Around the AMC - Baseball (March 22)

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Thursday/Friday series between Columbia Cougars and Missouri Baptist Spartans has been selected as the AMC Baseball Games of the Week.

Series Details:
Game One: Thursday, 12:00 PM
Game Two: Thursday, 30 minutes following game one
Game Three: Friday, 12:00 PM
Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Scouting Columbia Cougars

• 18-6 overall
• 5-4 in the AMC
• Have won 10-of-the-past-12 games.
• 11-2 when scoring seven-or-more-runs.
• Andrew Warner leads the team with a .500 batting average. Warner is 40-for-80 on the year with nine homeruns, nine doubles, one triple and 29 RBIs.
• Ethan Howser is second on the team with four homeruns.
• Eight other players sport a batting average of .300 or better.
• As a team, the Cougars are hitting .344.
• Warner has at least one hit in all but two games this season.
• Opponents are hitting .253 against the Cougars pitching staff.
• Eight pitchers have picked up a win for Columbia.
• Cody Ebert leads the team with four wins and J.W. Mcgraw and Jeremy Rettig have three wins each.
• Dakota Stone has thrown the teams only two complete-games.
• Craig Smith has five saves.
• After facing the Spartans, the Cougars will host Harris-Stowe for a three-game set on March 30.  

Scouting Missouri Baptist Spartans:  

• 14-10 overall
• 6-2 in the AMC
• The Spartans were picked first in the AMC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Currently on a nine-game win streak.
• 10-1 at home.
• Won five-series in-a-row.
• The Spartans have hit 22 homeruns this season.
• Mason Washington leads the team with a .416 batting average.
• Ten players have a .300 batting average or higher.
• Drew Brooks has hit a team-high five homeruns.
• Washington has a team-high 21 RBIs.
• Austin Schiber leads the pitching staff with four wins.
• Robby Brewster (3-0, 3.14 ERA) has tossed a season high 43.0 innings.
• The Spartans have 44 stolen bases
• After hosting Columbia, the Spartans will face Missouri Valley in a non-conference matchup on March 27.

Around the AMC – Baseball (all statistics are as of the morning of March 22):

• Lyon (20), William Woods (RV) and Columbia (RV) are ranked in the previous NAIA Baseball Coaches' Poll.
• Three teams have a batting average over .300 – Columbia (.344), Missouri Baptist (.318) and Lyon (.315).
• Columbia has a conference-high .509 slugging percentage.
• Harris-Stowe is leading the conference with 240 runs scored.
• Lyon is averaging 8.2 runs per game.
• Harris-Stowe leads the AMC with 280 hits.
• The Hornets have knocked out 31 homeruns in 30 games, an average of just over 1.0 per game, both leading the AMC.
• Harris-Stowe has the lowest team ERA in the AMC at 3.03.
• Opponents are hitting just .236 against the Hornets and .253 against Columbia.
• Central Baptists' pitching staff has racked up the most strikeouts with 255. Harris-Stowe (253), Lindenwood-Belleville (198), William Woods (188) and Freed-Hardeman (184) round out the top-five.
• Columbia's Andrew Warner leads the conference with a .500 batting average.
• Matt Crook (Lindenwood-Belleville) leads the league with 35 RBIs.
• Warner and Cole Danielson (Harris-Stowe) has a conference-high nine homeruns.
• Stephen Wells (Harris-Stowe) has the lowest ERA at 1.41.
• Ben Madison (Central Baptist) leads the conference with 84 strikeouts.
• Tyson Campbell (Lyon) and Tanner Disibio (Harris-Stowe) has a conference high six wins.
• Beau Caviness (Freed-Hardeman), Jeremy Hidalgo (William Woods) and Craig Smith (Columbia) are the conference's saves leader with five each.
• AMC Men's Baseball Players of the Week Composite Results (Player; Pitcher):
  • Week 1 (Feb. 5) – Andrew Warner, Columbia; Dylan Chisholm, Lindenwood-Belleville
  • Week 2 (Feb. 12) – Kylan Barnett, Lyon; Tyson Campbell, Lyon
  • Week 3 (Feb. 19) – Andrew Warner, Columbia; Taran Oulton, William Woods
  • Week 4 (Feb. 26) – Josh Sears, Freed-Hardeman; Ryan Furtney, William Woods
  • Week 5 (March 5) – Andrew Warner, Columbia; Jose Delmar, Central Baptist
  • Week 6 (March 12) – Baker Wilson, Central Baptist; Jose Delmar, Central Baptist
  • Week 7 (March 19) – Brian Granton, William Woods; Ben Madison, Central Baptist

AMC Baseball Conference Championship:

• The 2018 conference championship tournament will take place May 2-5.
• The tournament will take place at Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin, Mo.
• For more information about the AMC Men's Basketball Tournament, click here.

For a complete list of statistical leaders, click here.
For more information on AMC Men's Baseball, click here.