Home Schedule Ends Against Incarnate Word

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Closing out its home schedule for the 2018 season, eight Texas A&M-Corpus Christi seniors will be making their final appearances at Chapman Field this Sunday against Incarnate Word.

Facing off with the Cardinals in a three-game conference series, the Islanders will celebrate senior day in this weekend's finale May 13th.

Catcher - Scott Balfantz

• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2018 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Made 62 starts for the Islanders to date
• .282 career batting average, with 28 RBI

Middle Infielder - Cam Boudreaux

• Made 49 appearances for the Islanders over two seasons
• Slashed .283/.386/.367 his junior year
• .349 career on base percentage

Right-Handed Pitcher - Cole Carter

• Three saves and 91 strikeouts over two seasons on the Island
• 35 appearances with 10 starts
• 8.47 career K/9 over 97.0 IP

Right-Handed Pitcher - Chris Cooper

• 12 career saves rank third in Islander history
• 66 appearances sit eighth in school history, just six away from fourth place Roy Ferdin (2008-11)
• 3.92 career ERA stands sixth in Islander history

Infielder/Right-Handed Pitcher - Jackson Owens

• Made 13 appearances on the mound with nine starts
• 11 triples over his career sit in a tie for second in Islander history, despite playing just two seasons on the Island
• Career slashline of .290/.371/.487

Right-Handed Pitcher - Chad Romere

• 32 appearances and five starts over two years on the Island
• Given up just 13 extra-base hits over 61.0 innings of work
• 9.44 career K/9, with a total of 64 strikeouts 

Shortstop - RJ Ruiz

• The Islanders' regular starting shortstop, making 30 of his 34 career starts in 2018
• Posted a .387 on base percentage his senior year
• Turned nine double plays with a .950 fielding percentage in his final year on the Island

Outfielder - Dalton Stark

• Led his team with a .330 batting average and 32 RBI during his junior year
• Six career triples, to go along with 27 extra base hits in two years on the Island
• Gunned down 11 runners, while making 90 starts in the outfield

While the Cardinals currently sit five games ahead of Corpus Christi, in the Southland Conference standings, the Islanders are 12-7 against UIW all-time. The Blue and Green have taken seven of their eight contests against the Cards when playing at Chapman Field. 

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Incarnate Word
When: Friday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: A. Hernandez (3-5) v UIW: T. Miller (3-3)
Where: Chapman Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network

Who: Incarnate Word
When: Saturday, 4 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: A. G. Ayala (3-1) v UIW: L. Taggart (4-3)
Where: Chapman Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network

Who: Incarnate Word
When: Sunday, 1 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: TBA (0-0) v UIW: B. Martinez (6-3)
Where: Chapman Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network

PROMOTIONS
Friday: First 200 fans receive a pair of free Islander sunglasses
Sunday: Blue and Green fans bid farewell to eight, as Corpus Christi celebrates senior day

AT THE PLATE
>> As a team, the Islanders have hit .373 in their last four contests, while averaging 14 knocks per game. Itchy Burts, Jackson Owens, Harrison Dinicola, Drake Osborn and Nick Anderson recorded one or more hits in each of those four games
>> Burts is currently on a 15-game hitting streak, beating the team's season best (14) set by Andriud Martinez earlier this season, Osborn and Enrique Sanchez Jr. meanwhile are each on seven-game hitting streaks
>> The Islanders drew 20 walks against McNeese last week, posting a new season-high for a single series. Dinicola currently sits in a tie for seventh in the conference with 30 bases on balls
>> The Blue and Green sits 13th in Division I baseball with 17 triples on the year. Owens' seven rank third in the country, while Dinicola and Dalton Stark have three apiece
 
ON THE HILL
>> Aaron Hernandez' 88 strikeouts on the year, currently rank 41st in the country. He's 12 Ks away from becoming the sixth pitcher in Islander history to reach the century mark
>> With 419 strikeouts this season, the Blue and Green pitching staff is just one away from tying a program record for a single season
>> As two of the Islanders' most reliable relief tools, lefties A.G. Ayala and Cody Lecompte currently lead their team with respective ERAs of 2.79 and 2.81, along with BAAs of .188 and .176
>> Chris Cooper leads the Blue and Green with four saves this year, his career total of 12 ranks third in Islander history

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
>> Incarnate Word provides one of the most effective offenses in the country, ranking seventh in on base percentage (.406) and 16th in batting average (.302)
>> The Cardinals are coming off a 2-1 series win against Northwestern State last weekend, they currently sit five games ahead of the Islanders for sixth place in the Southland Conference
>> UIW's BAA sits at .267 on the year, and has the 12th ranked BB/9 in the country at 2.94

The Islanders home contests with Incarnate Word will be broadcast, as are all home games, on the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

COMING UP NEXT
After competing with the Cardinals, Corpus Christi puts a cap on its regular season with a trip up state to Abilene. The Islanders will close out the 2018 regular season against Abilene Christian for a second straight year next week, sweeping the Wildcats in the pair's previous meeting at home inside Chapman Field.

STAY SOCIAL
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