Baseball 5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

Golden Eagles Face No. 16 Arkansas in Fayetteville Tuesday Night

TULSA – The Oral Roberts University baseball team travels to Fayetteville on Tuesday night to face No. 16 Arkansas at 6:35 p.m. at Baum Stadium. Live stats and audio will be available at www.orugoldeneagles.com.

First Pitch
The Golden Eagles (26-12) continue their 11-game road trip to end the regular season with a contest at No. 17 Arkansas at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday night. The two teams met in Tulsa on April 21, as Arkansas came away with the 9-6 victory after an ORU rally fell short. The Razorbacks lead the all-time series by a 60-35-1 advantage dating back to 1970.

Scouting the Razorbacks
Arkansas enters Tuesday's contest with a 31-17 overall record, while posting a 21-9 mark at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks have lost five consecutive games, beginning with the last two of a three-game series against No. 4 LSU before a sweep at No. 21 Alabama. Chase Leavitt leads the offense, batting .321 with 11 doubles and 26 RBI, while drawing 39 walks. Andy Wilkins has added the power in the lineup, batting .308 with 11 doubles, 15 home runs and 37 RBI.

Last Time Out
ORU won three out of four at Oakland over the weekend to improve to 15-2 in Summit League play. The Golden Eagles knocked six home runs in the first contest but still fell 15-11. ORU got complete games from Andre Lamontagne, Mark Serrano and Jeff Burleson in the final three games to win the series. The Golden Eagles scored seven of its 10 runs on three homers in the second game for a 10-6 victory. Seth Furmanek went 4-for-5 in the contest with a three-run dinger, while P.J. Sequeira posted three hits, including two homers, and his first five-RBI performance. Mark Serrano tossed his third complete game of the season in the seven-inning contest on Sunday, while Johnny Roberts went 3-for-4 with three RBI in ORU's 10-2 victory. In the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday, Jeff Burleson pitched his first-career complete game while Tyler Garewal went 4-for-6 at the plate as ORU cruised to a 12-1 victory.

Last Time They Met
The two teams last met on April 21 in Tulsa, where seventh-ranked Arkansas came away with a 9-6 victory over the Golden Eagles. Arkansas relied on a six-run second inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead by the third frame. The Golden Eagles scored five unanswered runs over the next five innings to bring the game within two runs before the Razorbacks scored two in the top of the ninth to put the game away. P.J. Sequeira went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, while Michael Notaro went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. Mark Serrano pitched three scoreless inning of relief, striking out seven batters.

Countdown to Win No. 250
ORU skipper Rob Walton has earned a 247-90 record since taking over the reigns of the program in 2004. Walton has averaged 44 wins and 16 losses in his five seasons at ORU, with one 50-win season (2004) and four 40-win seasons. Only two other coaches in ORU history have recorded 250 or more wins, as Larry Cochell (1977-86) posted 428 victories and Sunny Golloway (1996-2003) earned 335 wins. Walton would be the fastest to reach the 250-win mark, as Cochell achieved the feat four games into his seventh season, while Golloway reached the number six games into his seventh year.

RPI Watch
The Golden Eagles are currently No. 55 in Boyd's World's latest psuedo RPI numbers. ORU is the highest ranked school in the Summit League, with the next closest at No. 137 (Centenary). Ten of ORU's opponents this season are ranked in the top 100, with Cal State Fullerton holding the top spot nationally. Texas is ranked No. 3, with Rice (No. 9), Arkansas (No. 16), Dallas Baptist (No. 47), Washington State (No. 59), Notre Dame (No. 73), UT-San Antonio (No. 78), Missouri State (No. 86) and UT-Arlington (No. 100) rounding out teams in the top 100.

ORU Against Ranked Opponents
The Golden Eagles always face a tough non-conference schedule, and have held their own against ranked opponents. Under Coach Walton, the Golden Eagles have posted a 25-42 record in 62 contests against ranked teams the past six seasons. ORU tied its highest rated win under Walton on March 8 with a 5-3 victory over No. 7 Rice in Houston.

- ORU -

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Players Mentioned

#24 Jeff Burleson: RHP/INF; 6' 2"; Junior

#9 Seth Furmanek: C; 6' 2"; Junior

#21 Tyler Garewal: OF; 6' 0"; Junior

#18 Andre Lamontagne: RHP; 6' 4"; Senior

#31 Michael Notaro: INF; 6' 3"; Senior

#33 Johnny Roberts: OF; 6' 1"; Senior

#25 P.J. Sequeira: OF; 6' 3"; Junior

#8 Mark Serrano: RHP; 6' 1"; Senior

Rob Walton: HC; Redshirt

Players Mentioned

#24 Jeff Burleson
: 6' 2"; Junior
: RHP/INF

#9 Seth Furmanek
: 6' 2"; Junior
: C

#21 Tyler Garewal
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OF

#18 Andre Lamontagne
: 6' 4"; Senior
: RHP

#31 Michael Notaro
: 6' 3"; Senior
: INF

#33 Johnny Roberts
: 6' 1"; Senior
: OF

#25 P.J. Sequeira
: 6' 3"; Junior
: OF

#8 Mark Serrano
: 6' 1"; Senior
: RHP

Rob Walton
: Redshirt
: HC