Ave Maria, Fla. – This weekend the Ave Maria University baseball team will take the field for the final time in the 2015 season as they host St. Thomas University in a three game, Sun Conference series. The series will begin Friday afternoon at Bowie's Ballpark at 4 p.m. and will continue Saturday as the Gyrenes honor their graduating seniors with an 11:30 a.m. ceremony before first pitch. AMU will be sending off ten graduating seniors, all who have made a positive impact on the baseball program and the Ave Maria community.
The GyrenesAve Maria enters the weekend with a 19-27 overall record and a 6-14 mark in The Sun Conference. Each game with a Sun Conference opponent holds increasing importance for the blue and green, as they fight for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. Currently, the Gyrenes sit in eighth in the standings and look to gain ground on Webber International and Thomas University this weekend.
Last weekend the Gyrenes were able to snap a six game losing skid with a Sunday afternoon victory over Thomas University. This week held a busy schedule with two midweek games against conference foes #3 Northwood and Florida Memorial University. After going 1-1 during the week AMU will be trying to find their stride again during what will be an exciting final weekend of baseball at Bowie's Ballpark.
Scouting St. ThomasThe St. Thomas Bobcats come into this weekend 32-12 overall record and a 14-7 Sun Conference record, putting them in third in the standings. St. Thomas has put together an impressive season thus far and are currently ranked 23
rd in the NAIA national poll.
St. Thomas has sustained a powerful offense this season and boasts a team batting average of .347. Michael Centeno and Jerry Downs have packed a punch at the plate, tying for the team lead with six home runs apiece. Eric Santamaria has also lead the way for the Bobcats with a .419 batting average which is good for best in the conference.
Marcos Barrios and Alejandro Kan are the Bobcats leaders on the mound with five wins each so far this year.
Follow The Action: First pitch of the three game set is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. The series will continue on Saturday with a Senior Day ceremony at 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by first pitch of a double header for the final day of Gyrene baseball at Ave Maria in 2015. Weather could play a factor in the weekend schedule so please check avemriagyrenes.com for any news and updates. You can also follow all the action live at avemriagyrenes.com
By Sean Buchanan|
sean.buchanan@avemria.com
