Miami Gardens, Fla. - The St. Thomas Bobcats are back at home this weekend, this time welcoming the 7th-ranked Loyola University New Orleans Wolf Pack to Miami Gardens. The four game series will begin on Friday night.
Game Details
Teams: Loyola University New Orleans (11-2) at St. Thomas University (8-6)
Dates: Friday, February 20 (6:00 pm), Saturday, February 21 (1:00 pm and 4:00 pm) and Sunday, February 22 (1:00 pm)
Location: Paul Demie Mainieri Field | Miami Gardens, Fla.
Media: Live Stats | Live Video | Tickets
Probable Starters
Game 1 (Friday, February 20 at 6:00 pm): RHP Brian Chin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Juan Fernandez (2-1, 2.41 ERA)
Game 2 (Saturday, February 21 at 1:00 pm): LHP Michael Hotard (2-0, 3.46 ERA) vs. RHP Diego Evans (3-1, 3.68 ERA)
Game 3 (Saturday, February 21 at 4:00 pm): LHP Thomas Hakimian (1-0, 11.05 ERA) vs. LHP Ismael Cordoba (1-2, 2.45 ERA)
Game 4 (Sunday, February 22 at 1:00 pm): TBD vs RHP Jordan Naranjo (0-1, 6.48 ERA)
Series History
The Bobcats have faced the Wolf Pack 7 times, with a 2-5 record. The two teams last faced each other last season, with Loyola winning the series three games to one. The Bobcats did take the final game last year, with a 7-6 win. Luis Morera had the best performance of returning Bobcats last year against Loyola, going 3-for-6, with 2 RBI, a BB, and a SB.
State of the Bobcats
Despite being swept last weekend to 9th-ranked Taylor, three of the four games were one or two run games. There were many strong performances though for the Bobcats. Daytan Biegel went 7-for-15 with 2 HR, and Edwin Toribion went 7-for-16 with 2 2B. On the mound, Cordoba had 9 strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings. Frank Villella also threw 5 shutout innings in relief on Saturday.
The Bobcats still lead the NAIA in total strikeouts with 160 in 122 innings, and they rank 7th in the country in K/9 with 11.80. Evans leads the country in strikeouts with 35, and Fernandez is tied for second with 33 strikeouts.
Scouting Loyola
Loyola University, who traveled 660 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Miami Gardens, is off to a hot start this year. The Wolf Pack were in the NAIA World Series last year, and are led by Jeremy Kennedy, who just celebrated his 600th career coaching win last weekend.
The bats have been off to a hot start for the Wolf Pack. They are hitting .354 as a team, with a .986 OPS. Most of their top offensive players are new to the Loyola lineup this year. Transfer Nathan McDonald, from Macomb, Michigan, leads the Wolf Pack with a .500 average and a .921 slugging percentage. Ayden Authement, who only had 11 at bats last year for Loyola, is hitting .500 as well for the Wolf Pack as an every day starter. The best aspect for Loyola is their base running. They have already stolen 44 bases, which is tied for 10th in the NAIA.
The Wolf Pack have been solid on the mound as well. In 98 innings, the Wolf Pack have a 4.87 ERA with 111 strikeouts. Their game one starter, Brian Chin, is making his first start for Loyola. The Nassau Community College transfer has thrown two shutout innings on the year, striking out four. Southpaw Michel Hotard has been the best starter for the Wolf Pack this season so far. Miami native Frank Fernandez has thrown 8 innings in relief for Loyola, with no earned runs.
