DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - After opening the 2015 season in sunny Auburndale, Florida, the Loras College Baseball team heads to Jacksonville, Ill. this weekend. With games against MacMurray and Hamline, the Duhawks will take part in four non-conference contests to gear up for their Iowa Conference slate.
DUHAWKS PROVE PATIENCE ...
With a team total of 24 walks taken last, the Duhawks now lead all Iowa Conference teams in total walks this season. These walks coupled with their second best .415 on base percentage show that Duhawk batters are seeing lots of pitches, and avoiding pitches they shouldn't swing at. Leading the on base charge for the Duhawks are juniors Spence Bonner and Patrick Walsh. Bonner will enter play on Saturday with an OBP of .480, while Walsh owns a .462 average. Walsh is the only starter to have taken more walks than strikeouts in the batting so far. He has walked three times while striking out just twice in six games.
TEBON NEARS 400 CAREER WINS AS A DUHAWK ...
Head Coach Carl Tebon enters this weekend's matchups with MacMurray and Hamline just five wins short of 400 career wins as a Duhawk. With four wins in Florida, Tebon now has 395 wins on his record. Now in his 20th season at the helm, the skipper has averaged 20 wins per season. If the Duhawks can earn a four-game sweep this weekend, Tebon will be set to earn his 400th win against Simpson in the conference opener.
PITCHING BAFFLING BATTERS ...
As it stands, the Duhawks overall pitching numbers don't accurately show how overpowering they have been on the mound. In just six games, Loras pitchers have struck out 43 opposing batters. This equates to just over seven batters sent back to the bench per game. By using a mixtures of fastballs and off-speed pitches, the Duhawks mix of pitches has been so impressive that 20 batters have struck out looking.
THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING ...
For the first time in his collegiate career, senior Adam Kennedy launched a ball over the fence for a decisive home run. With his team trailing late to Saint Mary's in the season opener, Kennedy hit a solo home run off Jake Merkle to tie the game at five. Thanks to Kennedy's home run, senior Anthony Flattery was able to hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to drive in sophomore Nolan Ritter for the victory.
BATS COME OUT TO PLAY IN FLORIDA ...
Starting in all six of the Duhawks games down south, junior Spence Bonner and senior Anthony Flattery head back to Dubuque as the team leaders in batting average. Bonner recorded a hit in all but one game in Florida, on his way to a .409 average. Flattery matched Bonner hit-for-hit with three multi-hit performances over the course of the week. Both players played a crucial role in Duhawk victories as each of their seven RBI came during Loras victories.
WALSH AND STEINES SHOW PROMISE ON THE MOUND
Despite a string of average pitching performances during the Duhawks first six games, junior's Patrick Walsh and Alex Steines started the year off with a bang. Walsh earned his first win of the season during a 12-7 victory over MSOE. The junior allowed just one earned run to cross the plate in his six innings of work. Stenies, a transfer from Wartburg saw the mound in the second half of the Duhawks double-header with St. Mary's University pitching to the tune of five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. His five strikeout performance was also good for second best on the team this season. With each pitcher throwing late into their game, the Duhawks should be in good hands come conference play.
FRESH FACES IMPRESS DURING OPENING WEEK ...
It's no secret that the Duhawks lost seven seniors at the conclusion of last season and needed their newcomers to fill in accordingly this season. Behind the plate, junior Lucas Jacque saw a majority of the work behind the plate for the Duhawks this past week. Jacque had a solid week with the bat, driving in a team-high six RBI. At second base, sophomore Luke Leibforth has shown promise with the glove as well as with the bat. Leibforth recorded 17 assists in Florida while hitting at a .300 clip. Sophomore Nolan Ritter started five of the teams six games at shortstop recorded 12 assists. RItter showed patience at the plate by striking out just a single time while hitting .286.
THREE NEW STARTERS MANNING THE OUTFIELD ...
Loras' outfield also features three fresh faces in senior Adam Kennedy, and sophomore's Cole Reeg and Tony Heiser. Kennedy had one of the best weeks of anyone in Florida, hitting .364 with four RBI and a home run. Leading the team in extra base hits was Reeg who tallied two triples and a double. Reeg hit just .269, but was able to drive in five cruicial runs for the Duhawks. His speed allowed him to steal two bases and man the ever difficult center-field. Heiser was yet another Duhawk able to show off his bat, hitting .333 with three RBI in five starts.
CLUTCH PERFORMANCES LEAD DUHAWKS ...
Senior Adam Kennedy hit a decisive solo-home run in the fifth inning of the Duhawks 6-5 victory over St. Mary's. This homer tied the game at five allowing the Duhawks to stay in it. In the Duhawk 7-5 win over Beloit College, junior Lucas Jacque hit a three RBI double that would give Loras a 4-3 lead over the Bucs
TEBON SUITING UP FOR 19TH SEASON WITH THE DUHAWKS ...
2015 marks the 19th season for head coach Carl Tebon at Loras College. As the skipper, Tebon has accumulated a 391-365-4 record, including an Iowa Conference Championship in 2009. Prior to Loras, Tebon was the head coach at UW-River Falls, where he coached for three years, compiling a 56-38 record.
LORAS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN IOWA CONFERENCE
In the preseason poll, the Iowa Conference coaches picked the Duhawks to finish third behind Buena Vista and Wartburg. In 2014, Loras advanced to the final day of the conference tournament before falling to Central.
