University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Head To Saint Louis For A-10 Series
04/16/2014 | Baseball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond Spiders baseball team will head west to face the Saint Louis Billikens in a three-game, Atlantic 10 series.
The three-game set gets underway on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. Friday's contest is also slated for a 7 p.m. EST start, while Saturday's finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. Live stats for all three games can be found at RichmondSpiders.com.
Scouting the Spiders
The Richmond Spiders come in to the series with the Billikens with an overall record of 15-18-1 on the season overall and a mark of 6-6 in Atlantic 10 conference play. Entering the weekend, the Spiders sit in sixth place in the A-10.
A trio of sophomores has led the way for Richmond offensively this season. OF Tanner Stanley leads the team in hitting with his .323 batting average, while 1B Doug Kraeger has hit a team-best 12 doubles. 3B Matt Dacey leads the Atlantic 10 with nine home runs and the Spiders with 35 RBI.
The pitching staff has been solid this season for the Spiders, led by junior LHP Zak Sterling, who leads the team in wins (3) ERA (2.44), innings pitched (51.2) and strikeouts (37). As a team, the UR staff has posted a team ERA of 5.27 with 227 strikeouts in 304 innings pitched.
Scouting the Billikens
The Saint Louis Billikens play host to the Spiders boasting an overall record of 201-14 on the season overall, with a mark of 8-3 in A-10 play. Entering the weekend, Saint Louis, who will host the seven-team conference tournament, is tied for first place with Saint Joseph's.
The reigning Atlantic 10 champions, the Billikens were tabbed to repeat this season in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches. Like last year, pitching has been the strength of SLU, as the team has posted an ERA of 3.79. Hitting has been consistent all year, as the Billikens have posted a batting average of .262 with 16 home runs and 154 RBI.
Last weekend, Saint Louis dropped two of three games on the road to Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. Earlier this season, Richmond swept the Minutemen in a three-game series played at Pitt Field.
On Deck…
After returning from Saint Louis, the Spiders will travel to No. 1 Virginia on Wednesday, with first pitched scheduled for 6 p.m.
