PORTALES, N.M. – With the end of the season just three weeks away, Eastern New Mexico Baseball look to strengthen their chances to qualify for the Lone Star Conference Tournament as they welcome Oklahoma Christian for a four-game home series. The weekend starts on Friday, Apr. 14, with the teams facing off for a nine-inning clash at 2:30 p.m. Next, the Greyhounds and Eagles will play a seven-inning doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 15. Then, the series finale will take place on Sunday, Apr. 16, with a nine-inning contest scheduled.

LAST TIME OUT

In its last series, the Greyhounds pulled away with a pair of wins against the Lions of University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. ENMU captured game one with an 11-6 victory, scoring seven unanswered runs in the final four innings. After dropping game two, the Hounds stole game three of the series 5-3. Ruger Bravo tossed a complete game on the mound, while Jonatan Clough hit a homerun in the seventh inning to put the Hounds ahead. In the series finale, the Lions came out victorious with a walk-off win in eleven innings over ENMU, 9-8.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS 

Eastern have already tied their wins amount from last season, holding a 17-20 overall record, and are one win away from tying the program's best LSC record, with a 15-20 conference standing. The team supplies a .303 batting average, scoring 242 runs, with 352 hits this season. On the mound, ENMU post an 8.08 ERA as a staff, with 293 runs allowed, with 209 strikeouts.
 
Demetrio Archuleta maintains the top batting average in the Hounds lineup, hitting .389 overall with a team best 49 hits and scoring a team high 33 runs. Clough leads the program with 37 RBIs and 10 homeruns, while Cooper Hamilton is batting .336 and has a team best nine stolen bases.
 
Leading the team in wins, Bravo has a 5-5 record this season with a 6.55 ERA, leading the team in strikeouts (48), and four complete games. The other three Greyhounds in the starting rotation all have an ERA lower than 7.00: Julian Lopez (6.49), Adrian Rubio (6.96), and Noah De La Riva (6.98). William McBride and Javier Luna each have two saves this season, with Luna notching 17 K's in just 18 innings this season.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

The Eagles will be making their first trip to Portales as a member of the Lone Star Conference, last playing at Greyhound Baseball Field in 1999. OC comes into the LSC clash having taken one game from West Texas A&M in a four-game series. The win ended a 10-game losing skid for the Eagles. WT took the first three games of the series, 11-2, 4-3, and 8-0, with Oklahoma Christian taking the final game, 7-5.
 
So far this season, OC sits at 12-26 this season with a 12-24 conference standing. This season, Oklahoma Christian sports a .271 batting average, scoring 212 runs with 314 hits. Defensively, OC have a 7.49 ERA, striking out 217 batters, allowing 313 runs, with an opposing batting average of .323.
 
Blake Empkey has been the hottest bat this season for Oklahoma Christian, holding a .336 batting average and a team high 24 RBIs. Marcus Johnson is a dual threat for the Eagles, leading the team in hits (46), doubles (12), and stolen bases (14). Preston King has also been a key hitter for the Eagles, sitting in third for at bats (111) with 28 hits this campaign.
 
Naut Kragt has been a constant for the Eagles on the hill, making eight starts this season with five complete games, a 4-4 record, and a 4.94 ERA. Kragt also leads the team with 47.1 innings pitched and 28 strikeouts. OC have had 11 different pitchers start a game this season, with Empkey making seven starts on the season. Chris Jones is second on the team for innings pitched with 10 appearances and five starts, holding a 8.49 ERA and a 1-3 record.

TUNE IN 

Each contest will be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network and are pay-per-view. Live stats will also be provided during the games.