Liberty to Face Radford in 3-Game Big South Series, this Weekend
4/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LIBERTY AT RADFORD
April 7-9
RU Baseball Stadium
Radford, Va.
Friday – 4 p.m.
Saturday - 4 p.m.
Sunday - 2 p.m.
COMPLETE BASEBALL NOTES
LFSN Radio Coverage:
93.3FM/1320AM WVGM ESPN Radio
Video Coverage - Sunday: Big South Network
Live Stats: Friday-Sunday
Quick Facts
• Liberty enters the weekend with a 16-11 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big South Conference play.
• After Radford edged Liberty, 5-4 in 11 innings in a non-conference game on Tuesday, the two teams will square off in a three-game Big South series at RU Baseball Stadium, this weekend.
• Liberty has faced Radford 98 times on the diamond, the most of any school in program history. The Flames hold a 62-36 advantage in all-time series.
• Radford has posted a 13-15 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Big South play, this season. Radford is 8-2 at RU Baseball Stadium in 2017.
• Liberty leads the Big South in ERA and is ranked 18th in the nation in double plays per game.
• The 2017 season is the first under head coach Scott Jackson. Jackson, who was an assistant coach at Liberty in 2008, spent the past eight seasons as an assistant on head coach Mike Fox's staff at North Carolina.
ERA Tops The Big South
Led by right-hander Caleb Evans, the Flames lead the Big South Conference with a 3.36 team earned run average (ERA). Liberty's ERA is over a run lower than Presbyterian who is next in the conference with a 4.70 ERA. The Flames also top the confernce with a .244 opponent batting average.
Evans, who is expected to start Friday's contest, enters the weekend with a team-leading 1.59 ERA. The senior right-hander is currently second in the Big South in the category. Evans has given up eight earned runs over 45 1/3 innings and is second in the conference in wins with a 4-2 mark. He is joined by right-hander Evan Mitchell in the conference's top 10. Mitchell is seventh with a 3.13 ERA and a .226 opponent batting average.
In addition, the Liberty bullpen has been successful during the first half of the 2017 season. Flames relievers have combined to post a 2.37 ERA over 114 1/3 innings and hold a 11-2 record with three saves. The Liberty relief corps as a unit has struck out 114 batters and walked 31, a 3.68 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.
Double Vision
Liberty enters this weekend's series among the national leaders in double plays. So far this season, Liberty has turned 29 double plays, ranking 25th nationally. The Flames' 1.06 double plays per game rank 18th in the country.
Of the Liberty's 29 double plays, shortstop Cam Locklear and Andrew Kowalo have been involved in 20 as a combination.
Did You Know?
• Three former Liberty Flames will start their professional seasons at the AAA level. Ryan Cordell ( 2011-13) will begin his year with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Milwaukee Brewers' organization, Ian Parmley (2011-12) will start his season with the Buffalo Bison of the Toronto Blue Jays' organization and Matt Williams (2009-11) will begin his year with the Salt Lake Bees of the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim organization.
• Liberty has had 63 players chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft in the 43-year history of its program. The Flames have had at least one player chosen every year since 2000.
