6 days ago
Three things to know about Dallas Baptist ahead of Baton Rouge Regional
Three things to know about Dallas Baptist ahead of Baton Rouge Regional
LSU baseball welcomes three teams to Alex Box Stadium as it hosts the Baton Rouge Regional in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
One of those teams is a familiar opponent in Dallas Baptist. The Patriots made the national postseason for the eleventh-straight season. Despite falling short in the Conference USA Tournament Championship, they received an at-large bid.
The Tigers' relievers held Dallas Baptist to three runs on three hits through the game's first seven innings. They induced 13 strikeouts, led by 11 from Conner Ware and Zac Cowan, who earned the win. Casan Evans slammed the door over the final two frames, earning his first career save.
Dallas Baptist possess a lineup of experienced, heavy hitters along with two all-conference pitchers. In 32 of their 56 games, the Patriots plated seven or more runs. They also gained three ranked wins, two over Oklahoma and one over TCU.
Here are three things to know about Dallas Baptist ahead of the Baton Rouge Regional.
The Patriots score lots of runs, win or lose
In five of its 16 losses, the Patriots scored five or more runs and they reached double-digits 23 times. Their batters see the ball well and capitalized on their strength against lesser opponents, especially in conference.
Whether or not its pitching staff holds teams to minimal runs, Dallas Baptist relies on big swings to outscore the opposition. In a postseason setting with high-leverage games, the Patriots will rely on their veteran sluggers to carry them to victory. Expect them to score at a high clip against Rhode Island in the Regional opener.
Six All-Conference selections lead the way
Conference USA named six Patriots to their end of season team, led by Nathan Humphreys as the Defensive Player of the Year and first-team centerfielder. Grant Jay, Keaton Grady and Chayton Krauss also earned first-team status.
The four each bat over .320, led by Humphreys' .360. Krauss leads the team with 74 hits and 69 RBI. Three of the four slug over .620 with at least 14 home runs, demonstrating their power at the plate.
Pitchers Ryan Borgerg and Mason Peters are on the first and second team, respectively. Borgerg ranked second in the conference with a 3.72 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.21 WHIP. Peters gained experience as a starter and closer, meaning he could go either way depending on the team's in-game situations.
Mixed results vs. top tier teams
Dallas Baptist possesses the most talented roster in its league, so naturally, it puts up big numbers. For a clearer picture of what DBU can do in the postseason, let's look at how it fares vs. teams on its talent plane.
The Patriots dropped a weekend series to Western Kentucky, even getting shut out 11-0. During the conference tournament, they failed to win their third-straight crown as they suffered two losses against Jacksonville State
In three home-and-home series with Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and TCU, the team went 4-2. Add in the early-season loss to LSU, the Patriots fared average when punching up. They'll need to get past LSU, most likely either Kade Anderson or Anthony Eyanson, to make a Super Regional appearance.
