THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University baseball team is off to West Palm Beach, Fla. this weekend as the Night Hawks open SUN Conference play the same way it ended last season: a three-game series against #8 Keiser.
 
TU (7-2) has won seven of the first nine games, an incredible mark the team has achieved for the sixth time dating back to the 2009 season.  Tuesday's twin bill sweep of Trinity Baptist was the latest example of how far the Night Hawks have come since May.  While veterans like Anthony Dorak and Brad Toxen have produced key hits and RBIs, this season's class of Baby Hawks have been as equally productive in 2022.  At the plate, Freshman Matthew Delay came out of Jacksonville hitting .667 against the Eagles and a combined two doubles and four RBIs.  On the mound, four Freshmen boast an ERA of 0.84 or better, including Left-Hander Riley Fisher (2-0) who has seen the majority of pitching time this season with 10.2 innings.
 
The Green & White enter the SUN series opener maintaining one of NAIA's Top 25 team batting averages (.336) while the pitching staff has maintained opponents to hitting .272 on the season.  The Night Hawks have averaged 11 hits and just over eight runs scored per contest, while the pitchers has limited opponents to under five runs allowed.
 
The last time Thomas took on #8 Keiser (7-5), the Green & White played for pride, resulting in a come-from-behind 7-6 win after Sophomore Turner Maddox delivered the game-winning 2RBI single in the eighth inning to end the season on a high note.  While the Night Hawks took just one game in the 2021 series, the team will look to start SUN Conference play off on the right note.  While TU was fortunate to have a good start to its season, Thomas is set for another quality test, taking on one of the ten participants from this past year's NAIA World Series.
 
Although Keiser has won six of its last eight contests, three of those were from a sweep over Brewton-Parker while the other three were achieved by defeating a struggling Columbia International team.  The team's recent outing resulted in an 8-2 defeat to Warner in a non-conference, single game.   The Seahawks, nevertheless, have been a consistent team at the plate (.321), led by Fifth-year infielder Tim Bouchard (.478).  The Ashburnham, Mass. native heads into the weekend with 20 RBIs (third-best in SUN), 22 hits (fourth in SUN) and five home runs.
 
Despite losing the reigning SUN Pitcher of the Year in Pablo Arevalo, the Seahawks continue to upkeep its pitching staff, which has averaged a team ERA of 4.08 on the season.  Primary pitcher Garret Reisz (2-0) boasts a 1.42 ERA, allowing three earned runs in 14 hits with 10 walks and 26 strikeouts.  Reisz additionally holds an opponent batting average of .212 on the season.   Danny Galvan (3-0) has allowed four runs (all earned) in 13 hits, along with two walks and 11 strikeouts in only 10 innings on the mound.
 
Keiser leads the overall series 15-9 over Thomas, but the Night Hawks have snagged three of the last five games against the Seahawks.
 
First pitch at Silvester Field is slated for Friday at 11 a.m.  Friday will be the designated doubleheader day, as Saturday's contest is set to begin at Noon.  The series will be called by ESPN West Palm 106.3 FM.  Fans unable to make the trip to West Palm Beach can follow the live action all weekend long by accessing the links below:
 
Live Stats
 
Live Video
 
For up-to-date information on these games and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU baseball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksBaseba.