Louisiana Tech set to host UAB in Conference USA series
RUSTON, La. – No. 17 Louisiana Tech will play its first home Conference USA series at the new J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park starting today when the Bulldogs host the UAB Blazers. Thursday night's matchup will mark the start of Louisiana Tech's first home weekend series since the Bulldogs hosted No. 1 Arkansas.
The series will mark the second of eight fourgame conference series in 2021. All Conference USA series this season will consist of four games, one nine-inning game on Thursday, two seven-inning games on Friday and one final nine-inning game on Saturday.
Game times for the conference series at J.C. Love Field are 6 p.m. on Thursday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's first contest of the doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. with the second game being played afterward.
About No. 17 Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech's impressive 4-1 week vaulted the Bulldogs all the way up to No. 17 in D1Baseball's Top 25. In total, Louisiana Tech was ranked in five national polls – D1Baseball (17), Perfect Game (18), USA Today Coaches Poll (19), NCBWA (20) and Baseball America (23) – following its home midweek triumph over Louisiana-Monroe and series victory at Southern Miss to open Conference USA play. The red-hot Bulldogs have won nine of their past 10 games.
Cleanup batter Steele Netterville helped power the Bulldog offense throughout this past week, batting .368 with eight RBIs, two doubles, two home runs and five runs scored to earn C-USA Hitter of the Week honors. Six of Netterville's RBIs and both of his home runs came in Saturday's key doubleheader split in Hattiesburg. The Shreveport native leads the Bulldogs and ranks third in the C-USA with 28 RBIs.
Louisiana Tech's pitching staff also shined throughout the weekend, highlighted by left-hander Cade Gibson tossing the team's fourth complete-game shutout of 2021 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Gibson is now 2-0 as a starter this season and has allowed just one run over 17 1/3 innings pitched in a starter's role. The Bulldogs are tied for first in the nation with five shutouts in 2021.
Louisiana Tech holds a 16-13 record alltime against UAB. The Bulldogs have defeated the Blazers in eight of the previous 10 matchups, including five straight Louisiana Tech wins dating back to 2018. The Bulldogs swept UAB in Ruston in 2019. Scouting UAB
UAB enters this weekend's series with a 2-3 record in its past five games, splitting its C-USA opener with Middle
Tennessee in Birmingham.
Riley Davis, UAB's projected starting pitcher for Saturday, tossed a complete-game shutout against the Blue Raiders this past weekend to earn Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Davis became the first Blazer since 2018 to earn the accolade.
The Blazers have shown off their prowess for stealing bases so far in 2021, swiping 31 bags on 42 attempts this season.
Sophomore Jess Davis leads the Blazers with 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts, while freshman Chandler Simpson is a perfect 9-for-9 on steal attempts. Simpson and Davis also rank first and second on UAB's roster in batting average.
Senior catcher J Paul Fullerton was named to the 2021 C-USA Preseason Team.