Islanders Begin Second Half Of SLC Season

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi begins the second half of its Southland Conference season in Nacogdoches this weekend, facing off with Stephen F. Austin in a three-game series from Friday through Sunday.

The Islanders and the Jacks are both coming off respective midweek losses to UTSA and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with SFA taking the two team's last series 2-1 in 2017. The Blue and Green is 17-23 against Stephen F. all-time, searching for their second conference series win in east Texas this weekend.

The Islanders were held to six hits in their last win over SFA, scoring all eight of their runs in the eighth frame of that contest. Jackson Owens recorded a two-RBI triple during that matchup, as the hosting Jacks committed three errors in their losing effort to Corpus Christi. Current Islander Caleb Hanks earned the win during that game, with Chris Cooper recording his fourth save of the 2017 campaign.

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Stephen F. Austin
When: Friday, 6:30 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: A. Hernandez (1-5) v SFA: D. Dziedzic (1-2)
Where: Jaycees Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch: Facebook Live

Who: Stephen F. Austin
When: Saturday, 2 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: C. Romere (1-0) v SFA: S. Beasley (2-2)
Where: Jaycees Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch: Facebook Live

Who: Stephen F. Austin
When: Sunday, 1 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: D. Lacaze (2-3) v SFA: T. Kiminski (2-4)
Where: Jaycees Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch: Facebook Live

AT THE PLATE
>> With 16 HBP, Nick Anderson sits third in the country in that category. The junior is currently on a four-game hitting streak, and has reached first in 12 of his last 13 appearances
>> Jackson Owens has gotten on base in his last 10 appearances, and ranks fourth in the nation with six triples in 2018
>> The Islanders tied a season-high with nine walks in game two against Lamar last weekend, their 152 bases on balls ranks fifth in the Southland Conference
>> Tallying a knock in each of his last three games, Itchy Burts has hit in eight of his last nine appearances. He leads the Blue and Green with a .356 batting average
 
ON THE HILL
>> Right hander Aaron Hernandez will be taking the bump on Friday, he currently sits 36th in Division I baseball with 69 strikeouts
>> Chad Romere earns his first weekend start of the year on Saturday, after holding Houston Baptist to a single earned run over four innings of work two weeks ago
>> Dustin Lacaze came within a single strikeout of tying a career-high last week, sitting down seven Lamar batters on strikes over a four-inning start
>> Lefty reliever Cody LeCompte has coughed up just a single earned run over his last four appearances (3.0 IP), and earned his first win in an Islander uniform at HBU two weeks ago

SCOUTING THE JACKS
>> SFA leads all of Division I baseball in hit batters this season (73), no other team in the country has more than 66
>> The Jacks have lost three of their last four outings, with their last win coming in the finale of their series with SHSU. SFA took that final 2-1, while holding the Bearkats to just four hits
>> Stephen F. Austin has scored 10-plus runs in seven games this year, and recorded 10-plus hits on 13 occasions. They are undefeated when scoring in double digits in 2018

Islanders fans hoping to catch this week's festivities can watch the live stream on Facebook Live, provided by Stephen F. Austin, or follow along with the series play-by-play via the live stats link. 

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders prepare for the second leg of their home-and-home series against Houston Baptist, hosting the Huskies at Chapman Field after beating HBU 5-3 in Sugar Land. Corpus Christi is 12-4 against Houston Baptist all-time, and have dropped the Huskies in six of their last seven meetings.

STAY SOCIAL
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