THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University baseball team will conclude its 2022 season this weekend as the Night Hawks head to Babson Park, Fla. to take on #25 Webber International in a three-game, SUN Conference series. Friday will feature the single game as Saturday will be the designated doubleheader day.
Despite its series result against #16 Warner, TU (18-29, 2-19 SUN) and Night Hawk nation was able to witness history at Thomas County Central, as Freshman
Matthew Delay Jr. set TU's season doubles record with his 21st. As a team, the Green & White outhit the Royals in two of the three contests. On the mound, Thomas was as equally effective, limiting Warner to its second-lowest hitting total of the season in Game One of the series. Freshman Left-Hander
Riley Fisher (3-9) had his best performance yet on the bump, allowing one earned run off two hits in a full eight innings pitched.
The #25 Warriors (35-16, 10-11 SUN) have been on a rollercoaster in 2022, starting the season 29-5 before taking a midseason nosedive, dropping eight of its next 10 contests. After the sluggish span, WIU bounced back in a big way, winning a pair of series against the Royals and #8 St. Thomas. The Warriors can officially punch its ticket to the SUN Conference tournament with a series win over Thomas, but a Night Hawks' series win paired with a Florida Memorial series win over #19 Keiser would eliminate Webber International.
At the plate, Webber International is led by Kenny Rodriguez, averaging .385 on the season with 60 runs batted in, 12 home runs, 14 doubles, and 11 stolen bases. Base running has been a benefactor for WIU, as Tavion Williams has 14 stolen bases on the season.
The Night Hawks enter the weekend facing an opponent eerily similar to Warner's style of play: an average hitting unit (.297) with a good pitching staff (4.53 ERA).
Like the Royals, Webber International boasts multiple Top 10 pitchers in the conference in Dylan Martin (9-3) and Xavier Rodriguez (7-3). Martin enters the series finale with an individual 3.50 ERA while boasting third in SUN in most strikeouts (83) and innings pitched (79.2). Rodriguez's 3.45 is a fourth-best in the conference, as the upperclassman holds the most strikeouts looking in SUN (31).
The overall series has been tight between Thomas and Webber International, as the Warriors hold a slim 19-18 lead thanks to its sweep over the Night Hawks last season.
First pitch at Heart of Florida Field is set for 6 p.m. Fans unable to attend the game can follow the live action by clicking the links below:
Live Stats
Live Video
For up-to-date information on 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.
