LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- The Mississippi College baseball team will hit the road for a three-game series with the University of West Alabama, beginning with a single game at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (March 20). The teams will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 11:00 a.m. at Tartt Field.
SERIES RECORDÂ Â Â
Mississippi College and West Alabama have met 71 previous times, dating back to 1972. The Tigers hold a 50-21 edge in the series, but the teams have not played since 1996 when UWA picked up an 8-7 victory in Livingston.
NOTES ON THE CHOCTAWSÂ Â Â
Brian Owens is in his 9th season as the head coach at Mississippi College. The former Mississippi State pitcher won his 200th career game on February 19th against Union Univiersity, needing 16 innings to get the milestone victory, 3-2.Owens earned his first career victory on February 10, 2007 with a 26-5 win over Tougaloo College. He led the 2010 Choctaws to the Division III West Region final, finishing just one game shy of the College World Series. That team went 39-11, opening the season at 17-1.
The Choctaws snapped a 12-game losing streak last time out, grabbing a doubleheader sweep of Selma on Thursday afternoon at Frierson Field. MC's bullpen pitched 7.0 perfect innings on the day, while freshman
Kyle Smith went 6-for-7 with three runs scored, three stolen bases and an RBI, earning the start in center field for both games.
The MC pitching staff got a much-needed lift on Thursday against Selma, holding the Bulldogs to seven total hits in the two games, including just one hit in the second game, an 11-0 win. Senior
Jayme Monroe started the opener, making his first appearance of the year after recovering from shoulder surgery following the 2014 season. The Clinton native scattered six hits over 3.0 innings.
Kyle Smith has started the last three games for the Choctaws and is the team's leading hitter with a .609 batting average, including going 8-for-10 over the three starts. Smith was also MC's starting quarterback in the fall and led the team with five rushing touchdowns this season.
Junior
Caleb Upton (.354) has been on a tear also, hitting safely in 14 of the last 16 games, including going 3-for-9 with two doubles and three runs scored on Thursday against Selma. Junior
Colton Caver (.372) leads the team with seven doubles, while junior
Hunter Hall (.290) has a team-high 19 RBI.
Sophomore
Hunter Bolin (.380) ranks 2nd on the team in batting average, hits (27), doubles (6) and RBI (16) and leads the team with nine stolen bases. The Starkville native had the big hit in the 11-0 win over Selma, driving in three runs with a double in the 7-run fifth inning.
Senior
Brooks Fortenberry has anchored the pitching staff this season, tossing a team-high 40.0 innings with 39 strikeouts and just eight walks. He is on pace to move up to 3rd all-time in career strikeouts and 6th in innings pitched.
Senior
Grady Turman (3.38) and junior
Wesley Wilkinson (3.43) have been reliable options out of the bullpen, leading the team in ERA on the year. Wilkinson leads the team with 10 appearances this season and has 19 strikeouts in 21.0 innings. Turman has walked just three batters in 10.2 innings and has only allowed four earned runs.
RECORD WATCHÂ Â Â
Most Career Strikeouts1.   Tim Watkins (1983-85) - 224
2.   Lee Gardner (1995-97) - 205
3.   Sam Graham (2002-05) - 196
4.   Scott Herrington (1993-96) - 166
5.   Brooks Fortenberry (2012-15) - 1656.   Jeff Walker (1993-96) - 164
7.   Wayman Grantham (1989-92) - 160
Most Career Innings Pitched1.   Tim Watkins (1983-85) - 273.1
2.   Wayman Grantham (1989-92) - 272.0
3.   Scott Herrington (1993-96) - 260.1
4.   Jason White (1993-95) - 232.1
5.   Sam Graham (2002-05) - 230.2
6.   Lee Gardner (1995-97) - 214.1
7.   Tony Richard (1987-89) - 210.0
8.   Brooks Fortenberry (2012-15) - 186.0NOTES ON THE TIGERS  Â
Head coach Gary Rundles is in his 15th season at the helm for the Tigers, winning over 450 games in his tenure. He has UWA ranked 30th in the College Baseball News Division II ranking after winning five straight games, including a series sweep at Valdosta State last weekend.
The Tigers rank 4th in the Gulf South Conference with a .971 fielding percentage, making just 24 errors on the season. They are 6th in the league ERA (3.56) and 7th in the conference in batting average (.291). The Tigers have the 2nd-most doubles (50) and 3rd-most home runs (18).
Nick Delgado (.459) is the team's leading hitter this season, despite missing 13 games on the year. Mitch Holgate (.367) is tied for the team-lead with three home runs and is tied for 3rd with 17 RBI, while leading the team with nine stolen bases.
Jack Cockrum (.317) leads the team with 21 runs scored and 32 hits, while Jake Bush (.316) has a team-high 23 RBI. Eddiie Kieffer (.282) has a team-high nine doubles and 20 RBI on the season.
Fernando Gonzalez (4-1, 2.36 ERA) leads the team with 40 strikeouts, while Jorge Cruz (4-2, 3.89 ERA) has tossed a team-high 44.0 innings. Tanner Rainey (2-1, 0.75 ERA) leads the team with 12 appearances and six saves.
