The East Central University baseball team will continue their unexpectedly longer home stand, this weekend when they host Arkansas Tech, March 14-15 and then again on Tuesday, March 17 Dallas Christian at 2 p.m.  The Tigers and the Wonder Boys will play a double-header, Saturday, March 14 at noon and then a single game Sunday, March 15 starting at noon.

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 Arkansas Tech
The Wonder Boys are 11-10 overall and 1-5 in the Great American Conference standings after splitting a non-conference double-header with Harding Tuesday.  ATU has combined for a .289 batting average and is allowing a .292 mark.

Keenan Jumper is the top producer at the plate for the Wonder Boys, with a .440 average, eight runs, 22 hits and 10 RBIs.  Bryan Heward adds a .411 average, 18 runs, 30 hits and 22 RBIs.

Cody Jones has the best record for the pitching staff, at 3-1.  Jones has pitched 27 innings, allowed 37 hits, 20 runs and struck out 22.  Geofferey Birkemeier adds a 2-0 mark, with 23.2 innings of work, 27 hits and 10 runs allowed and 14 Ks.

Against the Wonder Boys
In 2014, the Tigers went 2-1 against then No. 17 ATU on the road, despite trailing .233 to .253 in batting average.

Senior Casey Chenoweth led the ECU returners with a .374 average, three runs, three hits and one RBI.  Senior David Terrazas added a.300 average, two runs, three hits and one RBI.

Senior Oscar Gomez is the lone returner on the mound to earn a win, throwing eight innings, allowing five hits and one run and striking out five.

Patrick Castleberry is the top returners for the Wonder Boys, with a .444 average, three runs, four hits and two RBIs.  Zach Skelton went 0-1 on the mound, allowing six hits and seven runs and striking out five in 4.2 innings of work.

The Series
Since 2000, the Tigers and the Wonder Boys have met on 32 previous occasions, with nine of those coming as GAC opponents.  ATU currently leads the series 19-13, including a 7-2 mark in the GAC.  The Wonder Boys have done well when playing in Ada, going 11-4.

Scouting Dallas Christian
The Crusaders are 10-11 through March 8, but no season stats are available for the team.

Against the Crusaders
Earlier this season, the Tigers claimed a 20-0 win over DCU in four innings at the Dallas Christian Tournament.

Senior Bryce McKee and junior Gavin Susca led ECU with three hits and two runs each.  McKee added four RBIs, while Susca sent home two runs.  

Senior Lucas Kaplan picked up the complete game victory, allowing one hit and zero runs and striking out four.

McQuillen earned the lone hit for the Crusaders and Westland threw the first 1.1 innings.  Westland allowed three hits and four runs and claimed one K.

The Series
The teams have met three times since 2014, with ECU earning wins in all three meetings, including a 2-0 mark at Ken Turner Field.

Making the Regional Polls
The Tigers have had a strong opening to the 2015 season and have earned recognition in the latest regional polls.  ECU as ranked No. 4 in the latest Central Region Poll.

Sweeping Southwestern
The Tigers opened the GAC portion of the season with a sweep of Southwestern Oklahoma State, marking the first sweep of the Bulldogs since at least 2000 and the first sweep to open GAC play.

McKay Pitcher of the Week Times Two
Senior Cam McKay picked up back-to-back GAC Pitcher of the Week honors Feb. 17 and Feb. 24.

McKay locked down a series sweep of SWOSU as he tossed seven scoreless innings in the finale against the Bulldogs. He struck out three and allowed only five base runners in earning the first shutout of his career. The Tigers completed their first road three-game sweep of a conference opponent since joining the GAC.

McKay improved to 3-1 as he threw his second-straight complete game as part of the Tigers' second-straight sweep of a GAC foe. In game two of the series with Northwestern Oklahoma State, he allowed only four hitters to reach base. He struck out five and gave up just one run. His 1.17 ERA ranks third in the GAC and his .156 opponent's batting average ranks second.

Winning Start
For the first time since the 2010 season, the Tigers opened the season with a win in the first game when they defeated Cameron 6-1.  The last opening game win was a 7-2 decision against West Texas A&M (Feb. 15, 2010).

Kaplan Completing Games
Senior Lucas Kaplan came out ready to pitch, and earned his fourth career complete game in the 6-1 win over Cameron.  It also marked the second complete game for Kaplan against the Aggies.  Kaplan allowed three hits, one run, two walks and struck out five.

Bryce Belting Away
Senior Bryce McKee came to the plate ready to start the season.  McKee garnered two hits and two runs in the first two games of the season, including the first home run of the year for the Tigers.  So far in 2015 he has a .365 batting average, 19 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Returning Power
The Tigers will be looking to continue the success they started in 2014 and will have a strong chance to do so as they return 22 players, including eight starters from the roster.

ECU saw six members of the 2014 squad earn All-GAC honors, the most representatives in a single season.  Four of those players will return for 2015, with juniors Garrett Donohoe, Luc Pomales, Nick Spini (All-GAC Second Team) and Andrew Ayrado (honorable mention) on the roster.

GAC Preseason Poll
After finishing tied for seventh a season ago, ECU has been picked to finish tied for sixth in the 2015 Great American Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Tigers, who were 26-23 overall and 14-16 in the GAC in 2014, earned 50 points in the poll and were tied with Ouachita Baptist for sixth.  Southern Arkansas was picked to finish first, with 97 points and seven first-place votes.  Arkansas Tech was a close second with 93 points and four first-place votes.  Arkansas-Monticello was third (76), Southwestern Oklahoma State fourth (67) and Harding fifth (60).

Rounding out the final four spots in the poll are Southeastern Oklahoma State in eighth (45), Henderson State in ninth (34), Northwestern Oklahoma State 10th (20) and Southern Nazarene in 11th (13).

Up Next
The Tigers will hit the road March 20-21 for a three-game GAC series against Harding in Searcy, Ark.