State college baseball report

Trojans nearing No. 2 seed

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is on pace for its first baseball division title since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1992.

The program has never been higher than the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, and if the Trojans (26-20, 14-9) hold their standing in the West during the final six regular season conference games, they will automatically be given one of the tournament’s top two seeds.

The No. 1 seed is given to the team with the highest overall conference win percentage, which happens to be UALR’s opponent this weekend: No. 19 Coastal Carolina (32-16, 18-6).

“If you had told me at the beginning of the year that we get to go to Coastal Carolina with two weeks left and they’re in first and we’re in first, tied for second overall, I’d jump up and down and take it anytime,” UALR Coach Chris Curry said. “We love it. We embrace it. We’ve got no fear, nothing to lose.”

The Trojans went 4-2 in consecutive series victories over Appalachian State and South Alabama, when they averaged 9.2 runs per game — nearly doubling their season average (5.1 runs per game).

Junior center fielder Marcus Ragan continued his hitting streak, which now stands at 11 games, through those series, and junior third baseman Nick Perez slugged .480 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI.

Curry said that he was concerned that UALR would suffer a hangover and struggle in its nonconference game Tuesday against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which had beaten the Trojans 7-4 on April 24.

Instead, UALR scored six runs in the first inning and beat UAPB 12-6.

The Trojans pitching staff ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in team ERA (4.60) and right-handed senior reliever Justin Garcia (3-3, 3.24 ERA) leads the conference with 10 saves.

Curry said he hopes to get senior lefty Cole Townsend (3-1, 3.89) two more starts before the regular season ends.

Townsend has appeared in 8 games this season, and he offered promise with his victory over South Alabama on Sunday, when he pitched 52/3 innings with 2 hits, 2 earned runs, a walk and 5 strikeouts.