Tough road awaits
The Trojans will not have time to ease into the 2019 season.
In the season’s first week, UALR will host Creighton — which was picked to finish in second in the Big East Conference in a preseason poll — and then travel to Oklahoma State, which UALR Coach Chris Curry considers a “breakout team built for a deep postseason run,” for a twogame series Feb. 19-20.
UALR also will travel to Ole Miss (March 5), Mississippi State (March 19), Oral Roberts (March 26) and Arkansas (April 2).
“I think it’s going to be a fun season, a challenging season,” UALR Coach Chris Curry said. “Our schedule is going to be very tough — five Power 5s and I think nine regional teams on it.
“It’s got potential to be a schedule that if we play well can be rewarding or if we don’t play well it can be pretty tough.”
Curry, however, said he is comforted by the schedule’s toughness because of his deep and experienced roster.
The Trojans will return six starting position players and will be fronted by a starting rotation with the durability and talent to keep his bullpen fresh.
Junior left-hander Chandler Fidel will anchor UALR’s rotation. Fidel, who led UALR with 961/3 innings with a 4.02 ERA in 15 starts (6-4), will open the season against Creighton.
Redshirt junior Jose Torres — a right-handed transfer from Trinidad (Colo.) State Junior College — will start at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Senior righty Pablo Ortiz will round out the rotation as the club’s Sunday (1 p.m.) starter. Ortiz made nine appearances in 2018 and permitted an opposing batting average of .176.
Fidel and Ortiz have been relied on previously as Sun Belt starters and Torres has impressed since transferring into town before this season, Curry said.
Curry is comfortable with this staff.
“Very,” Curry said. “Number one, they’re strike throwers. … They feature three or four pitches for a strike, so we’re able to mix and match depending on who we’re facing. They hold the running game pretty well. They’re able to provide some depth in the innings and not burn through a bullpen.”