CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team returns to the diamond on Saturday, Feb. 11 as MC hosts Lindenwood University in a three-game series. First pitch of the Saturday twinbill is slated for 1 p.m. with Sunday's finale scheduled for 12 p.m. Saturday's opener marks the first meeting between the two schools on the diamond.

The Choctaws are coming off a four-game series with Florida Tech last weekend with MC going 1-3 against the Panthers with junior hurler Jake Fraze garnering the win on mound for MC. Fraze recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in the sevening-inning performance. A pair of Choctaw freshman made impressions in their debuts. Zack Ingram tossed six innings in his first career start with six strikeouts while Grant Barber posted a .400 batting average for the weekend and tied for tops of the team with four hits and drew five walks in the series.

Mississippi College marks the third opponent on the slate for Lindenwood. The Lions opened the 2017 season last weekend with a three-game series at Christian Brothers, where the Black and Gold went 1-2 against CBU. LU is scheduled for a one-game outing against West Alabama on Friday before heading to Clinton for a three-game, weekend series.

Wes Degener leads Lindenwood at the dish with a total of five hits and a .455 batting average. Degener has two triples on the season with a RBI. On the Andrew Eilers leads the Black and Gold with its lone win on the campaign. Eilers tossed five innings against CBU and struck out nine with a 1.80 ERA.

CHOCTAWS TO WATCH

#20 Grant Barber (INF | 5-7 | 165 | Fr. | Mobile, Ala./UMS-Wright Prep.)
Hit .400 in his debut with the Choctaws...posted a team-best four hits in 10 at-bats with a pair of runs driven in...drew a team-best five walks...logged a stolen base...recorded a .600 on-base clip and slugged .400.

#12 Hunter Austin (C | 6-0 | 215 | Sr. | Vicksburg, Miss./Hinds CC)
Led MC with three RBI in the series with Florida Tech...batted .333 for the four games with a team-best four hits, including a pair of doubles...posted an on-base percentage of .400 with a .500 slugging clip.

#11 Jake Fraze (P | 6-1 | 180 | Jr. | Plano, Texas/Plano Senior HS)
Logged the win on the mound for the Choctaws against Florida Tech...posted an ERA of 2.57 with a career-high eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work...held the Panthers to a .231 batting average..allowed just a pair of runs in his first start of the 2017 season.

#30 Zack Ingram (P | 6-3 | 180 | Fr. | Vestatvia Hills, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS)
Totaled a 1.50 ERA in his Choctaw debut...pitched 6.0 innings with six strikeouts in his start...allowed just one earned run on five hits...held Florida Tech to a .227 batting average.

Following the weekend series, Mississippi College returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15 as the Choctaws travel to Montevallo, Ala., to face the Montevallo Falcons. First pitch of the midweek contest is slated for 2 p.m.