The Basics
Game 9
Oral Roberts (6-2) vs Tarleton (6-2)
Dates: March 1
Location: J.L. Johnson Stadium (Tulsa, Okla.)
Watch: ORU Sports Network | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – Coming off a road series win, the Oral Roberts baseball team returns home to J.L. Johnson Stadium for a midweek matchup against Tarleton on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the ORU Sports Network and fans can also follow along with the game on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball. For tickets, fans can visit www.mabeecenter.com.

TICKET PROMO
ORU Athletics is running its "Buy One, Get One Free Ticket" promotion for Wednesday's game.

Important Links
ORU Game Notes
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• Wednesday's midweek marks the first meeting all-time between ORU and Tarleton.

• The Texans are the third first-time opponent on the Golden Eagles' schedule this season.

• In such contests, ORU is 6-1 on the year. Dating back to last season, the Golden Eagles are 11-4 against first-time opponents.

Quick Hits     
• The Golden Eagles return to J.L. Johnson Stadium after taking two of three on the road against Texas State over the weekend. 

• In the series win, ORU's pitching staff held a potent Bobcat lineup to 10 runs on 11 hits and registered 34 strikeouts.

• After making three scoreless appearances on the week, junior right-hander Cade Denton was named the TicketSmarter Summit League Baseball Peak Pitcher of the Week. The Rowlett, Texas, native struck out seven over four innings of work and registered a save in Saturday's 6-3 win.

• Entering the week, the Golden Eagle offense leads the Summit League in runs (54), hits (79), doubles (17), triples (3), home runs (12), RBIs (49), total bases (138) and slugging percentage (.498). On the mound, ORU tops the conference in ERA (2.75), WHIP (1.06), saves (2), innings pitched (72.0), hits allowed per nine innings (6.1), strikeouts (84) and batting average against (.198). Defensively, the Golden Eagles top the League in putouts (216), assists (78) and double plays (10).

• Nationally, ORU ranks third in double plays, ninth in hits allowed per nine innings, 11th in WHIP, 16th in ERA, 17th in fielding percentage (.990), 27th in sacrifice flies (5) and 28th in home runs.

• Matt Hogan continues to lead the Summit League in homers (4) and RBIs (13). Nationally, the senior ranks 13th in homers and 30th in RBIs.

• On the mound, Jakob Hall and Jacob Widener pace the League in strikeouts with 14 each. Harley Gollert ranks fifth nationally in wins with two, which also leads the conference.

• RHP Joshua Caravalho will take the mound for the Golden Eagles on Wednesday.

• The Golden Eagles are coming off their 20th Summit League Tournament Championship and 29th NCAA Regional appearance after finishing with a 38-20 record in 2022. ORU returns 15 players from last year's NCAA Regional squad and welcomed 17 newcomers in the offseason.

• After an electric 2022 season out of the bullpen, Denton received Preseason First Team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) and was tabbed the Preseason Summit League Pitcher of the Year by D1 Baseball and Perfect Game USA. The Rowlett, Texas, native was also named to the Preseason Watch List for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball. Entering the week, the junior has not allowed an earned run over his last 40.1 innings.

• In the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, ORU was selected as the unanimous favorite to claim the regular season crown. The Golden Eagles received 42 points and earned all six first-place votes they could. Redshirt senior Mac McCroskey and Denton were named the Preseason Player and Pitcher to Watch for ORU as voted on by the league's seven head coaches. Senior Jake McMurray and Denton garnered Preseason All-Summit League honors from Perfect Game USA.

• Entering the 2023 season, ORU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history with a .652 winning percentage. 

• Head Coach Ryan Folmar enters his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has compiled a 325-212 (.605) overall record.  

Scouting the Opponent
• After dropping their first two contests of the year, Tarleton has won their last six.

• Mason Hammonds leads the charge offensively for the Texans with a .429 average, while Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo and Cris Enriquez top the team with nine RBIs apiece.

• Enriquez, a two-way player, will get the start on the mound for Tarleton Wednesday.

• In the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Texans were picked to finish 10th.

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.