OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian baseball team will be looking to get back on the winning track on Tuesday as the Evangels will head to Arlington, Texas on Tuesday for a midweek doubleheader against Arlington Baptist. The Evangels will open the doubleheader with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (14-8, 0-3 Sooner Athletic Conference) competed well against No. 3 Science & Arts in its SAC opening series, but the Evangels were unfortunately swept by the Drovers with a 9-8 home loss on Thursday, Feb. 27 before dropping a 10-0, 4-3 doubleheader in Chickasha, Okla. on Friday.
Senior shortstop Edgar Martinez was sensational in the series, batting 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles and a homer to drive in three and score three times. While the Evangels pitching and defense struggled in the series, an encouraging sign for MACU was the play of junior pitcher Frensly Leito. After missing the last few weeks due to injury, Leito made a pair of relief appearances, throwing 1.2 innings and giving up just two walks with three strikeouts while not allowing a single hit or run.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
Arlington Baptist has been in a struggle to start out the season, going 0-10-1 through the first 11 games of the 2020 campaign.
Garrett Price has been the most consistent bat in the ABU lineup so far this season, batting 7-for-18 (.389) with five RBIs and two runs. Arturo Gaytan has been the team's power bat in the lineup, slashing 8-for-25 (.320) with a homer, six RBIs and four runs. Justin Velesky has also driven in six for the Patriots off a .273 average.
On top of swinging a solid bat, Price has also been the workhorse on the mound for the Patriots, throwing a team-high 11 innings and notching a 12.27 ERA with six walks and four strikeouts. Colton Donnally has also thrown 9.1 innings, giving up an 8.68 ERA while walking 12 and striking out just one.
HISTORY WITH THE PATRIOTS
Mid-America Christian will be looking at tying up the series with Arlington Baptist as the Patriots own a 6-4 edge in the series since 2011. The two teams will be meeting for the first time in three seasons, as the Evangels won two of three against the Patriots in 2017. The two teams split a doubleheader on Mar. 29, 2017 as the Patriots took a 6-5 win in the opener before MACU bounced back with a 5-4 victory in the second game. The two squads met one more time at James Curtis Field on May 3, 2017, as the Evangels won a 14-13 slugfest.
EAGER EDGAR
Senior shortstop Edgar Martinez has turned things around from the plate after a rough start to the 2020 season. Through the first 11 games, Martinez was batting just .194 (7-for-36) with a .302 on-base percentage, but had 10 RBIs and nine runs scored. The Sosua, Dominican Republic product has flipped the script in the last 11, slashing 23-for-47 (.489) with a .528 on-base percentage and is slugging .745 with two homers and six doubles while driving in eight and scoring 14 runs during the stretch.
FRANK THE TANK
A potential starting option for the Evangels on Tuesday could be junior Frank Souza. The Choctaw, Okla. native started in the Southern Nazarene game last Tuesday, tossing four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and walked none while striking out four. Souza also saw action against Science & Arts, pitching three innings of relief, giving up three runs, one earned on two hits, one walk and three punchouts.
