April 14, 2008

On Deck: Saint Louis, which is in the middle of a six-game Atlantic 10 roadswing, hosts a pair of non-conference midweek games at The Billiken Sports Center. On Tuesday, UT Martin comes to town for a 2 p.m. matchup. Eastern Illinois then visits The BSC for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday. The Billikens (14-18) return to the East Coast over the weekend with a three-game set at St. Bonaventure.

Following the Action: All home games may be followed through GameTracker on SLU's official athletics Web site, www.slubillikens.com. All home games are played at The Billiken Sports Center, located on the eastern edge of campus adjacent to Chaifetz Arena. Admission is free to all Billiken baseball games.

About the Billikens: Saint Louis was in every game but was ultimately swept at Rhode Island over the weekend. In a doubleheader played Friday, the Billikens dropped the first game 3-1 despite another strong performance from right-hander Scott Turmail. In the nightcap, the Rams rallied to win 7-6 in the ninth. In Sunday's finale, the Rams again used late-inning heroics in winning 6-3 thanks to a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth. J.D. Dunn had two homers in the series, while Ramee Yacoub led the team with five hits in the series. Ryan Bennett leads the team with a .354 batting average, while Mike Beal hits at a .314 clip. Dunn is hitting .303 with a team-leading three home runs and 20 RBIs. Greg Rodgers leads the team with 23 RBIs and 29 walks. Turmail has a 5-2 record to go along with a 3.30 ERA. He has struck out 43 while walking just seven. As a team, the Billikens are hitting .254 and score 4.9 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 5.50 ERA and has allowed opponents a .296 batting average.

Scouting UT Martin: The Skyhawks enter the week 4-26 overall and 1-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They are coming off their first league win, a 6-3 victory against Eastern Kentucky at home on Sunday. Shayne Martin leads the team in hitting with a .328 average, while Kyle Dudley hits .324 with a team-leading 24 RBIs. Scott Gladstone and Drew Mason also hit above .300 for UT Martin. On the mound, the Skyhawks are led by Eric Walker's 5.24 ERA and 29 strikeouts. As a team, the Skyhawks are hitting .257 and score 4.7 runs per game. The pitching staff has an 8.30 ERA and has allowed opponents a .353 batting average. Head coach Bubba Cates is in his 10th season at UT Martin. The Skyhawks lead the all-time series 10-9.

Scouting Eastern Illinois: The Panthers, who face Illinois on Tuesday before traveling to St. Louis, enter the week a game over .500 at 16-15 and 8-4 in the OVC. EIU is coming off a key OVC series at Murray State in which it took two of three. Brett Nommensen, who has started every game, is leading the team in hitting with a .351 average. He also leads the club with nine doubles and three home runs. Richie Derbak hits .330 with 24 RBIs, while Jordan Kreke leads the team with 27 RBIs. EIU's top starting pitcher is Josh Mueller, who boasts a 2.87 ERA and a team-leading four victories. Tyler Brandon has a miniscule 0.84 ERA in 12 appearances out of the bullpen. He has yielded just three earned runs in 32 innings. Head coach Jim Schmitz is in his 21st season at Eastern Illinois. The Panthers lead the all-time series 20-16.

New Leader: Head coach Darin Hendrickson is in his first season as the Billikens' skipper. Hired in the summer of 2007, Hendrickson has found success at each of his three previous head-coaching stops during his 12-year tenure. Most recently, he led Central Missouri to three regular-season and tournament championships over the last four years and twice had his team in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Previously, he led St. Louis Community College Forest Park to four NJCAA Super Regional championship games and Fontbonne University (St. Louis) to a conference title in that program's third year of existence in 1998. Hendrickson has a 13-year career record of 504-192. He is assisted by Kevin Moulder, Will Bradley and volunteer assistant Danny Jackson.

The Atlantic 10 Conference: Saint Louis is in its third season in the A-10. In their debut in 2006, the Billikens made a memorable run through the conference tournament and emerged as league champions, marking their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 40 years. The Billikens were picked to finish 10th out of 14 squads in the league race this season. The top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the A-10 Tournament, which for the first time will be played at a neutral site at Campbell Stadium in Camden, N.J., beginning May 21.

Early Season Accolades: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has twice picked up A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. In his first appearance in a Billiken uniform on Feb. 23, he allowed just four hits and struck out three in a complete-game shutout at Belmont. For his effort, he was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and was dubbed the Northeast Region Player of the Week by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. He was named A-10 co-Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Feb. 16 after picking up a save against Fontbonne and tossing eight shutout innings against Dartmouth.

