Baseball Lions face LeTourneau
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First-games ever under the lights for Jackets
LONGVIEW, Texas -- The Southwestern Assemblies of God University baseball team will take on LeTourneau University this evening in a twi-light doubleheader in East Texas.
Fans can follow the digital play-by-play action on the LeTourneau version of Live Stats at the following link, made available by Alan Wiederhold, LETU's Sports Information Director. http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/letu.portal
The Lions, who began the 2012 season with an 8-0 start, are looking to snap a four-game losing skid against the Yellowjackets, who are 0-2. LeTourneau is a member of the NCAA's Division III with an enrollment of 2,950. They field 13 varsity athletic programs; seven of them are men's teams.
SAGU (8-4) will make the 145-mile jaunt past Tyler to Longview, where LeTourneau's refurbished Conrad-Vernon Field will host their first games under newly-installed lights. Seating capacity is 200. The doubleheader is set to start at 5:00pm.
Weather could be a factor, as the forecast calls for a 60% chance of rain and a game-time temperature of 62. However, by 7pm, the chance of precipitation falls to 20%.
Southwestern head coach Jonathan Shockley plans to start sophomore RHP John Savis (Canton, Tx / Canton HS) in the first game. LHP Robert Elles (Red Oak, Tx / Tyler JuCo, Red Oak HS), a freshman, is the likely starter in the second game. The Lions could "pitch by committee," according to Shockley, meaning he may use several pitchers in each contest since they are non-conference games.
The Yellowjackets dropped both ends of a season-opening twinbill in Austin over the weekend. They lost a 2-0 decision to Concordia University (Tx) before coming up short against Howard Payne University (Tx) in a 10-7 verdict. Both CU and HPU are D-III schools. The C-Tex Tornados are 6-1 while the Payne Yellow Jackets are 1-2.
Home Series this weekend vs HT Rams
Southwestern will host a three-game set against Huston-Tillotson University this weekend. The Rams, from Austin, are fellow members in the Red River Athletic Conference. Their current record is 2-3 overall and are 0-1 in league play.
Friday's game is slated for a 2:00pm first pitch at the Waxahachie Sports Complex (Broadhead Rd, north of Hwy 287). The teams will play twice on Saturday, beginning at noon.
Coach Shockley has indicated the rotation is fairly well set, though the Game Three starter is not certain.
His plans are to go with senior LHP Nic Morgan (Ft. Worth, Tx / LeTourneau Univ, Boswell HS) on Friday and freshman RHP Rockie Davis (Santa Fe, Tx / Santa Fe HS) in the first game on Saturday. Elles could get the nod in the nightcap.
Mendoza Update
Senior left-hander Mario Mendoza (Ft. Worth, Tx / Grambling State Univ, Polytechnic HS) will undergo further medical examination today on his injured throwing elbow. He suffered pain in the area while pitching last weekend in Brownsville.
Early diagnosis has ranged from serious to a minor strain. Director of Sports Medicine, Jaroy Carpenter, has a staff of doctors who visit the training room weekly to provide professional service for SAGU athletes.
Coach Shockley said that Mendoza swung a bat without pain on Tuesday. Of late, he has batted in the lead-off position. Dustin Jett (Patterson, La / Patterson HS), a senior centerfielder who has batted first the past three years, is the likely replacement at the top of the order. When not on the mound, Mendoza has played leftfield.
Mendoza threw a no-hitter and a one-hitter in his first two starts before the injury occured in the third inning of a scoreless game against nationally-ranked University of Texas at Brownsville on Saturday.
Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.
Note: LHP - Left-Handed Pitcher. RHP - Right-Handed Pitcher.
| School | RRAC | Overall | GB | Home | Away | Neutral | Streak | |||
| Texas Wesleyan | 3-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | .900 | -- | 8-1 | 1-0 | 0-0 | Won 4 | |
| Bacone | 3-0 | 1.000 | 5-3 | .625 | -- | 4-3 | 1-0 | 0-0 | Won 1 | |
| RV | Texas at Brownsville | 3-0 | 1.000 | 8-5 | .615 | -- | 8-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | Lost 2 |
| 24 | Northwood | 1-0 | 1.000 | 6-2 | .750 | -- | 4-2 | 2-0 | 0-0 | Won 1 |
| 6 | LSU-Shreveport | 0-0 | .000 | 6-0 | 1.000 | -- | 3-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | Won 6 |
| Wiley | 0-0 | .000 | 0-0 | .000 | -- | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | ||
| Huston-Tillotson | 0-1 | .000 | 2-3 | .400 | -- | 2-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | Lost 1 | |
| SW Assemblies of God | 0-3 | .000 | 8-4 | .667 | -- | 8-1 | 0-3 | 0-0 | Lost 4 | |
| Texas College | 0-3 | .000 | 3-8 | .273 | -- | 2-2 | 1-6 | 0-0 | Lost 5 | |
| Southwest | 0-3 | .000 | 2-8 | .200 | -- | 0-2 | 2-6 | 0-0 | Lost 3 | |
Key: The left column refers to national NAIA ranking. UTB did not make the Top 25 but are in the group of teams who Received Votes. GB - Games Behind the leader.
