FIN FACTS
»» The USCB baseball team resumes Sun Conference play Friday and Saturday with a three-game series against No. 22 St. Thomas at Richard Gray Sports Complex. The Bobcats and Sand Sharks enter the series tied for fourth place in the conference standings at 6-3.
»» The Sand Sharks are 165-72 all-time at home, including a 10-7 mark this season. St. Thomas holds a slim 8-7 advantage over USCB at Richard Gray Sports Complex.
»» Four different USCB pitchers have tied the school record with 12 strikeouts in a game this season, including two in last weekend's four-game sweep of Fisher (Mass.). Senior LHP Wade Arduini and senior RHP Justin Kortessis each matched the record earlier this season against Florida Memorial, and senior RHP Julio De Pena and junior RHP Zac Burke tied the mark against the Falcons.
»» Junior OF/DH Bobby Wenthe leads the Sand Sharks in home runs (7) and RBIs (36) and ranks eighth in the NAIA in RBIs and eighth in RBIs per game (1.5). Wenthe is one home run shy of tying Ashly Morris for the single-season USCB record set in 2015.
»» Senior 3B Brandon Joyce has 117 career RBIs, which is tied for second in program history along with Erik Armstrong and Spencer Jackson and 16 behind R.J. Neal for the all-time lead.
»» USCB ranks 11th in the NAIA in stolen bases (63) and 14th in stolen bases per game (2.423). The Sand Sharks have swiped 27 bags in their past six games. Senior OF Thomas Estopare and sophomore OF JoJo Markle are tied for the team lead with 12 stolen bases.
»» Senior 1B/RHP Justin Kortessis was named the No. 13 pro prospect in the NAIA by Perfect Game last month. Kortessis was 7-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 15 appearances (six starts) for the Sand Sharks last season and is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts this season. He has compiled 35 strikeouts in 30 innings in 2017.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Bobcats have won four straight and seven of their last eight. Like USCB, St. Thomas is playing its first Sun Conference series since Feb. 24-25, when the Bobcats won two of three against visiting Thomas. The Bobcats boast one of the top pitching staffs in the nation, as they lead the NAIA in earned run average (2.36) and rank second in strikeouts (258) and third in opponents' batting average (.207). St. Thomas has been outstanding at the plate, as well, and ranks fifth in the NAIA in hits per game (11.621) and 16th in runs per game (8.24).
RELATED LINKS
USCB Schedule and Results
USCB Season Statistics
Sand Shark Baseball Record Book
Sun Conference Baseball Standings
