Southwest Baseball To Take On Volunteer State State In Play-In

For more information, contact: Keith Gentry (901) 333-4114 mgentry@southwest.tn.edu

The Southwest baseball team will take on Volunteer State in a TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament Play-In game at noon on Sunday, May 5 at Columbia State’s Dave Hall Field in Columbia, Tennessee. The winner will advance to the eight-team double-elimination tournament against top-seed Walters State at 1 p.m. on May 6.

The Saluqis (17-32), under 2nd-year head coach Erik Schoenrock, are led by freshman infielder Jared Kirkman (.308 batting average, 28 runs scored, 17 stolen bases), sophomore infielder Chris Swanberg (.298 batting average, 34 runs batted in), freshman infielder/outfielder Kendall Franklin (.271 batting average, 18 runs batted in, 12 stolen bases), sophomore outfielder Barrone Porter (.245 batting average, 24 runs scored, 15 stolen bases), and freshman first baseman/outfielder Jackson Little (six home runs, 27 runs batted in). Other probable starters include freshman infielder Cade Taylor, freshman outfielder Jarret Fowlkes (1.000 fielding average), freshman catcher/infielder Cole Howard and freshman outfielder Darrius Bomer.

Sophomore Brayden Green leads the pitching staff with a 3.90 earned run average, primarily as a relief pitcher. Probable starting pitchers include sophomore Will Nash, whose four wins leads the team and is second with 51 strikeouts, sophomore Cannon Duke, who leads the staff with 61 innings pitched and 61 strikeouts, and freshman Nick Johnson, who is third on the staff with 45 strikeouts.

The tournament championship game will be on May 10 with the winner advancing to the NJCAA East Central District Championship May 15-17. The district champion advances to the NJCAA Division 1 World Series May 25-June 1 in Grand Junction, Colorado.