Due to the winter weather in the Ada, Okla., area the East Central University baseball team was forced to rearrange their series with Newman for Feb. 8-9.  The games that were originally scheduled to be played in Ada have now been moved to Grand Prairie, Texas at Air Hog Stadium/Quik Trip Park.  ECU and the Jets will play double-headers each day, with Saturday's contests starting at 4 p.m. and Saturday's at 3 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 Newman
The Jets will open their 2014 season against the Tigers after being forced to cancel their opening games last weekend.  In 2013, Newman finished 21-25 overall and 16-19 in the Heartland Conference.

The Jets return eight fielders and seven pitchers from 2013, while losing seven fielders and seven pitchers.  Of those 15 returners Newman has their top three hitters and top two pitchers back for 2014.

Ricky Sanchez led the Jets at the plate in 2013, with a .361 average, 26 runs, 53 hits and 19 RBIs.  Jarrod Flax added a .315 batting average, 34 runs, 52 hits and 12 RBIs.

Jacob Furr and Zak Mickens are the top returners on the mound for Newman.  Furr went 7-2, with a 3.13 ERA and .215 opponent batting average.  Mickens added a 5-9 record, 5.26 ERA and. 313 opponent average.

Against the Jets
The four-game series with the Tigers will be the first time that the teams have faced each other in school history.

Scouting Oklahoma Baptist
The Bison are 3-0 on the season after defeated Dallas Christian on the road last weekend.  This weekend's slate of games have already been cancelled so OKBU will not play until coming to Ada, Tuesday, Feb. 11.

The Bison have a .311 team batting average and allowed just a .269 mark by the opposition in the opening games.

Matt Page led OKBU with a .667 average, four runs six hits and 10 RBIs.  Julian Merryweather earned one of the wins on the mound, with a 0.00 ERA.  He threw four innings, allowed no hits and struck out four batters.

Against the Bison
The Tigers and OKBU meet twice during the 2013 season, with the Bison earning wins in both outings.

Senior Josh Lavender led ECU with a .500 batting average, one hit and two RBIs.  Sophomore Brandon Maggia added a .400 average, two hits and an RBI.

Garrett Roberts is the top returner at the plate for the Bison, with a .571 average, four runs, four hits and two RBIs.  Brandon Willard picked up one of the pitching wins, with a 0.00 ERA, one hit allowed and one strikeout.

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, good for No. 9 in the Great American Conference.

Flemming ended the second game with seven strikeouts, which ranks him No. 4 in the GAC.

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 open the GAC portion of the season, Feb. 14-15 when they travel to Ouachita Baptist.  The teams will play a single game Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. and a double-header Feb. 15 at noon.