Baseball 3/12/2019 11:18:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 18 UCO Hosts Emporia State

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team returns to the diamond Friday, when the 18th-ranked Bronchos host Emporia State in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The teams will also play Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Central Oklahoma is 12-6 on the season. Emporia State is 9-7.

Central Oklahoma brings to the weekend a pitching staff with a 3.42 earned run average, and a staff that ranks among the nation's best in total strikeouts. UCO has 179 strikeouts in 18 games played this season, 9.9 per game. The Bronchos strikeout 10.2 per nine innings.

Central's staff also boasts an opponent's batting average of just .226. The Bronchos have allowed 129 hits (7.1 per game) this season. Just 30 percent of those have gone for extra bases.

UCO has four pitchers on its staff averaging more than 10 Ks per nine innings pitched. Landon Bond (13.2), Brayden Nelson (12.8), Dylan Hall (11.5), and Gabe Littlejim (10.7) lead the way on the bump. Hall has a team-high 41 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched this season. Littlejim has struck out 33 in 27 2/3 innings, Bond has sat down 29 batters in 19 2/3 innings, and Nelson, a middle reliever, has 19 Ks in 13 1/3 innings pitched.

At the plate, Central Oklahoma has a team batting average of .252. The Bronchos average 5.7 runs per game off of 8.1 hits per game this season.

Brice West leads the team with a .357 batting average. The sophomore outfielder has played in 16 games, starting 14, and has 20 hits on the year.

Philip Scott is second on the team with a .343 average. Scott has played and started in all 18 games and has a team-high 23 hits, 14 runs scored, and eight doubles. He's also drawn a team-high 17 walks, and is third on the team with 10 RBIs.

Paul Kropf is hitting .250, but has a team-high five home runs. Kropf has 21 career home runs, which is only three shy of UCO's all-time top-10 list.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Landon Bond: P; 6' 1"; Senior; */L

#25 Paul Kropf: 1B; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#7 Brice West: OF/1B; 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#27 Philip Scott: 2B/3B; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#38 Gabe Littlejim: P; 6' 4"; Senior; R/R

#14 Brayden Nelson: P; 6' 2"; Junior; R/R

#13 Dylan Hall: P; 6' 5"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#11 Landon Bond
: 6' 1"; Senior; */L
: P

#25 Paul Kropf
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: 1B

#7 Brice West
: 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF/1B

#27 Philip Scott
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: 2B/3B

#38 Gabe Littlejim
: 6' 4"; Senior; R/R
: P

#14 Brayden Nelson
: 6' 2"; Junior; R/R
: P

#13 Dylan Hall
: 6' 5"; Junior; R/R
: P