Troy Takes Sun Belt Streak to Little Rock

TROY, Alabama – Winners of four straight Sun Belt Conference series, Troy travels to Little Rock this weekend for a three-game series at Gary Hogan Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Troy (21-20, 9-9 Sun Belt) has battled back to .500 in the league and within a game of first place in the East Division after opening conference play with five straight losses. The Trojans' four straight series wins mark a first since the 2015 season, and two wins in the Natural State this weekend would mark five straight Sun Belt series victories for the first time since Troy's Sun Belt championship team in 2013.

Sophomore left fielder Rigsby Mosley carries a 32-game on-base streak into the weekend while junior right fielder Dalton Sinquefield is swinging the hottest bat in league play with a .471 Sun Belt batting average with multiple hits in 13-of-18 games.

Around the diamond, senior first baseman Sadler Goodwin is batting .405 over the past 11 games while senior catcher Chase Smartt has posted a .368 batting average with a .579 slugging percentage over the same period.

Troy head coach Mark Smartt seems to have settled on a weekend rotation with a trio of right handers in Cory Gill (5-1, 3.68), Levi Thomas (4-2, 5.33) and Goodwin (3-5, 5.84) getting the call once again.

Gill struck out 11 batters in just 5.2 innings against App State last weekend and has a 3.27 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 30.1 innings as a starter. Thomas bounced back from a tough three-start stretch by holding App State to just two runs on four hits over eight innings, while Goodwin will be making his second Sun Belt start of the year after three quality relief appearances against Alabama, Texas State and Georgia State – all individual victories – where he posted a 2.94 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work.

SCOUTING THE LITTLE ROCK TROJANS
Little Rock (19-21, 11-6) has fared well in Sun Belt Conference play sitting third in the West Division with the league's third-best overall record. However, the Trojans have struggled out of conference with an 8-15 mark in non-league games. Sophomore right-hander Hayden Arnold has turned into one of the top weekend arms in the league with a 4-0 record and 2.93 ERA over his 15 appearances and five starts; he will get the ball on Saturday. The Trojans slash .262/.375/.403 as a team with modest home run (37) and stolen base (36) totals. Where Little Rock struggles is fielding the baseball with a league-worst 67 errors and .957 fielding percentage.

BROADCAST INFO
Online: LRTrojans.com
Radio: WTBF 94.7 FM
            Online: TroyTrojans.com/Showcase
Live Stats: TroyStats.com

SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock (19-21, 11-6)
Overall Series: 21-17
            At Little Rock: 8-11
Streak: Little Rock W1
Last: March 16-18, 2018
            Little Rock won series, 2-1 (1-3, 2-0, 1-3)

PITCHING MATCHUPS (Troy vs. Little Rock)
Game One:
RHP Cory Gill (5-1, 3.68) vs. LHP Chandler Fidel (4-3, 3.82)

Game Two:
RHP Levi Thomas (4-2, 5.33) vs. RHP Hayden Arnold (4-0, 2.93)

Game Three:
RHP Sadler Goodwin (3-5, 5.84) vs. RHP Jose Torres (1-3, 5.55)

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Players Mentioned

Cory Gill

Sadler Goodwin

Rigsby Mosley

Dalton Sinquefield

Chase Smartt

Levi Thomas

Troy University Athletics