LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Baseball returns home this weekend and for just the second time in 2022 when they play host to an NAIA Top-25 squad. Eastern Oregon will play a three-day series at Optimist Field against the No. 4 Lewis-Clark State College Warriors.
OPPONENT
No. 4 LC State Warriors (35-3, 6-2 CCC)
WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Optimist Field at Pioneer Park
WHEN
Friday-Sunday, April 8-10
Friday, April 8 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 - 12 & 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 10 - 11 a.m.
First Pitch
• The Mountaineers (9-27, 2-9 CCC) will look to pick up their first series win at home this season when they return to La Grande for the second time.
• So far in league play, EOU has split one series and dropped a pair. At home this season, Eastern is 2-2.
• The Mounties match-up against the No. 4 Warriors will be their fourth showdown with a ranked squad.
• Following the home series, EOU will have next weekend off. They will return to action the following week with a road series at College of Idaho.
How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series can be found on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch.
• Live stats coverage for this weekend can be accessed by clicking the respective link above and by going to the EOU Baseball schedule page.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game or $11.95 for a day pass of doubleheaders. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Baseball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.
Story Lines
• The Mountaineers will play on their home field for just the second time in 2022.
• EOU and LC State will square off for the second time this year, with this weekend being league games.
• Eastern is .500 at home this season with a 2-2 record.
• The Mounties are 1-11 against LC State since reinstatement with the lone win coming at home.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mounties dropped three of their four games on the road last weekend at British Columbia. Game four was ultimately suspended due to heavy rainfall.
• On day one, UBC won by final scores of 10-4 and 6-3. Reliever
Kolbe Bales had five strikeouts in game one, while game two starter
Jaydon Yancey fanned three batters.
• Day two saw the Thunderbirds win the first game by a final of 8-4.
Nick Jennings and
Dylan Myers each had two strikeouts in the contest.
• Offensively,
Tomo Horie led the bats going 3-4 in game one and 3-5 in game two.
Brooks Dyer also recorded at least one hit in all three games.
Series History vs. LC State
• Since 2021, when EOU was reinstated the team is just 1-11 against LC State. All time, the Warriors lead the series 109-12.
• Earlier this season in a four-game non-conference bout, the Warriors swept the Mounties in Lewiston. Eastern managed just two runs scored over the four games.
• At home since last season, Eastern is 1-3 against LC State. The lone win for EOU was a 12-10 victory in the series opener.
There is No Place Like Home … When We're There
• Eastern has played just four games at home in 2022. In that span, they are 2-2.
• The lone home series for the Mounties was against the Bushnell Beacons two weeks ago.
• Since 2021, EOU has played a total of just 14 games at home since reinstatement.
• The Mounties two wins over Bushnell were their first at home against an in-state opponent.
Batter Up!
• EOU has tallied five or more hits in 27 of their 36 games played this season.
• Eastern had a season best 19 hits in the win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
• Against Bushnell, EOU tallied 16 hits in the finale which is the most at home this season.
•
McKlane Elgin leads the bats, based on requirements, with a .290 average.
•
Hector Carreon has a team leading three home runs in 25 games played.
It's Not Stealing If You Don't Get Caught
• Entering the weekend, EOU is still 29-42 on stolen base attempts.
•
Austin Gerding leads the way in stolen bases with seven on 10 attempts in 21 starts.
•
Garret Kollar is second in stolen bases with five on seven attempts.
Doing Work on the Mound
• The Mountaineers have racked up six more strikeouts in 19 games this year.
• Eastern racked up a season best 15 strikeouts in game two of their series against Bushnell
•
Davis Brown and
Jaydon Yancey are tied for first in total strikeouts with 35, respectively.
•
Nick Jennings is climbing up the ranks and is third in strikeouts with 28 in six games played.
Stat Leaders (As of April 6)
• The Mountaineers continue to rank fourth in the CCC in fielding percentage at .957.
•
Matt Garcia still ranks third in the league in triples hit with four.
•
McKlane Elgin is tied for fourth in triples hit with three.
•
Jaydon Yancey is fourth in the CCC in innings pitched at 53.0. He is tied for fourth in games started at nine.
•
Davis Brown is tied for third in complete games with one and seventh in innings pitched at 47.1.
Scouting the No. 4 LC State Warriors
• LC State comes to La Grande with a 35-3 overall record and is second in league play at 6-2. They also ranked fourth in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.
• As a team, LC State is batting .335 with 374 runs scored and 344 RBI. They have hit 52 home runs and slug .554 as a unit.
• On the mound, the Warriors sport a 2.79 ERA in 319.0 innings of work. They have struck out 370 batters and are giving up just a .228 batting average to go along with 23 homers.
• Defensively, LC State boasts a .971 fielding percentage. They have committed just 38 errors and turned 30 double plays.
• Sam Linscott paces the bats with a .423 average in 36 starts. He has 45 RBI on the year to go along with 50 runs scored. He has hit five home runs and ois 20-20 in stolen bases.
• Riley Way is batting .371 and is tied for the team lead in doubles with Linscott at 16. He has 40 RBI and scored 48 runs. He is second in stolen bases at 14-14 on the year.
• Luke White is the team leader in home runs with 13 this season. He has started all 38 games and is batting .370 on the year. He leads the way in slugging percentage at .741 and RBI with 52.
• Aidan Nagle is second in homers hit with eight. He bats .335 and is fourth in doubles hit with 14. He has scored 43 runs so far.
• Trent Sellers is the ace for the Warriors with 77 strikeouts in 11 games played. He is 8-0 on the year with a 1.24 ERA and has one save. He is holding batters to a .160 average.
• Second in strikeouts is Dawson Day with 49. He is undefeated at 5-0 and sports an even 2.00 ERA.
• Eric Chavarria is third in total strikeouts at 47. He is 5-1 entering the weekend and has a 4.70 ERA.
Up Next
• Following this weekend's series, Eastern will have next weekend off. The Mounties will be back in action April 23-24 for a four-game road series at College of Idaho.
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