BSB Series Preview: WBU vs William Woods (Feb. 24-25)

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (2/23/25) – The Williams Baptist University baseball team kicks off American Midwest Conference play on Monday, Feb. 24 when it plays host to William Woods for a four-game set.

SERIES INFORMATION

WILLIAMS BAPTIST EAGLES (7-1, 0-0 AMC) vs WILLIAM WOODS OWLS (6-4, 0-0 AMC)

GAME ONE - Monday, Feb. 24 - 11:30 a.m. CST - Shell Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250224_9mlf.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

GAME TWO - Monday, Feb. 24 - 1:30 p.m. CST - Shell Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250224_dypn.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

GAME THREE - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - 11:00 a.m. CST - Shell Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250225_6mj5.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

GAME FOUR - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - 1:00 p.m. CST - Shell Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250225_zdea.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

MATCHUP FACTS

Last Game: Apr. 30, 2024 (WBU  6-3) - American Midwest Conference Tournament (O'Fallon, Mo.)
Last Series: WWU took two of three in Walnut Ridge on April 19-20, 2024
Current Streak: WBU W2

WBU QUICK FACTS

2025 Record: 7-1 (0-0 AMC)
Current Streak: W1
2024 Record: 30-20 (9-12 AMC)
2023-24 Postseason: None
Head Coach: Stephen Abanathy (9th season)
HC Record: 162-219 (56-132 AMC)
Assistant Coach: Jared Dahl (4th season)

ABOUT WILLIAM WOODS

2024-25 Record: 6-4
Current Streak: L1
2023-24 Record: 24-24-1 (11-10 AMC)
2023-24 Postseason: None
Head Coach: Josh Cavness (4th season)
Assistant Coaches: Tyler Bracht, Isaiah Gibbs, Kamron Morriss, Ryan Camerer

WWU NOTABLES

• Woods is coming off a doubleheader split with Lyon on Feb. 14

• The Owls took game one 4-2 after a strong start from Peyton Clampitt

• Tied 2-2 in the eighth, WWU pushed across the go-ahead runs on two bases-loaded walks

• Carson Prescott shut down the Scots in the ninth for the win

• Lyon took game two 4-3

• Woods pushed three runs across in the bottom of the sixth after three doubles in the frame, but could not overcome Lyon's four-run advantage

• WWU has yet to play a home game this season, the Owls are 6-4 on the road

• Kaden Kinsler leads the Owls offense with a .394 AVG through the first 10 games

• Kinsler leads the AMC in RBI's at 17, with a high of 10 in a 22-8 win over Lincoln University

• The sophomore also leads the team in home runs with four (1st AMC)

• Jackson Kirn follows behind with two homers on the year (T-4th AMC)

• AJ Vasquez leads the Owls pitching staff with a 2.70 ERA through 10.0 innings

• Peyton Clampitt leads the team with 13 strikeouts through 7.1 innings (T-5th AMC)

• As a team, WWU sports a .300 AVG at the plate (5th AMC) and a 5.56 ERA on the mound (7th AMC)

• The Owls rank first in runs in the AMC with 65

• WWU also leads the conference in home runs (10), RBI's (57), extra base hits (26), and total bases (116)

• The Owls went 24-24-1 a season ago

• WBU took down the Owls in the first round of the AMC Tournament, and Columbia ended WWU's 2024 campaign on the loser's side of the bracket

• The Owls were picked to finish fourth in the AMC Preseason Coaches Poll

• Next, WWU will face Drury in a midweek doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 25 in Springfield, Mo.

LAST TIME OUT

• WBU split a doubleheader with Trinity Christian on Friday, Feb. 14 to move to 7-1 on the season

• The Eagles offense was shut out in game one, stranding nine runners on base to end the team's six-game win streak

• Nash Koczka threw six innings with no earned runs and 11 strikeouts

• Jacob Watkins and Connor Brinkley led the way at the plate in game one with two hits each

• WBU fought back to earn a series split after a walk-off 4-3 win in eight innings in game two

• Parker Jeffries went 6.0+ innings with two earned runs and 12 strikeouts

• The Eagles got on the board first with a run on a Gavin Mink single in the bottom of the second

• Nicholas Jones crushed his first home run of the year in the bottom of the third and added another RBI in the fourth to go up 3-0

• Trinity clawed back to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning

• With two outs, Jacob Watkins beat out the throw on a ground ball to second base for a walk-off infield hit

WBU NOTABLES

• Williams sports a team batting average of .288 (6th AMC) so far this season

• The WBU pitching staff currently holds a 4.28 ERA (4th AMC)

• Eagles pitchers hold a .219 BAA this season (2nd AMC)

• WBU returns seven AMC All-Conference players from 2024

• Jacob Watkins leads WBU with a .429 AVG through 28 at-bats (T-8th AMC)

• Lawson Aaron follows close behind at .400 through 30 at-bats (T-13th AMC)

• Aaron also leads the Eagles in RBI's with 14 (2nd AMC)

• Skylar Morrison follows closely behind with 10 RBI's (4th AMC)

• Aaron leads WBU in home runs with two (T-4th AMC)

• Tyrell Burnett and Gavin Mink lead the Eagles in stolen bases with three a piece (T-3rd AMC)

• Nash Koczka leads the Eagles with a 1.42 ERA through four appearances

• Parker Jeffries follows with a 2.70 ERA through four appearances

• Jeffries and Koczka lead the AMC in strikeouts, Jeffries with 30 and Koczka with 24

• The Eagles lead the AMC in batters hit by pitches at 20 plunkings this season

• WBU is 2-0 when trailing by 5+ in the seventh inning or later

• The Eagles have won in walk-off fashion three times through the first seven games

• Williams was picked to finish fifth in the AMC Preseason Coaches Poll

AMC PRESEASON POLL

1 Missouri Baptist - 90 (7)
2 Columbia - 82 (1)
3 Central Baptist - 74
4 William Woods - 62
5 Williams Baptist - 58
6 Mission - 52
7 Hannibal-LaGrange - 39
8 UHSP - 38
9 Crowley's Ridge - 24
10 Harris-Stowe - 21

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Up next, Williams will face Crowley's Ridge in its first full road series of the season, facing the Pioneers in a four-game set on Feb. 28-Mar. 1.  First pitch of game one in Paragould, Ark. is set for noon on Friday, Feb. 28.

• WBU's 2025 schedule features 27 home games at Shell Field.