Baseball relying on strongest pitchers

Freshman infielder Skyler Rawlins waits for the pitch during the Fort Hays State doubleheader on March 21. Southern lost 16-1 and 24-11.

Freshman infielder Skyler Rawlins waits for the pitch during the Fort Hays State doubleheader on March 21. Southern lost 16-1 and 24-11.

This weekend the Lions will look to improve on their 4-4 conference record on the road as they travel to Topeka to take on the Washburn Ichabods. The Ichabods enter with a record of 6-9, 3-5 in the MIAA.

The Lions started the season off with a very competitive non-conference schedule which featured three teams in the national Top 10. MSSU struggled early on with their pitching, but since the start of conference play the Lions pitching staff has buckled down especially in the case of senior hurler Scotty Roberson. He is currently 2-1 as a starter.

Fellow senior Tyler Lipscomb and juniors Matt Mantle and Ryan Verfurth have also pitched well in conference play. Lipscomb currently leads the team with 30 strikeouts through just 34 innings pitched.

Offensively, the Lions have received a spark from senior second baseman Cliff Wheeler. Wheeler, a returning starter from a season ago, leads the team with a .419 batting average and 20 runs batted in.

Junior outfielder Kenny Hart has also been solid at the dish with a .321 average and 15 RBI. Hart, Wheeler and freshman shortstop Skyler Rawlins are tied for the team lead with two home runs each.

The Ichabods head into Friday’s opener fresh off of a 3-2 victory on Tuesday over Rockhurst. Washburn is led offensively by freshman catcher Cameron Kasel who comes into the weekend series hitting .358 with nine RBI.

Washburn’s ace on the mound is junior Brett Sorenson who comes in with a 2-1 record and an impressive 3.66 earned run average.

The key to the series is going to be starting pitching. As a staff, Southern’s ERA is 9.44 but, that is inflated because of the top quality hitting they faced early on.

Meanwhile, Washburn’s staff has an ERA of 4.49. If the games played on Friday and Saturday turn into slugfests at the plate, that will play into Southern’s hands. However, if the games are low scoring, Southern is playing into the strengths of the Ichabods.

Look for Roberson and the rest of the Southern pitching staff to continue their improvement against a fairly average Washburn lineup.