By Lamar Moody (@Ljmoo2allpurpus) – Spear Reporter
Dalton Bowling walking on the field | Lamar Moody – The Spear
The SJSU baseball team has the opportunity to collect a few more conference wins as it faces off against the UNLV Rebels (14-17, 7-8 MW) Friday night.
The Spartans (15-13, 8-4 MW) are itching to get back into the win column after recently being swept in a two game series against UC Santa Barbara. The Spartans allowed the Gauchos to score 18 runs in the two games.
SJSU pitching has a 5.43 ERA, which ranks third overall in the Mountain West Conference. Redshirt junior Mickey Thompson is likely to lead the pitching rotation for the Spartans. Thompson holds a 2-1 record with a 3.32 ERA. Redshirt senior pitcher’s Jack White and Keaton Chase have been the most reliable out of the bullpen with a combined record of 7-1 on 31 strikeouts.
The Spartans are beginning to get hot in the batters box scoring 57 runs over their last seven games. That’s an average of about eight runs a game scored by the Spartans.
The Spartans have brought a collective effort to the plate. Redshirt senior Dalton Bowling leads SJSU in home runs (6) and RBIs (31). Junior second baseman Charles McAdoo leads SJSU in doubles (12) and hits (39). Redshirt junior Hunter Dorraugh leads SJSU in batting average (.339) and on base percentage (.440).
The Rebels are riding high on a three game win streak, scoring 37 total runs in those games. They have a .300 batting average, ranking second in the Mountain West.
UNLV is led by junior catcher Jacob Sharp and junior left fielder Alex Pimentel. Pimentel has a batting average of .375 on seven doubles and five triples. Sharp’s average is .368 and leads the Rebels with six home runs.
The Rebels’ downfall has been their pitching. UNLV ranks dead last in the Mountain West Conference in pitching with a 6.84 ERA.
Catch the start of the series Friday night at 6:05 p.m. in San Jose at Excite Ballpark. SJSU baseball can also be watched on the Mountain West Network.