First Pitch

The Golden Eagles host Centenary in a four-game set this weekend at J.L. Johnson Stadium. This marks the last homestand for the 2007 season for ORU as they play their last series on the road next weekend against Western Illinois. ORU enters the series as a hot ball club, winning 14 out of the last 15 games.



The Coaches

Rob Walton is in his fourth season as ORU head coach, with a record of 162-62 (.723). Not only was Walton the 2006 Mid-Con Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons, he also was awarded the 2006 ABCA Mid-West Region Coach of the Year. Ed McCann is in his ninth year at the helm of the Gents, leading CC to a 195-295-2 overall mark.



The Series: ORU vs. Centenary

In the 30 times ORU and Centenary have played each other, the Golden Eagles hold a 26-4 advantage. The Golden Eagles have won four in a row against CC, with the last loss on the series opener in Shreveport, April 22, 2006, by the score of 8-7.



Centenary Notes

Centenary holds a 23-24 overall mark and is third in the Mid-Con with a 6-6 record. As a team, Centenary has the second highest batting averare (.289) and second lowest ERA (4.67) in the league. Teddy Saenz leads the squad with a .323 batting average, which ranks 12th in the Mid-Con. Matt Webb is CC�€™s power threat, blasting a team-high five home runs so far this season. Five different Gents have at least 30 RBI. Left-handed hurler Brandon Fulenchek has shown this year that he is one of the top pitchers in the league, placing second in the Mid-Con with a 2.90 ERA and is ranked a-top the conference with a 8-2 record. Reliever Aaron Bronson is tied for the conference lead with five saves.

Last Time Out

The Golden Eagles scored seven runs in the ninth to rally from a 6-2 deficit in beating Missouri State this past Tuesday in Springfield, Mo. ORU led 2-0 through three innings but Missouri State scored six unanswered runs to take a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases with two outs and sent pitch-hitter Stephen Pearson to the plate. Pearson belted a fastball over the right field fence for a grand slam to tie the game at 6-6. Brendan Duffy then walked and later advanced to third after an unsuccessful pick-off and a throwing error by the first basemen. Kelly Minissale then singled up the middle to plate Duffy for the go-ahead run. Jake Kahaulelio then hit his fourth home run of the year past the left field wall to open a 9-6 lead. Erik Crichton worked the ninth to earn his fifth save.



Mid-Con�€™s Dominance

This season starts the 10th season that ORU has been a member of the Mid-Continent Conference. Ever since the first year in 1996-97, the baseball team has dominated the conference going 241-30 (.889) in nine years. The Golden Eagles have won nine conference championships and has been the lone member of the Mid-Con in the NCAA Regionals. Since the 14-4 campaign in 1999, no other ORU squad has lost more than two games during conference play.



Regional Round-Up

With a region so dominate in collegiate baseball, ORU often gets over looked. Currently, Arkansas is ranked No. 6, Wichita State No. 9, and Oklahoma State No. 19. This year, the Golden Eagles are 3-1 against the three teams and have yet to play Oklahoma State. Since last year, ORU is 11-1 against these regional powers. Under Rob Walton�€™s guidance, ORU is 14-6 against these teams since 2004.



ORU in the National Rankings (As of 5/6/07)

As a team, Golden Eagle baseball ranks in the top-50 in five different categories. ORU�€™s hurlers average 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings which ranks ninth nationally. ORU ranks 20th in fielding percantage (.972), 26th in ERA (3.66), and 45th in home runs per game (0.93).

Indiviually, ORU has four different players that rank in the top-100. Chance Chapman ranks fourth in ERA (1.27), third in strikeouts per nine innings (12.8), and 24th with 91.0 total strikeouts. Jeremy Hefner ranks 15th in strikeouts per nine innings with a 11.3 average, 52nd with 81.0 total strikeouts, and 72nd with seven wins. Jake Kahaulelio ranks 58th in hits by pitch per game (.03) and Chad Rothford is 59th with 11 homeruns. Brendan Duffy ranks 54th with 1.12 runs per game.

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