BATESVILLE, Ark. – The 21st-ranked Lyon College baseball team got off to a strong start to begin its 2020 season as the Scots swept No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan in a three-game series last weekend. The Scots will continue their season-opening homestand this weekend when the University of St. Francis (Ill.) comes to town on Saturday and Sunday. The Scots and Fighting Saints will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon. The series finale is set for noon on Sunday.

LYON TO HONOR FRED WANN WITH FIELD DEDICATION SATURDAY
Former baseball coach and champion of Lyon College Athletics Fred Wann will be honored Saturday, Feb. 8, when Scots Field will be officially re-named Fred Wann Field. The dedication ceremony will be held prior to the Scots' doubleheader against the University of St. Francis (Ill.). Fans are asked to arrive at 11 a.m. to celebrate the dedication with the official unveiling of the new sign that will be displayed behind the third-base dugout and to see Coach Wann throw out the ceremonial first pitch at approximately 11:55 a.m. All fans attending Saturday's doubleheader will be admitted free of charge.

FOLLOW THE GAMES

THE MATCHUP
The Scots are coming off a three-game, season-opening sweep of No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan last weekend. The Scots won by scores of 19-10, 12-0 and 7-6.

Troy Strack collected a team-high five hits in the series against OKWU and tied Jake Michener and Alan West for the team lead with six runs scored. Cameron Hockle drove in a team-high six runs against the Owls, while Joe Weatherford drove in five runs of his own.

Brock Beacham, Ethan Denney and Ryan Porras all picked up a win each on the bump against the Owls. Beacham also was credited with a save after he tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in two appearances. He also struck out five batters he faced. Denney appeared in two games where he tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief with a pair of strikeouts. Porras dominated all game as he allowed just three hits while striking out 13 over six scoreless innings in a combined shutout.

This weekend's series will mark the first games of the 2020 season for USF after the Fighting Saints finished 29-22 in 2019.

Josh Tesch and Travis Schoonover are the top two hitters in the Fighting Saints' lineup returning from a season ago. Tesch finished second on the team with a .328 batting average in 2019. Tesch went 39-for-119, with six doubles and one home run. He drove in 17 runs and scored 14 times. Schoonover finished third on the team with a .321 average. Schoonover went 59-for-184 at the plate, with 10 doubles, five triples and three home runs. He also drove in 27 runs and scored a team-high 41 times.

Angel Sandoval will look to lead the pitching staff this season for USF after going 5-6 with a 3.25 ERA last season. In 11 starts, Sandoval threw eight complete games with one combined shutout. He struck out 57 batters in 74.2 innings pitched and limited opposing batters to a .237 average against.

The Scots are 17-9 all-time against the Fighting Saints. Lyon swept a three-game series at home against USF last season on Feb. 8-9.

NEXT FOR THE SCOTS
Following this weekend's series against USF, the Scots will host Texas A&M-Texarkana on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Baseball Contact: Matt Jagodzinski | 870-307-7516 | matthew.jagodzinski@lyon.edu
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