Mark West: Red Wolves Baseball Preview – South Alabama, Memphis

Red Wolves baseball heads into the weekend after another 2-2 week, except this time, dropping 2-of-3 at Western Kentucky before getting an impressive pitching performance from freshman Bryan Ayers to win a midweek clash with the UCA Bears, and the answer is no…

…no, Wrestlemania-esque mayhem did not occur and the game was available outside of pay-per-view.

The Red Wolves baseball team enters this week at 18-15 and remains in second place in the Sun Belt Conference at 8-4 behind the No. 3 Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns by three games. The Red Wolves are a game ahead of Texas State and 2.5 games up on the Jaguars.

The Red Wolves are travelling to Mobile, Ala. this weekend to face the South Alabama Jaguars (15-17, 5-6 Sun Belt, 109 RPI), and the answer is yes…

…yes, this is the same South Alabama team that took two-of-three from the Hogs in Fayetteville earlier this season, sweeping a Saturday double header.

The Red Wolves owe the Jags a little payback as South Alabama came into Jonesboro last season and swept A-State, outscoring them 30-5, the worst of which was a 20-2 Saturday afternoon thumping right after the football spring game.

Two pitchers who have moved into the Friday night role for conference play square off as South Alabama’s lefty Locke St. John (3-1, 3.06 ERA, 17 BB, 28 K, .296 OBA) against the Red Wolves Sophomore right-hander David Owen (4-1, 3.89 ERA, 16 BB, 41 K, .246 OBA). St. John has pitched well, but his last few starts have been his roughest while Owen is coming his toughest outing on the season.

On Saturday the Jags send former Friday night starter Kevin Hill (2-4, 4.00 ERA, 21 BB, 41 K, .259 OBA) will take on A-State’s crafty southpaw junior Chandler Hawkins (2-4, 5.40 ERA, 9 BB, 33 K, .297 OBA). Hill has been a tough luck loser throughout the season as the Jags have struggled to provide run support whereas Hawkins has been pretty consistent on the mound for the Red Wolves.

Sunday will see red hot Arkansas State senior righty Bradley Wallace (3-3, 4.23 ERA, 14 BB, 28 K, .282 OBA) who has now pitched 14 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Wallace will face ole TBA who we all know is pretty tough.

South Alabama relies on its’ pitching staff being able to shut down opponents enough to allow the offense to string together enough runs to win. The Jags are averaging 3.3 runs per game on offense while A-State averages 6.0.

Eric Wilcoxson has emerged in recent weeks as a solid hitting threat in the Red Wolves lineup with more than half of his hits being for extra bases  with a .600 on base percentage.

Tyler Zuber, Colton Kibler and Cody Woodhouse all pitch in relief and look to get the game to closer Morgan Croft with a lead.

In the midweek the Red Wolves travel to Memphis to play the Tigers, a team A-State defeated 10-7 earlier in the year.

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You can read more of Mark West at College Baseball Central where he covers Arkansas State, the Sun Belt Conference and the Big 12 Conference at http://collegebaseballcentral.com/author/markwest/