By Grant Abston, Sports Editor
The Wildcat baseball team travels to Edmond, Okla., this weekend, looking to extend its six-game winning streak and remain atop the Lone Star Conference standings.
After sweeping Southwestern Oklahoma State in their first LSC matchup of the season, the No. 15 Wildcats (7-2, 4-0) are the only undefeated team in LSC play and will travel to play Central Oklahoma in a four-game series beginning Friday.
“I always know them as having good arms and throwing real well, and they play with a lot of emotion,” head coach Britt Bonneau said. “We have to play our game, and I feel like we’ve been successful up in Edmund and been able to split with them the last two times. We’ve got to go up there and try to not make any mistakes; hopefully, we’ll find it swinging the bat this weekend.”
Central Oklahoma enters the series with a 4-4 record and 2-2 LSC record after splitting a four-game series with West Texas A&M. The Bronchos are led by pitcher Clint Straka, the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, who is currently 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA. Joining Straka on the mound will be Kyle Head (1-0, 3.12 ERA), Brian Murphy (0-0, 3.86 ERA) and Kale Murphree (1-0, 3.27 ERA). Straka and Murphy lead the team with 11 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Bronchos are averaging 6.5 runs a game, led by outfielder Andrew Foshee. Foshee has a team-high .387 batting average and leads the team in hits (12), doubles (7), runs (13) and triples (1). Infielder Nate Mitani is second on the team with a .357 batting average, and infielder Casey Bruns leads the team in home runs (2) and RBI (10).
“UCO is usually one of our biggest rivals,” pitcher Matt Sullivan said. “[UCO] and Angelo State are teams that contend for a conference championship every year. Their stadium is a pretty hostile environment, and the fans give us a hard time. In the past, they have been a really good hitting team and have an all-American pitcher returning, so it’s always a good test.”
The Wildcats enter the series after getting strong pitching performances against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Sullivan is coming off his best collegiate start after pitching eight innings and allowing one run on four hits, while striking out 11 to earn his first win of the season. Sullivan (1-0, 2.92 ERA) will get the first start of the series, followed by Cameron Aspaas (2-0, 1.23 ERA), Preston Vancil (1-0, 1.40 ERA) and Cooper Page (0-1, 9.00 ERA). Vancil is coming off his best start as a Wildcat after pitching an eight-inning complete game, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out 13 to earn his first win of the season.
Offensively, shortstop Willie Uechi leads the team with a .500 batting average and has team-high 18 hits. Third baseman Cameron Watten is second on the team with a .423 batting average, followed by center fielder Thomas Bumpass, who is batting .375. Catcher Jordan Schmitt leads the team with 10 RBI and one homerun.
“He’s just consistent,” Bonneau said of Uechi. “He has good rhythm and balance at the plate, and he’s doing everything he can control and doesn’t try to do to much and plays hard everyday. We need to find our swing and pick up these pitchers a little earlier than later in the games.”
The Wildcats’ four-game series will begin Friday at 2 p.m. The two teams will play a doubleheader at noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday before finishing the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
“[UCO] has always been a high intense series, and I look at it as a test for us to get used to playing on the road in a hostile environment where the opponent really plays well at their place,” Bonneau said.
