No. 11 ranked Lions continue hot streak in April

Senior pitcher Tyler Burgess sends a pitch to the plate in a matchup against Lindenwood on March 7, 2015. Burgess earned the victory as the Lions won 15-6. The Lions would outscore Lindenwood 37-16, sweeping Lindenwood in the four games over the weekend.

Kristen Stacy | The Chart

Senior pitcher Tyler Burgess sends a pitch to the plate in a matchup against Lindenwood on March 7, 2015. Burgess earned the victory as the Lions won 15-6. The Lions would outscore Lindenwood 37-16, sweeping Lindenwood in the four games over the weekend.

The score 26-7 overall is a powerful statistic that Southern finds located next to its name in the standings alongside the 17-3 conference record and a No. 11 national ranking.

Last week the Lions welcomed another top-tier opponent, Washburn (21-13, 14-10 MIAA), to Joplin. The games went according to plan for Southern, as they won the first contest 11-9 behind a barrage of power.

The success continued as the Lions swept the weekend, turning their new field into a launching pad, hitting five home runs in the opening game and nine total in the four-game set.

These numbers from the Lions led to a weekly award sweep by a pair of juniors. Pitcher Cody Hutchinson, who threw a complete game, and outfielder Chris Hoffman, who went 10-18 with 10 RBIs and three home runs, won their respective MIAA/AstroTurf Players of the Week honors.

Still, even with the power numbers from the Lions this season, the squad feels like there is a different catalyst to their conference positioning.

“I don’t think we are a power team in terms of home runs and slugging percentage,” said senior first basemen Tee Helsel, “With the exception of Jesse Rall and Axel Johnson, who drop nukes on opponents, [we’re] more of an athletic gap-driving team. Anybody in our lineup can drive the ball for doubles.”

Right now the Lions find themselves in the midst of a long string of road games. After Washburn, Southern has played twice away from home with another five to go, but the Lions view the challenge as one that will only make them better.

“I think it’s important to see how we can play somewhere that we aren’t as comfortable,” said junior pitcher Payton Walker. “We’ve played a couple tough road series this year, and we’ve won a lot of those games.”

Today the Lions play two of the four games in the weekend series with Central Oklahoma (15-18, 10-13 MIAA). These are games the Lions presumably should win as they boast a top five offense against the Bronchos 11th-ranked pitching staff.

But the Lions are not willing to count anyone out, especially on the road.

“Obviously, playing teams on the road is harder than playing at home,” said Helsel. “Games against a tough hitting team in UCO and a tough pitching team at Northeastern State will show us specifically what we need to do [down the stretch].”

Games between the Lions and Bronchos get underway today at 1 p.m.