(May 6, 2023) Mena, Arkansas - Coming into their final series of the season, the Bucks were winners of their last six in a row and seven of their last eight. There were many different scenarios for the Bucks on making the Region II/Plains District Tournament. The men needed a pair of wins to lock up a berth to the tournament. Their final opponent of the season was National Park College in Hot Springs, AR. The Nighthawks had their backs against the wall as well.
The Bucks took care of business on the week and not only sealed their tournament berth, but the men are now winners of ten in a row with a sweep over National Park: 4-0, 10-3, 9-1, and 13-3. Just a few weeks ago, the Bucks were 15-26 overall and 7-17 in region play. Fast forward three weeks, the Bucks finish the regular season at 26-27 and 18-18 in the region. The Bucks finish fifth in Region II, but we are waiting on the finish between the Region 6/16 Tournament for seeding purposes. Their winner enters the Plains District Tournament at their winning percentage against NJCAA Division II schools during the regular season. The bracket will be released on Monday.
Check out the National Park series highlights:
Average - Six men finished the series with over a .400 average. In the series, a lot of different players go to see action, and the Bucks held a .327 team average against NPC.
Hits - Pun intended, but the usual big hitters led the Bucks once again. Trent Smith (Longview, TX) and Kolby Webb (Cabot, AR) led with 5 hits a piece. Hayden Koller (Texarkana, TX) recorded 4 on Saturday alone.
Extra Base Hits - The men recorded 11 extra base hits, including a pair of home runs by Smith and Cooper White (Benton, AR).
RBIs - Trent Smith led the Bucks with 6 RBIs, while nine other Bucks recorded a pair or more of RBIs.
Runs - Sophomores Casey Shipley (Prairie Grove, AR) and White crossed home 7 and 6 times respectively to lead the team with runs scored. Smith was third with 5 runs.
Walks - Shipley recorded 5 walks in the series, while three others recorded 4 free sixties.
Stolen Bases - The Bucks recorded 18 stolen bases in the four games. Speedster Caleb Bryant (North Little Rock, AR) led the Bucks with 5, while Brayden Sites (Sheridan, AR) trailed with 4.
Cooper White - Players normally don't get their own category, but hit-by-pitches should now be named after the Bucks left fielder. White was plunked by a pair of pitches in the series and stole 3 more bases to continue to increase his career lead in hit-by-pitches and season recorded for stolen bases.
Wins - All four starting pitchers recorded wins in the series, a first for this season: Jackson Wilson (Palestine, AR), Deuce Yaksick (Frisco, TX), Hunter Alexander (Bigelow, AR), and Jack Henry Pettit (Brookland, AR).
Complete Game - Jackson Wilson threw a complete game 3-hitter on Thursday evening at Majestic Park. He gave up 0 runs and struck out 7 in the outing.
Strikeouts - The Bucks recorded 29 strikeouts on the week. Hunter Alexander led the Bucks with 8 on Saturday.
ERA - The pitchers sported a 1.63 ERA in the four games.
Batting Average Against - National Park hit .209 against the Bucks pitchers.
Errors - Not usually a category that's good, but the Bucks limited their defensive mistakes and committed only 3 on the weekend.
On Saturday before the doubleheader, the Bucks honored 15 sophomores for their two years at UARM. We appreciate all that they've done for Bucks Baseball and know they will do great things moving forward.
The Bucks now will wait for their official seeding in the Plains District Tournament. The tournament runs May 11th-14th at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in downtown Enid, Oklahoma. Check back to Bucks Athletics on social media for tournament updates.
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