Bear Down

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will be looking for their second straight Southland series victory this week against Central Arkansas, after taking two of three against Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches the previous weekend.

The Blue and Green are an even 14-14-2 all-time against the Bears heading into Friday's game one, facing off with a UCA side that is currently on a three-game skid, and has lost four of their previous five contests. 

Currently sitting 12th in the conference, the Islanders will be looking to make moves up the leaderboard this weekend, with UCA ranking fifth in the SLC, on an 11-7 conference record. Corpus Christi is just two games outside of the eighth spot in the standings, putting them just a pair of wins away from the final seed in this year's Southland Conference tournament at the end of May. 

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Central Arkansas
When: Friday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: A. Hernandez (1-5) v UCA: T. Gray (5-0)
Where: Bear Stadium | Conway, Ark.
Watch: Bear Nation Network

Who: Central Arkansas
When: Saturday, 4 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: C. Romere (2-0) v UCA: T. Wiley (3-2)
Where: Bear Stadium | Conway, Ark.
Watch: Bear Nation Network

Who: Central Arkansas
When: Sunday, 1 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: D. Lacaze (2-3) v UCA: C. Davenport (3-2)
Where: Bear Stadium | Conway, Ark.
Watch: Bear Nation Network

AT THE PLATE
>> Itchy Burts and Harrison DiNicola are on seven and eight-game hitting streaks respectively. Burts has failed to record a knock just once during the month of April
>> The Islanders' 58 HBP currently ranks 37th in the country, while Nick Anderson (19) and Jackson Owens sit 3rd and 36th respectively
>> The Islanders continue to be one of the top teams in the country when it comes to triples, with their 14 sitting 20th in the country
>> The Blue and Green recorded double-digit knocks in all three of their games against Stephen F. Austin last week, they are 12-5 this year when registering 10 or more hits
 
ON THE HILL
>> Aaron Hernandez will be taking the hill for the Islanders on Friday, his 79 strikeouts are a team-high, and rank 26th in Division I baseball
>> Chad Romere will make his second weekend start of the season on Saturday, after holding the Jacks to just four hits and a single run over five innings of work last week
>> Dustin Lacaze gets the Sunday nod, looking for his fourth quality start of 2018
>> Left handed reliever Cody LeCompte has not allowed an earned run to his name over his last four appearances (7.0 IP), he earned the first save of his Islander career last week, with a four-inning effort during Corpus Christi's 9-2 win

SCOUTING THE BEARS
>> The Bears are one of the few teams in the country that get plunked more than the Islanders, with their 71 HBP sitting eighth in Division I baseball
>> Friday starter Tyler Gray has been a force for UCA this year, tallying a 5-0 record thus far in 2018, with a strikeout total (88) ranking 11th in the country
>> Five Central Arkansas players have over 20 RBI in 2018, with the entire team slugging a combined .416 in conference play

For those hoping to catch this week's festivities, but can't attend the contest, Blue and Green fans can watch the live stream via the Bear Nation Network, provided by Central Arkansas athletics. 

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders compete in the second of their two-game season series against UTSA, this time traveling to San Antonio to faceoff with the Roadrunners on Tuesday. The visiting side has won the last Islanders' previous five matchups with UTSA. 

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBSB), Instagram (@islandersbsb) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Baseball).