Baseball 3/30/2023 2:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Host Pitt State

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma returns to Wendell Simmons Field this weekend for a three-game MIAA series against Pittsburg State.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday. The two schools will also play at 3 p.m. Saturday and wrap up the series at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

"They're a really good team all around, they have good pitching and hitting," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "You have to be focused against them. You have to play through 27 outs. We have a good team too, so it should be a good series."

Central Oklahoma is 21-9 this season with a 10-7 record in the MIAA. The Bronchos carry a three-game win streak into the weekend and UCO has won four of its last five games. Pittsburg State is also 21-9 on the season but has a 13-4 record in the MIAA. The Gorillas come to Edmond with a two-game losing streak.

ABOUT UCO

Central Oklahoma is averaging 7.7 runs per game on 9.9 hits per game. The Bronchos have a .302 team batting average. Defensively, UCO allows 5.0 runs per game on 7.9 hits per game and the Broncho pitching staff has a 4.23 ERA.

PITCHING POINTS

UCO also has 245 strikeouts through 30 games played this season, an average of 8.1 per game, or 8.6 per nine innings. The Bronchos have shuffled their regular weekend starters due to injuries.

James Wambold has seven starts on the year and is 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA. He has 26 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Chris Spry has made six starts but is 3-0 and also has a 5.34 ERA. Caleb Burchfield has started the last two weekends and has a 3.86 ERA.

Jacob Bailey (24.0), Jeb Jenkins (22.0) and Aiden Bagwell (18.2) have been key relievers for the Bronchos. Bailey has a team-high 28 strikeouts while Jenkins has 24, and Bagwell has a 4-0 record in 12 appearances.

BATTER UP

Jaden Parsons leads UCO with a .375 batting average through 26 games played. He missed a few with an injury, but still has a team-high 39 hits this season. Noah Olson is hitting .337 in 29 games played. He has a team-high seven homers and 30 runs scored and is second on the team with 34 hits.

Seth Gray (.308) has a team-high 11 doubles this season and three triples. He also has five home runs. Olson and Cameron Uselton both have 10 doubles. Uselton, like Gray, has five homers. Wyatt Gray, who has played in 21 of 30 games, is hitting .344 on the year.

MORE ON PITT STATE

Pittsburg State is averaging 9.0 runs per game on 10.8 hits per game through 30 games this season. The team has a .314 batting average. Defensively, PSU holds opponents to 6.4 runs per game on 8.8 hits per game, and the pitching staff has a 5.86 team earned run average.

Nixon Brannan is hitting a team-best .422 this season in 27 games played. He has 46 hits, including 12 doubles and 12 home runs. Austin Warkins is also hitting .400 in 27 games played. Zac Shoemaker leads the pitching staff. The Friday starter is 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight starts. Shoemaker has 64 strikeouts in 43 innings this season.

UP NEXT

Central Oklahoma hosts Pitt State for three games this weekend. The Bronchos visit Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City on Tuesday for a midweek non-conference game, then return home for another three-game MIAA series against Washburn next weekend.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Seth Gray: IF; 6' 1"; Junior; R/R

#17 Wyatt Gray: C; 6' 1"; Junior; B/R

#7 Noah Olson: OF; 5' 10"; Junior; L/R

#0 Jaden Parsons: IF; 5' 10"; Junior; L/R

#23 Aiden Bagwell: P; 6' 1"; Junior; */R

#32 Caleb Burchfield: P; 6' 3"; Junior; */R

#3 Cameron Uselton: OF; 5' 11"; Junior; R/R

#41 James Wambold: P; 6' 3"; Sophomore; */R

#4 Jeb Jenkins: P; 5' 11"; Sophomore; */R

#35 Jacob Bailey: P; 6' 0"; Senior; */R

Players Mentioned

#13 Seth Gray
: 6' 1"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#17 Wyatt Gray
: 6' 1"; Junior; B/R
: C

#7 Noah Olson
: 5' 10"; Junior; L/R
: OF

#0 Jaden Parsons
: 5' 10"; Junior; L/R
: IF

#23 Aiden Bagwell
: 6' 1"; Junior; */R
: P

#32 Caleb Burchfield
: 6' 3"; Junior; */R
: P

#3 Cameron Uselton
: 5' 11"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#41 James Wambold
: 6' 3"; Sophomore; */R
: P

#4 Jeb Jenkins
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; */R
: P

#35 Jacob Bailey
: 6' 0"; Senior; */R
: P