Millington, TN – The Indian Hills Baseball team returns to action this weekend with a four-game series at the Babe Howard JUCO Classic at the USA Baseball Complex in Millington, TN.

DETAILS: 2023 Babe Howard JUCO Classic

Friday, February 24 – Saturday, February 25

Millington, TN  |  USA Baseball Complex

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DIAMOND NOTES

The Warriors will be making their second trek of the year to the USA Baseball Complex after posting a 2-2 last weekend at the Flag City Classic.

• The Warriors dropped the bookend games to split the four-game weekend classic. Indian Hills fell to Southwest Tennessee 4-1 before winning two on Saturday – a 15-4 decision over Lake Michigan and a 5-3 win over Jefferson. The Warriors fell in the finale 11-4 to Lincoln Land.
• Sophomore standout Daniel Figueroa posted a team-high .438 batting average, going 7-16 at the plate with four runs and three RBI over the opening weekend.
• Sophomore Merrick Mathews posted a strong effort, going 6-14 (.429) at the plate with a double and a home run.
• Sophomore Sergio Chavez knocked in five runs on the weekend with three doubles while freshman Raul Torres added four knocks and four runs scored.
• On the mound, freshman Andrei Gordeev tossed four scoreless innings while Sam Hart struck out seven batters in 2.2 scoreless frames and earned a save on Saturday.
• Nathan Smithburg and Greg Campos each earned a win in the opening weekend series.
• All four games this weekend will be seven-inning contests.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

Indian Hills and Dyersburg State will be squaring off for the first time in the history of Indian Hills Baseball as the two sides open up at 12:00 PM Friday.

• A perennial national power, the Eagles are ranked No. 16 in the preseason NJCAA DI Baseball Poll.
• The Eagles are just 8-6 on the year, but are 8-3 in their last 11 contests. Dyersburg State split with Jefferson on February 12, a team the Warriors beat 5-3 earlier this year.
• The Eagles have won at least 36 games in a season in each of the last six full seasons, including three years with at least 40 wins.
• Andy Martin is batting .318 on the year with a team-high three home runs and 14 RBI.
• Anthony Pirofalo-Nelson leads the Eagles with a 3-0 record with all three wins out of the bullpen in 10 innings of work.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

An NJCAA Midwest District foe, Wabash Valley has been ranked as one of the top teams in the nation in recent years.

• Friday's meeting with Wabash Valley will be the first since Indian Hills took two out of three games in the 2021 NJCAA Midwest District Tournament to advance to the JUCO World Series.
• The two teams have met six times dating back to the 2000 season with the two sides splitting the series. All six games have come at the district tournament, with three in 2021 and three in 2016.
• Ranked No. 8 in the preseason national poll, Wabash Valley is 7-5 on the year, but have won four in a row heading into Friday.
• Richard Bonomolo Jr. is hitting a team-high .477 (21-44) with 12 RBI and six extra base hits.
• The Warrior bullpen currently sports a 4.37 earned run average on the year.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

Indian Hills will take on Kaskaskia, also a member of the NJCAA Midwest District, for the first time since the 2021 season on Saturday.

• The Warriors previously defeated Kaskaskia twice during the 2021 NJCAA Midwest District Tournament as the team advanced to the JUCO World Series. The two squads have not met prior to the 2021 season, dating back through 2000.
• The Blue Devils opened up the season in Mississippi and posted a 5-3 record through the team's first eight games.
• Kaskaskia is coming off a 23-22 record, the team's third consecutive winning season.
• Kenneth Sugi leads the Blue Devils with a .444 (8-18) batting average while freshman Clayton Taylor has gone 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings.

SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS

Indian Hills will wrap up its southern trip against Lewis & Clark on the final day of the Babe Howard Classic Saturday.

• Saturday's contest will be the first such meeting between Indian Hills and Lewis & Clark dating back through the 2000 season.
• The Trailblazers have competed in just two games this year, a doubleheader split with Shawnee on February 21. Lewis & Clark dropped the opener 5-0 before taking the nightcap 9-2.
• Lewis & Clark is coming off a 13-31-1 season and have not had a winning campaign since 2019.

WHAT'S NEXT

After back-to-back trips to Tennessee, the Warriors will welcome a five-day break before heading to Arkansas City, KS to take on Cowley College (KS) for a three-day, four-game series, set to open up March 3. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 7 in the preseason NJCAA DI Baseball poll.