SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist's second weekend of baseball competition comes at the Henderson State Invitational starting Feb. 10 against McKendree.
Over the course of the three-day invite, the Bison will also play Missouri Western State and Newman.
OBU is off to a 1-2 start after last week's UCO First Pitch Classic. The green and gold's win over those games came against Pittsburg State by a 21-4 tally. Leading the way after the first trio of games are a host of players.
Trey Furrey's .455 batting average is tops on the team while newcomer
Gabe Irwin is right behind him (.400). Nationally, and without surprise, senior first baseman
Dan Pruitt ranks among the top-20 in the country in two categories. He's tied for 19th in slugging (1.167) and is tied for third with three home runs. Pruitt also has a team-high seven RBI.
Rounding out OBU's top offensive producers are Furrey,
Kade Self and
Brandon Brewer who each have two doubles while Pruitt and
Jose Parga have each tallied five runs scored.
On the pitching front, the Bison got three more-than-solid outings last weekend.
Jake Hamilton went four innings against Emporia State and allowed two runs while fanning a staff-high eight batters. Starter
Brek Galbreath picked up the win against Pittsburg State with a five-inning performance that brought five strikeouts. Lastly,
Logan Kimbro made an appearance against Central Oklahoma and went five innings, didn't allow a walk and struck out five.
Here's a quick look at this week's opponents:
McKendree Bearcats
McKendree, members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, has its first game of the season on Feb. 10 against the Bison. Last season, the Bearcats posted a 20-27 record. They are under the direction of fourth-year coach Andrew Stepp who is 40-62 at McKendree. In the GLVC Preseason Poll, the Bearcats were picked to finish ninth.
Roster
Schedule
2022 Statistics
Missouri Western State Griffons
Like McKendree, Missouri Western State is playing its first games of 2023 this week in Arkadelphia. A season ago, the Griffons struggled, going 13-32 overall. That included a 9-24 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association mark. MWSU was also 0-5 against Great American Conference competition. In the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Griffons were picked to finish sixth. They are under the direction of Buzz Verduzco who is in his 23rd season. He's produced a 428-337 record while at MWSU.
Roster
Schedule
2022 Statistics
Newman Jets
Through four games this spring, Newman is 2-2. They played three games against Southern Nazarene and another against Northwestern Oklahoma State last weekend. In 2022, the Jets went 23-23 overall playing in the MIAA. Coming into this spring, Newman was picked to finish in tenth. Head coach Drew Maus is in his fourth year for Newman. He is 42-63 overall in his tenure.
Roster
Schedule
2023 Statistics
