The past two weekend series have gone well for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball team, but the Golden Lions will face one of their toughest tests yet this weekend.
UAPB will host SWAC leader Bethune-Cookman at 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex in Pine Bluff.
Bethune (25-17, 16-2 SWAC) is coming off a sweep against Florida A&M, a team which entered last weekend tied with the Wildcats for first place in the conference and previously swept UAPB.
It was Bethune’s third consecutive sweep, the prior two coming against bottom four opponents Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M. The Wildcats have won every SWAC series thus far this season.
They have won 11 of their past 13 games with the losses coming 11-1 to Miami on April 9 and 6-5 at Jacksonville on Monday. Bethune defeated South Florida 10-9 in 10 innings on Wednesday.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Wildcats boast the best team ERA in the SWAC, 5.69, and the third-best team batting average, .308.
UAPB (11-28, 9-6) Coach Logan Stout said after sweeping Southern last weekend, the Golden Lions know how good Bethune-Cookman is, but they aren’t worried about that.
“We don’t play Bethune-Cookman,” Stout said. “We play the game. That’s what I tell the players. I don’t care who’s in the other dugout. We’re playing the game. Focus on that. Control what you can control. We can’t control the other team. So, they’re obviously a great baseball team. Documentation beats conversation. But so are we.”
Each of Bethune’s weekend starting pitchers rank in the top 14 in the SWAC. Friday starter Tanner Boccabello, a senior right-handed pitcher, is 7-1 with a 4.96 ERA, while Saturday starter Joel Core, a sophomore righty, is 4-1 with a 5.14 ERA. Sunday starter Edwin Sanchez, a junior left-hander, is 7-1 with a 4.44 ERA, which ranks eighth in the SWAC.
The Wildcats also have one of the SWAC’s top relievers, junior right-hander Jean Carlos Zambrano. He has a 2.43 ERA and 4-1 record with two saves, and his 1.74 ERA in SWAC games is the best in the league among qualified pitchers.
UAPB Friday starter Kenney Fabian has significantly improved his ERA the past two weeks to 4.33, which ranks sixth in the SWAC. The other two starting jobs have been in flux the past couple of weeks, thanks in part to various injuries.
Last week, the SWAC named three players as co-hitters of the week. Two of the three will play in this series.
UAPB senior Carlos Rodriguez-Velez hit 8 for 13 with 8 RBI and 5 runs in the Golden Lions’ three-game sweep of Southern. Bethune-Cookman junior Jesus Vanegas hit 6 for 12 with 7 RBI and 3 runs in the Wildcats’ sweep of rival Florida A&M.
Although UAPB has won six straight SWAC games entering this series, the Golden Lions are coming off a 10-0 run-rule defeat at Central Arkansas on Tuesday where they managed one hit in eight innings.
Senior Brant Voth, who delivered that hit, said after the game bouncing back from a midweek loss is nothing new for this team.
“We got run-ruled last week at Arkansas,” Voth said. “We bounced back and swept (Southern). Maybe we needed a little bit of adversity, you know, to keep us level. I think we’re going to put our right foot forward and be right where we were last week. Get right back to it in conference and lock up a sweep again.”
Entering this series, UAPB sits on the border in the standings between the upper echelon of the SWAC and the lower half. Behind Bethune are four teams tied for second place at 13-5. UAPB is the only other team above .500 in conference play, with 8-10 Jackson State next in the standings.
Two of the teams tied for second, Florida A&M and Alabama State, swept UAPB earlier this season, but the Golden Lions swept another of the teams, Texas Southern. UAPB travels to the last of that group, Grambling State, next weekend.