DBU hosts LA Tech: Week 12 Series Preview
DBU’s Jake Bennett connects with a pitch at Horner Ballpark (Photo courtesy of the DBU athletics department).
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (27-19, 14-7 C-USA) will be travelling to Horner Ballpark in Dallas, Texas for a crucial series against the Dallas Baptist Patriots (26-19, 14-7 C-USA) this weekend. First pitch of game 1 is scheduled for 7:35 PM ET on Friday, with games 2 and 3 set for Saturday and Sunday.
This looks to be an incredibly evenly matched series, first evidenced by both squads having nearly identical records both in and out of conference play. These teams also sit very close to one another in RPI; as of the writing of this article, Dallas Baptist ranks 71st while Louisiana Tech occupies the 77th position. DBU enters the series having just dominated Abilene Christian 16-4 in their midweek, but have won just three of their last six contests. LA Tech on the other hand picked up a massive sweep of Missouri State last weekend, before stumbling midweek and getting run-ruled 16-5 by ULM. The Patriots won last year’s series 2-1, and have taken 16 of 27 matchups all time between the two.
Projected Pitchers
Game 1
LA Tech: Jr. RHP Declan Dahl (3.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 77-15 K/BB)
DBU: Sr. LHP Liam Watt (4.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 41-11 K/BB)
Game 2
LA Tech: Jr. LHP Hudson Rowan (3.91 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 43-34 K/BB)
DBU: Sr. RHP Ryan Borberg (6.80 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 29-19 K/BB)
Game 3
LA Tech: TBA
DBU: TBA
Although this series should be tightly contested, it is also a clash of styles. As usual, Dallas Baptist is a team that can drive in runs consistently. They average 8.53 runs per game compared to LA Tech’s 5.91, and the Patriots hold the advantage in most noteworthy offensive stats. The difference in on base percentage is not glaring, although DBU holds the edge (.403 vs. .383). The real noticeable advantage is in terms of slugging; DBU’s slugging percentage is much higher at .539 as opposed to LA Tech’s .449, and the Patriots are well clear in home runs with 91 compared to the Bulldogs’ 53. While outslugging DBU is a tall task, the Bulldogs may be able to gain the upper hand with their pitching staff.
LA Tech holds a significantly better staff ERA on the campaign at 4.82, almost two runs lower than DBU’s 6.52 figure. 6’3” righty Declan Dahl, the Bulldogs’ projected Friday starter, is the ace of this series. The Texan has the lowest ERA and WHIP of any pitcher on either staff with at least 40 innings pitched, more than five times as many strikeouts as walks, and has recorded wins in each of his last three starts. It will be riveting to discover who wins the chess match between Dahl and the Patriots’ offense, and this is just where the series gets started.
Riveting is a great way to describe how the arsenal that is the Bulldogs’ pitching staff will look against the artillery of DBU’s lineup. DBU has numerous hitters that create problems for LA Tech’s pitching staff, but none may be more of a problem than Jake Bennett. The Senior C/OF was having a tremendous season before going down with injury in late March, but has not missed a beat since returning two weeks ago. Since his return, Bennett has obtained 9 hits in 20 at-bats, also smacking 4 home runs and driving in 10 RBI. Bennett holds a ridiculous 1.388 OPS and .386 batting average entering Friday’s matchup, and currently leads both teams in SLG, OBP and HR. In addition to Bennett, DBU employs three starters in Luke Pettitte, Dylan Schlaegel, and Cooper Neville with an OPS exceeding 1.000 at the time of this writing. LA Tech’s offensive attack is led by sluggers Trey Hawsey and Colby Lunsford, both of whom have hit for double digit home run totals and an OPS over 1.000 thus far.
This is a very good mid-major matchup to keep an eye on this weekend, as the Conference USA is heating up for a fun conclusion at the end. Missouri State and Jacksonville State is another noteworthy matchup this weekend that will carry importance for conference tournament season. Unless Louisiana Tech and Dallas Baptist do meet with one another in the conference tournament, which is not out of the question, this will be the last time these schools meet in the C-USA. LA Tech will be moving to the Sun Belt conference next year, while DBU will be a member of the new Pac-12. What will be the storyline this time out? Will Dallas bomb their way to some critical C-USA home wins, or will LA Tech grit and grind their way to the series win on the road?
Player to Watch:
As mentioned before, Jake Bennett’s recent performances and track record as a hitter have made him the player to watch. The DBU Senior has been crushing opposing pitching since his return from injury, and should be a focal point of the Patriots’ offense all weekend. Although LA Tech has some truly incredible arms, Bennett is a better bet than any to incur some damage against them. In addition to Bennett’s eye-popping 1.388 OPS and 15 home runs, he has gotten on base in over 50% of his plate appearances this season and has shown extraordinary discipline at the plate with more walks than strikeouts. Bennett is truly one of the most challenging hitters to attack in a generally strong hitting conference, and he is our player to watch for this series.
Editor’s Game 1 Picks:
This is a difficult one to predict; due to the clash of styles, I could see this realistically going a number of ways. With that being said, I think I will be going with Dallas Baptist here at least in the first game. They are getting healthy after dealing with some injuries earlier in the year, and this lineup is truly scary. It might be the best in the C-USA. I do not particularly like picking against Declan Dahl, but I also like the home spot for DBU in game one and LA Tech is coming off of a rough loss in the midweek. I think this will be a close one throughout, but I like the Patriots to take this one down and defend their house to open the series.
