Liberty Squares Off with Richmond, Tuesday
4/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LIBERTY AT RICHMOND
April 10
Pitt Field
Richmond, Va.
Tuesday – 3 p.m.
COMPLETE BASEBALL NOTES
A-10 Network: Tuesday
LFSN Radio Coverage: 93.3FM ESPN Radio
Live Stats: Tuesday
Quick Hits
• Liberty and Richmond did not meet in 2017. The Spiders took the last meeting between the two teams, 10-9, on April 20, 2016 at Pitt Field.
• The Flames have won six of their last 10 road games to move to 6-8 on the road, this season.
• RHP Garret Price was named the Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week and RHP Jackson Bertsch was selected the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week for games played April 2-9.
• Liberty enters the week tied with Coastal Carolina for the national lead in base on balls with 202.
• The Flames are in their second season under Head Coach Scott Jackson. He has led Liberty to a 50-35 record during his two seasons.
Out on the Road
Six of Liberty's next nine contests will be played on the road. After a slow start away from Liberty Baseball Stadium, the Flames have won six of their last 10 road games to move to 6-8 on the road.
Nine of the Flames first 12 Big South Conference games have come on the road, this season.
Liberty will be finishing up a four-game road swing on Tuesday. The Flames are 2-1 on the trip, as Liberty won a three-game series at Campbell for the first time since the Camels rejoined the Big South in 2011.
The Flames have hit .256 as a team on the road this season. Second baseman Trey McDyre leads Liberty with a .327 road batting average, while D.J. Artis paces the Flames with a .465 on base percentage away from home.
Todd National Leader
Tre Todd starts the week as the national leader in bases on balls with 40. Todd drawn 1.33 base on balls per game. The Deptford, N.J. native also is 14th nationally with a .507 on base percentage.
The Big South leader in on base percentage, Todd entered the week among the Big South Conference leaders in slugging percentage (ninth), RBI (tied second), and home runs (sixth).
Meanwhile, teammate D.J. Artis, who led the nation in walks in 2017, is fourth in the nation with 33 bases on balls. The outfielder leads the Big South with 36 runs scored and is 18th nationally in the category.
Artis is also among the conference leaders in on base percentage (third), triples (second), stolen bases (second) and walks (second).
Price, Bertsch Garner Weekly Pitching Honors
Liberty pitchers Garret Price and Jackson Bertsch each collected Big South weekly honors, this afternoon. Price was selected the Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week, while Bertsch was named the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week. Both awards for games played April 2-6.
Making his first start of the year, Price carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, as the Liberty Flames topped the Campbell Camels, 9-1, Friday evening at Jim Perry Stadium. The right-hander held the Camels hitless through 6 1/3 innings and was perfect through the first five innings, facing the minimum of 15, before a Liberty fielding error broke up the run to open the bottom of the sixth.
Price ran his record to 4-2 on the season. The Evington, Va., native ended up allowing one run on two hits over 7 1/3 innings, before leaving with one out in the eighth. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two batters.
Meanwhile, Bertsch made his first 2018 appearances out of the Liberty bullpen, this past week. The right-hander allowed only an unearned run over 6 2/3 innings in three appearances. He struck out 12 batters and did not issue a base on balls. In addition, he allowed only one of five inherited runners to score and that came on a throwing error on a stolen base attempt.
After giving up an unearned run during one inning of relief against Wake Forest in Liberty's 8-4 win on Wednesday, the Pleasant Hills, Ore., native entered Friday's game at Campbell with the base loaded and one out in the eighth and struck the next two batters to hold Liberty's 9-1 advantage.
On Sunday, he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in game two of a doubleheader, striking out seven to record his first save of his career and help Liberty win their series with the Camels, 2-1.
Around the Diamond
- 1B Dylan Allen has reached base in each of the last 21 games. He is also second on the team with nine multiple hit games.
- 2B Trey McDyre has hit .386 over his last 15 games, raising his batting 153 points over the span to .281. Friday night at Campbell, he had three hits, scored twice and stole a career high three bases.
- SS Cam Locklear hit his third home run of the season in Liberty's win, Friday evening at Campbell. He has had at least one hit in 20 of his last 24 games. The sophomore has committed four errors in 29 games this season.
- CF D.J. Artis has reached base safely in every game this season. He also leads the Flames with 10 multi-hit games.
- DH Logan Mathieu has hit .375 over his last 10 games. He hit his third home run of the season in game one of a doubleheader at Campbell on Sunday.
