seed Southwest baseball team will take on 9th-seed Roane State in a TCCAA/NJCAA Region 7 tournament first round best-of-three series April 29-May 1 with game one at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 at USA Stadium in Millington. The five winners of the first round series will advance (along with regular season champion/top-seed Walters State) to a 6-team double-elimination tournament May 5-8 at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee. The tournament champion advances to the Appalachian District Tournament May 12-14, hosted by the Region 17 champion.
The Saluqis, under the direction of Head Coach Erik Schoenrock, finished the regular season with a 34-21 overall record including 21-9 in conference play. Offensive statistical leaders include freshman designated hitter Brady Cooper (team-leading .414 batting average with 13 home runs and 57 runs batted in), sophomore shortstop Tylan Graves (.326 batting average with a team-leading 15 home runs and 67 runs batted in), and sophomore leftfielder Jonathan Walsh (.383 batting average with a team-leading 28 stolen bases).
Other probable starters are freshman third baseman Owen Roether (.331, 12 HR, 40 RBI),
sophomore first baseman Dylan Walters (.325, 11 HR, 45 RBI), sophomore second baseman
Cameron Baker (.310, 4 HR, 32 RBI), sophomore catcher Tripp Ray (.282, 12 HR, 45 RBI),
sophomore rightfielder Matthew Bright (.262, 5 HR, 35 RBI), and sophomore centerfielder
Ben Smith (.259, 8 HR, 32 RBI).
Starting game one is freshman Paul Brignole (leads the staff with a 9-2 record, 12
starts, and 67-2/3 innings) with sophomore Tyler Wilson (5-0 record, 40 strikeouts
in 41 innings) starting game two. Other top starting pitchers this spring are freshman
Blake Stricklin (3-3 record, 11 starts, 47-1/3 innings, team-leading 50 strikeouts),
and freshman Dylan Rainey (3-2 record, 10 starts, 35-1/3 innings).
The relievers are led by freshman Troy O’Keefe (5-3 record, team-leading 19 appearances
and 4 saves, 35 strikeouts in 30 innings), sophomore Scotty Young (3-2 record, 2 saves,
36 innings), freshman Liam Cruickshank (17 appearances, 32 strikeouts in 21-1/3 innings)
and freshman Lane Elrod (19 appearances, 30 strikeouts in 29 innings.)