Louisiana Tech (9-2) will play host to Northwestern State (5-4) inside J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park Tuesday afternoon.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The game can be streamed on CUSA.tv (subscription required). Teddy Allen will have the radio call on SportsTalk 97.7FM.
Fagan to Make First Start
Bryce Fagan will make the first start of his Bulldog career for Lane Burroughs’ squad Tuesday afternoon. Fagan is a 6’4 right-hander that came to Louisiana Tech after playing two years at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi.
Fagan made two appearances for the Bulldogs against Southeastern pitching 0.2 innings, allowing two earned runs, while walking three and striking out zero. The right-hander had a solid sophomore season at Jones County when he pitched to a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings while striking out 32.
Fincher Dominant Early
At 6’3, 245 pounds, Jonathan Fincher has the look of a dominant left-handed pitcher. Dominant he has been, Fincher has thrown nine innings over six appearances for the Bulldogs in the team’s first 11 games, allowing only one earned run. In fact, Fincher has struck out 15 hitters in those nine innings, which ranks 23rd nationally when looking at strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers.
Netterville Providing a Punch
After showcasing his power a season ago with more than half his hits going for extra bases, Steele Netterville has carried that power over into 2019. The sophomore slugger has seen eight of his 12 hits go for extra bases in 11 games, good for an astounding .619 slugging percentage.
Scouting the Opponent
Cullen McDonald will get the start on the mound for the Demons Tuesday afternoon. In McDonald’s lone start against ULM, the right-hander toss six shutout innings while striking out three and only allowing four hits.
Offensively, NSU is hitting .259 as a team with a .371 OBP, averaging just over six runs per game.
Caleb Ricca leads the team through nine games with a .378 batting average to go along with six stolen bases.
Peyton Davis has yet to find his power stroke thus far, but the first basemen slugged five home runs in 2018. Davis is hitting .300 with eight RBI this season.
Statistical Comparison (Tech l Northwestern State)
Batting Average: .301 l .259
Slugging Percentage: .465 l .348
On-Base Percentage: .394 l .371
Home Runs: 12 l 1
Runs per Game: 8.1 l 6.1
ERA: 4.89 l 3.31
WHIP: 1.42 l 1.17
Strikeout to Walk Ratio: 2.81 l 3.77
Fielding Percentage: .973 l .976
SB per Game: 1.3 l 1.8
Weather Forecast
Low 25, High 47, north winds at 5-10 MPH (Bundle Up!)
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