The East Central University baseball team is set to play four-straight games at Tiger Field, starting with a three-game Great American Conference series with Henderson State, Feb. 21-22.  ECU and HSU will play a single game, Friday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. and a double-header, Saturday, Feb. 22 starting at noon.  The Tigers will then host Hillsdale Freewill Baptist College, Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m.

Game Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the baseball schedule page.

Scouting Henderson State
The Reddies are 2-9 overall and 2-1 in the GAC after winning the final two games of the series against Southeastern Oklahoma State last weekend and then falling to Arkansas Tech in non-conference action Feb. 18.

HSU as a .240 overall team batting average and is allowing its opponents to hit at a .279 mark.  The Reddies are also being out 73-84.

Joseph Gary is the team's batting leader, with a .300 average, six hits, three runs scored and five RBIs.  Lee Richardson is next with a .280 average, seven hits and three RBIs.

Jay Hawley and Colton Lorance are the two pitchers that have seen the most action on the mound.  Hawley has a 2.13 ERA, 0-1 record, 12 hits allowed and seven strikeouts.  Lorance has allowed 14 hits, struck out seven and has a 1-0 record.

Against the Reddies
Last season, HSU earned wins in all three games against the Tigers in Arkadelphia.

ECU was led by sophomore Brandon Maggia, with a .333 batting average.  Senior Ethan Gold added three hits.  Senior Robert Buitrago is the only returning pitcher with experience against HSU, going 0-1 and recording a 7.71 ERA.

Matt Evans is the top returner at the plate for the Reddies, with a .364 average, four hits and two RBIs.  Jordan Wright is the top returning pitcher, with a 0.00 ERA, one hit allowed and three K's.

Pomales Pounding Away
Junior Luc Pomales had a strong week for the Tigers, with seven hits, four RBIs and two runs scored against Ouachita Baptist and Texas Wesleyan.  Pomales tallied one home run, a slugging percentage of .667, a .467 hitting percentage, stole a base and was 8-for-8 in the field.

Batters Fanning at Flemming
Junior Icezack Flemming has had a strong start to his Tiger career in his first two appearances.  Flemming has tallied a total of 22 strikeouts and thrown two complete games.  His strikeout total was bolstered with 15 against Newman.  For his efforts he is currently ranked No. 1 in the GAC in strikeouts (32), No. 1 in complete games (2) and No. 6 in innings pitched (18.0) and No. 9 in opponent batting average (.214).

Donohoe Sparking the Tigers
Junior Garrett Donohoe has been a spark in the Tigers line up in 2014.  Donohoe has five hits, including three doubles and a home run in his first six games.  He has a .333 batting average and a .733 slugging percentage.  He is currently ranked No. 4 in the league in doubles (4), slugging percentage (.733) and No. 68 in total bases (17) and No. 1 in home runs (2).

Opening Weekend Pitching
Junior transfers Lucas Kaplan and Icezack Flemming combined for a good opening weekend for the ECU pitching staff.

Kaplan threw a complete game in the first game of the season and finished with a 1.29 ERA.

Flemming ended the second game with seven strikeouts.

GAC Preseason Poll
ECU has been retooled and is ready for the 2014 season.  The Tigers have 23 newcomers on the roster and just nine returners from a season ago.

ECU will have a lot to prove, as the Tigers were picked to finish 11th (13 points) in the 2014 Great American Conference Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Southern Arkansas was a clear top choice with 100 points and 10-of-11 first-place votes.  Arkansas Tech was the only other team to receive a first-place vote, finishing second with 88 points.  Southwestern Oklahoma State was picked third (78 points), Arkansas-Monticello fourth (63), Henderson State fifth (61), Harding sixth (55), Ouachita Baptist seventh (50), Southeastern Oklahoma state eighth (46), Northwestern Oklahoma State ninth (25) and Southern Nazarene 10th (19).

Up Next
The Tigers will hit the road for the next week of competition, with a three-game GAC series at Arkansas Tech (Feb. 28-March 1) and a non-conference game at Oklahoma Christian (March 4).