OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian baseball team will face a tough test in its Sooner Athletic Conference opener as the Evangels will be taking on No. 3 Science & Arts in a three-game series. MACU will open the series with a scheduled nine-inning contest at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 at James Curtis Field before heading to Chickasha, Okla. on Friday for a doubleheader slated for a 4 p.m. start.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (14-5) challenged NCAA Division II Southern Nazarene on Tuesday, but the Evangels comeback efforts fell just short in the 7-6 ballgame.
The Evangels jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Crimson Storm with a four-run third inning that included a Felix Martinez RBI single through the hole at short as well as a Colin Miner three-run blast over the left field fence for MACU's first home run at James Curtis Field.
However, the Crimson Storm were able to get to the Evangels pen, scoring seven unanswered runs between the fifth and seventh innings to grab a 7-4 advantage.
MACU chipped its way back in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff solo shot from Edgar Martinez as well as a Jaily Paredes RBI single to right-center to bring the score to 7-6, but the Evangels could not push across another run in the defeat.
Miner led the MACU bats by going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run off his three-run blast while Edgar Martinez finished 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Evangels starter Frank Souza pitched a strong four innings in his start, giving up just two hits and walked none while striking out four. Paredes also pitched well in relief, allowing just two hits with no walks and struck out one in 2.2 innings of work.
SCOUTING THE DROVERS
Third-ranked Science & Arts will enter the series with a 10-1 record with the Drovers lone loss coming at Our Lady of the Lake on Jan. 25. Since then, USAO has won eight straight, sweeping a four-game series against St. Mary's (Kan.) as well as winning a pair of doubleheaders against Friends (Kan.) and Hastings (Neb.). However, the Drovers haven't seen action since Feb. 16 due to inclement weather postponing their series against Southwestern (Kan.) on Tuesday.
Senior outfielder Ian Laureano will look to lead the USAO bats after swinging at a torrid pace through the first 11 games. Laureano is hitting for a .550 average with a team-high three homers to drive in 11 RBIs as well as scored a team-high 15 runs. Junior infielder Isaac Raab has been the squad's best run producer with 15 RBIs off a team-best eight extra base hits to go along with 14 runs while turning in a .442 batting average. Senior outfielder Luis Pelayo will also present a problem on the basepaths, stealing a team-high 10 bases to go with 12 RBIs and 11 runs off a .361 average.
The Drovers have been getting stellar starting pitching from Adam Morega, Matt Merrill and Colton Williams. In two starts, Morega has yet to give up an earned run in 10.1 innings, walking just two batters and striking out eight. Merrill has been stellar in his three starts, recording a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work, walking six and striking out a team-leading 31 batters. In Willams' three starts, the senior lefty is giving up just a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings, allowing just one walk and striking out 25.
HISTORY WITH THE DROVERS
Science & Arts leads the series 35-4 during the NAIA era, but the Evangels were able to snap a 28-game losing streak to the Drovers their last time out. On Mar. 23, 2019, the Evangels gutted out a 6-5 victory at home on a ninth inning walk-off when Junior Aracena slapped a single to left to score Diego Pichardo from second to secure the victory. Romi Rinehart picked up the win in relief after tossing a scoreless ninth.
DEFENSIVELY SOUND
Heading into conference play, one of the bright spots for the Evangels has been their defensive prowess. MACU currently leads the Sooner Athletic Conference with a .965 fielding percentage, two percentage points ahead of Central Christian for the league lead. This has also attributed to Mid-America Christian's strong pitching, as the Evangels are currently ranked second in the league with a team ERA of 3.22, only behind Science & Arts at the top.
DOING IT ALL
Junior catcher and outfielder Yan Ely Adames has been stellar for the Evangels both behind the plate and in the box. On top of leading the second-best pitching staff in the Sooner Athletic Conference, he's also one of the best defensive catchers in the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 101 chances, the second-most only behind Oklahoma Panhandle State's Luis Rodriguez. Adames has also gunned down 4-of-6 runners trying to steal a base on him. From plate, Adames leads the team with 22 RBIs with four home runs and eight doubles for a .708 slugging percentage. The Dominican Republic product also ranks second on the team with a .431 batting average, only behind Jaily Paredes at .472.