500 Wins: The Billikens' 10-8 victory against Fordham on March 29 marked the 500th win in the 12-year head-coaching career of Darin Hendrickson. He achieved 209 wins during his four-year tenure at Central Missouri, 126 in four years at Fontbonne, 155 in four years at Forest Park CC and 14 so far in his first season with the Billikens.

Running of the Bills: As a team, Saint Louis has already stolen 46 bases on the year, which is the most since the 2004 team swiped 56 bases. The school record for stolen bases in a season is 108, a feat accomplished by the 1991 team. Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn leads the team with 18 steals in 20 tries, which ranks 15th in the nation.

Freebies: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers leads the league and is ranked 10th in the country with 1.08 walks per game. He has 29 total walks this season, moving his career total to 100, sixth all-time at SLU.

No Freebies: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has walked just seven batters in 62.2 innings while striking out 33. He ranks ninth nationally and first in the Atlantic 10 in fewest walks allowed per nine innings.

Beal Street: Sophomore designated hitter Mike Beal (St. Louis, Mo./Glendale CC) is second on the team with a .314 average ... tied for second on the team with eight doubles ... singled and stole a base in the Rhode Island finale.

R&B: Senior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) leads the team in hitting with a .354 average ... has laid down a team-high five sacrifice bunts on the season ...had two hits and drove in a pair of runs in the final two games of the Rhode Island series.

Back in Black: Sophomore left fielder David Blackwell (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) has 19 hits on the season ...walked, singled and scored in the second game against URI ...doubled and scored in the series opener against the Rams.

Well Dunn: Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) has started all 32 games in center, making him one of just two Billikens who have started every game ...ranks third on the team with a .303 average, first in runs (25) and home runs (3) and second with 20 RBIs ... is 18-of-20 to lead the team in the stolen-bases department, which ranks 15th in the country ... has reached base safely in all but one game this season ...had homers in back-to-back games against Rhode Island.

Don't Mess with Texas: Sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas/Rice University) is hitting .265 and is second on the team with 21 runs scored ...leads the club with 21 doubles ...had three hits, all doubles, in the Rhode Island series ... also walked and scored twice in the second game of the series.

Ryno: Junior utility player Ryan Johnson (Creve Coeur, Mo./SLUH) is hitting .242 in 18 appearances ...drew the start at first base in the final two games of the Rhode Island series ...singled and was hit by a pitch in the URI finale ...doubled in a run in the second game against the Rams.

Moore Power: Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) is fifth on the club with a .287 average and third with 17 runs scored ... has started all but one game behind the plate this season ... was hit by a pitch and drove in the lone run of the opener against URI with a sacrifice fly ... singled and stole a base in the second game of the series ...cracked a base hit in the URI finale.

A Little Moore Power: Junior shortstop/pitcher Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) has a 1-2 record and a 3.66 ERA in 10 appearances, all in relief ...allowed one run on three hits in the second game of the Rhode Island series.

Lights Out: Sophomore right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Forest Park CC) has a 4.79 ERA and a 2-4 record in 10 appearances on the mound ...had a no-decision Sunday against the Rams after working seven innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.

Hittin' BP: Sophomore right fielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio/Stow Munroe Falls) has 17 hits and has scored 10 times so far this season ...started in left field in the Rhode Island finale and drew a walk.

Extra Perks: Junior pitcher Brad Perkins (Collinsville, Ill./SWIC) has made 10 appearances out of the bullpen ...tied for the team lead with two saves.

Pinpoint: Junior third baseman Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) has started all 32 games, making him one of just two Billikens who have started every game ... hitting .299 with 17 RBIs ... also has two home runs and five doubles ...stroked a single in the first game against Rhode Island.

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) leads the team with 23 RBIs ...ranks 10th in the nation in walks per game ... sixth all-time at SLU with 100 career walks ... went 2-for-4 with a double in the first game of the Rhode Island series.

On the Bayou: Senior pitcher/third baseman B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La./Brother Martin) is 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA on the mound.

Leave It To Sever: Junior right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) has a 5.14 ERA and a 2-4 record ... had a no decision in the second game against Rhode Island after yielding six runs.

The Mailbag: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail (Florissant, Mo./Forest Park CC) leads the pitching staff with five wins and a 3.30 ERA ... has three complete games on the year ...went eight innings in the first game of the Rhode Island series, allowing three runs (two earned) on 10 hits ...tied his career high with eight strikeouts.

Help Me, Help You: Freshman infielder Ramee Yacoub (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) is hitting .264 overall ... led the team with five hits (.500 average) in the Rhode Island series ... walked, singled and scored in the final game of the Rhode Island series ...had back-to-back two-hit efforts in the first two games of the series.

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