Carrollton, GA – The University of West Georgia baseball team heads over to Cleveland, MS to take on the number one team in the nation, Delta State. There series kicks off with a double header this Saturday, April 20 with the first game beginning at 2:00PM and the second game to follow soon after.

DSU at a Glance
Delta State is ranked #1 in the nation by the NCAA poles, and they have a 32-5-1 record this year. Delta State is also on a five game winning streak sweeping both Union University and Ouachita Baptist University in the last five games. Last year DSU won the GSC tournament and almost won the college World Series. Head coach Mike Kinnison, in his seventieth season, is looking to get his team back to the World Series again this year.

UWG at a Glance
The University of West Georgia is playing excellent baseball as of late, winning three straight games. The first two games came against the #11 ranked Alabama-Huntsville team and the third win came this past Wednesday when the Wolves took down Georgia Southwestern State 8-7 at Cole Field. The Wolves currently sit at 23-18 on the year and are 11-8 in conference play. One of the biggest challenges the UWG team will face is playing on the road, as they are 5-12 this year away from Carrollton, GA.

DSU Batters to Watch
Delta State has a team batting average of .333 on the year, with have nine players batting over .300 who all have played in at least 24 games or more. Tyler Aldridge is leading the team with a .396 average and has played in every game for the team. He leads the team in hits with 59 and is second on the team in runs scored with 34. Delta is also a team that can hit for power with fifteen team home runs. One player who can hit for power on their team is Ben Kingsley. Kingsley leads the team with four home runs and also in RBIs with 44.

UWG Batters to Watch
The University of West Georgia is not a team to sleep on for opposing pitchers on the mound. #Blake McLemore# will be a key player for the Wolves as they need him to continue to stay hot and drive in runs for the team. McLemore has played in all 41 games this season and also leads the team with a .357 batting average. #TJ Eifert# is also another player who has come on as of late. In the Wolves last game, Eifert went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. He also has his average up above .300 and is tied with the most RBIs on the team with 27.

DSU Pitchers to Watch
Delta State batting is an all-around team with hardly any holes. The same could be said about their pitching. They have a team ERA of 2.89 and opposing teams are only hitting .229 against them. One starter the Wolves will see on the mound is Josh Branstetter. Branstetter has a 6-1 record with a 1.43 ERA this year. He has recorded fifty strikeouts to just ten walks, and opposing teams have had little success against them only hitting .182 against the starter. Delta also has another very successful six win starter in Michael Manley. Manley is 6-0 and has a 2.39 ERA. He is also another very dominant pitcher on the mound with 61 strikeouts to just nine walks. If one of Delta's starters gets into any trouble, they have a very reliable relief pitcher ready in the bullpen. Garrett Pickens has had two saves and has pitched in twelve appearances without giving up a run.

UWG Pitchers to Watch
Whenever head coach Skip Fite decides to throw #Jamie Sexton#, expect there to be a major pitcher's duel in the game. Sexton has pitched outstanding this year with an 8-2 record and the 17th-best ERA in the nation at 1.39. His eight victories put him in a tie for 11th in the nation in that category. He has also pitched six complete games, which is tied for seventh in the nation and has pitched 90 innings on the season.

In his last game, Sexton picked up his eighth win against top-15 team Alabama-Huntsville pitching eight innings and not allowing a single run top a top-10 hitting team in the nation. #Cody Skinner# has also pitched well as of late beating Alabama-Huntsville in his last start. Skinner has a 31-to-9 strikeout to walk ratio and has only allowed one home run. Like Delta, UWG also has a secret weapon out of the bullpen in #Max Aeschlimann#. Aeschilmann has been reliable this year with fourteen appearances, five saves and just a 0.84 ERA.

Previous Matchup
Last year UWG lost all three games to Delta State in Cleveland, MS. The Wolves were outscored 21-7 in the three game series and finished with a losing record after being swept.