Louisiana Tech (6-2) will welcome Arkansas State (7-2) to J.C. Love Field for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday night.

Series Info:

Game Times: Friday 6 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Where: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park

TV: CUSA.tv (subscription required)

Radio: KNBB 97.7FM

Weather Forecast:

Friday: Low 45, High 56, NE winds at 1 MPH, 40% chance of rain

Saturday: Low 50, High 60, E winds at 3 MPH, 100% chance of rain (late)

*Stay tuned to BleedTechBlue for weather updates throughout the series.

Tech’s Starting Pitchers:

Friday: Tyler Follis (1-1, 2.69 ERA, 13 IP, 7 hits allowed, 2 BB, 12 K)

Saturday: TBA, TBA

After not pitching in the first four games of the season, Beau Billings was an unknown to most Bulldog fans when he entered the game last Sunday against Troy. All Billings did was toss 2.1 innings of scoreless relief and earn the first win of his collegiate career. The freshman right-hander would then toss two more scoreless innings against UALR Tuesday night and pick up his second win in as many appearances. With closer Braxton Smith potentially set to miss some time due to injury, Billings will be relied on even more out of pitching coach Mike Silva’s bullpen.

Netterville Heating Up:

After starting the season 3/14 (.214), Steele Netterville has figured things out as of late having gone 6/16 (.375) in his last four games. The sophomore left fielder has hit two home runs and driven in six runs in that span. Netterville will be a key to the Bulldogs offensive success against an improved Arkansas State pitching staff.

Scouting the Opponent:

Starting Pitchers:

Friday: RHP Zach Jackson (0-0, 3.09 ERA, 11.2 IP, 8 hits allowed, 2 BB, 13 K)

Saturday: LHP Chandler Coates (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 12 IP, 9 hits allowed, 3 BB, 12 K) & RHP Nate Alberius (1-0, 2.70 ERA, 10 IP, 11 hits allowed, 3 BB, 8 K)

Key Relievers:

RHP Kollin Stone (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 IP, 4 hits allowed, 0 BB, 4 K)

RHP Jack Jumper (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 1 hit allowed, 3 BB, 6 K)

Offensive Leaders:

1B/DH Kyle MacDonald is the thumper in the middle of the Arkansas State lineup. MacDonald hit .346 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI in 2018. He’s off to a solid start through nine games in 2019 hitting .281 with one home run and seven runs driven in. The first-baseman was picked as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year.

C Justin Felix is back in 2019 after missing all of the 2018 season due to injury. Felix is one of the better catchers in the Sun Belt Conference and a real stabilizing factor for the Red Wolves. Felix is hitting .310 with one home and six runs driven in.

Statistical Comparison (Tech l Arkansas State):

Batting Average: .316 l .251

Slugging Percentage: .464 l .414

On-Base Percentage: .417 l .386

Home Runs: 8 l 10

Runs per Game: 8.4 l 6.1

ERA: 5.21 l 3.44

WHIP: 1.47 l 1.27

Strikeout to Walk Ratio: 3.08 l 3.32

Fielding Percentage: .977 l .971

SB per Game: 1.4 l 1.8

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