Louisiana Tech baseball is off to a great start, taking both games of a double header from UT-Arlington on Tuesday and sweeping three games from McNeese State over the weekend. Coach Wade Simoneaux is pleased with the way things have started, but admits that this week’s remaining games will be a challenge.
“It’s always good to get off to a faststart, but the competition level will be higher this week,” said Simoneaux, whose team beat Louisiana-Monroe 11-7 last night. The Bulldogs continued their hot hitting, banging out 14 hits, including a leadoff homer by Adam Cobb. Louisiana Tech kept it clean in the field as well, committing only one error.
ULM is also playing well. The Warhawks were off to a 4-0 start, including a 4-1 win on the road against Southern Mississippi. ULM gave Tech pitching all they wanted last night, scoring seven runs in the first seven innings, including three home runs. Aaron Lorio was able to close out the win for Coach Simoneaux, strikeout five in 2 2/3 innings without giving up a run.
Last night was a good way for both teams to see where they stand very early in the season. Simoneaux seemed pleased with his team’s performance so far: “We have pitched pretty well and played good defense and obviously we have been able to score runs.”
Seventy-one runs in six games is a lot, for sure. A team batting average of .342 and a team earned run average of 2.33 are outstanding. Can the Dawgs keep up the fast pace? This weekend, Tech travels to College Station to take on Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Arkansas in the Domino’s Pizza Classic. Before heading home, Tech will stop in Waco to face Baylor on March 4 and 5.
Louisiana Tech's team will need to stay on top of its game to be successful. Keep an eye on Albie Goulder and Jericho Jones. Each has three home runs already and Jones is 100% healthy after off-season surgery. Chris Kersten has two home runs and leads the team with fifteen RBI.