May 22, 2012

Game Notes | WAC Tournament Bracket

MESA, Ariz. - Louisiana Tech (24-26, 7-11 WAC) travels to Mesa, Ariz. for the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament and will be the No. 6 seed after finishing 7-11 in conference action. The Bulldogs will face No. 3 Nevada on Wednesday, May 23 at 9 p.m. CT in the first round.

The Bulldogs lost two one-run games to the Wolf Pack as Nevada (31-23, 11-7 WAC) swept the regular season series in Reno on April 13-15.

LA Tech is 4-12 all-time in WAC Tournament play and is coming off its best outing at the tournament last season. The 2011 Bulldogs won more games and went further in the WAC Tournament than any other team in school history.

Jeb Stefan (2-7) takes the hill for the Bulldogs looking for his third win of the season. The redshirt junior leads the WAC in strikeouts

The Bulldogs defeated Fresno State, 5-2, in their final regular season game as redshirt freshman Jacob Derouen, CollegeSportsMadness.com WAC Player of the Week, hit a two-out, three-run double in the first inning and the bullpen pitched 7.0 shutout innings to lead Tech to its first road conference win of the season.

All of Louisiana Tech's games in the WAC Tournament can be heard live on ESPN 97.7 or via LA Tech All-Access. The voice of the Bulldogs, Dave Nitz, will provide play-by-play analysis during all of the games.

Fans can follow the games live via Game Tracker and follow @LATechKQueliz and @LATechBSB for in-game updates.

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.

ON DECK

Should Louisiana Tech defeat the Wolf Pack, the Bulldogs will face New Mexico State on Thursday at 9 p.m. CT. With a loss, the Bulldogs face the loser of the Fresno State/Hawai'i game at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday.

• Louisiana Tech has 33 home runs through 50 games this season, one year after totaling 28 home runs in 63 games.
• Alex Williams and sophomore shortstop Ryan Gebhardt have started all 50 games for the Bulldogs while Gebhardt has played every inning of every game.
• Williams is riding a 14 game hit streak and a 20 game on-base streak while third baseman Taylor Terrasas is riding an 11 game on-base streak.
• Williams has started 117 consecutive games dating back to last season.
• Williams has played in 216 career games, third most by any Tech player in history.
• Gebhardt is fourth in the WAC in hits with 67.
• Williams has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games and is riding an 11-game hit streak, the longest of any player in the WAC.
• Jeb Stefan has struck out a conference best 12 batters looking in conference action.
• Stefan and freshman right-hander Phil Maton have made the most starts in conference action (6).
• Jamie Gilley leads the WAC in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.07 and is ranked 10th in the nation in the category.
• Gilley leads the WAC in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.95 in conference play.
• Caleb Dudley and Gilley lead the WAC in appearances with 12 apiece in conference play while Dudley leads the WAC in games finished with 10.
• Tech is 20-3 when leading after seven innings.

SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK

Nevada (31-23, 11-7 WAC) will counter with Braden Shipley (8-4) in game one of the WAC Tournament.

Shipley defeated the Bulldogs, 3-2, in game one at Reno on April 13 as Justin Gordey drove in two runners on a single in the ninth inning. Shipley holds opponents to a .219 batting average through 89.1 innings. The sophomore right-hander has struck out 79 and holds a 2.12 ERA, best among starters in the Western Athletic Conference.

Offensively, Brooks Klein and Kewby Miller pace the Wolf Pack with a .333 batting average apiece. Klein leads the club with eight home runs, 42 RBI and 64 hits.