SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (26-16) senior catcher
Alex Schroeder became the Great American Conference's career home-run leader during the Bison's 19-9 run-rule win over East Central on Tuesday at Bobby Cox Field.
Schroeder smacked a three-run bomb in the third, his 59th career blast, to pass Southern Arkansas' Brett McGee who attained 58. It should be noted that Schroeder accomplished the feat in 144 games while McGee played in 229 between 2019-2023.
Key Leaders
- Schroeder went 3-for-4 with said homer, a double and five RBI. He also drew two walks.
- Jayden Shafer posted two hits in four at-bats and scored three times and drove in three.
- Troy Shields had a very interesting night: he was hit-by-pitch twice and walked four times.
- Will Joseph also notched two hits and drove in a season-high five runs. He extended his hitting streak to 20 games too. Only one other Bison in the D2 era has reached a hit in at least 20 straight contests: Dan Pruitt. Last year, Pruitt closed the season on a 26-game hitting streak.
What Went Right
- From the second through the end of the game, the Bison scored multiple runs. That included five in the third and sixth frames as well as three in the seventh.
- Speaking of the third, that included Schroeder's three-run bomb to left and a two-run double by Jacob Campbell. Those knocks helped the Bison get in front, 5-2.
- Schroeder. He went first-pitch swinging on his GAC-record homer in the third before his seventh-inning, one-out double down the left-field line in the seventh.
- The Bison were aided by East Central in a big way. By the end of the game, Tiger pitchers had issued 20 walks, the most attained by an OBU squad in its D2 history.
- In the sixth, Joseph and Spencer Dickinson drew bases-loaded walks while Shafer had a two-run single to center. Plus, Gabe Irwin added a run-scoring hit.
- Logan Kimbro. After issuing two runs to ECU in the first, he settled down and held the visitors scoreless the next three. He ended up earning his fourth win of the season.
What Went Wrong
- The Tigers got three hits in the first including a two-run bomb by Nick Blankenship which gave ECU a 2-0 lead.
- Later, Christian Whitaker added a three-run homer in the sixth which brought the Tigers closer, 11-6.
On The Horizon
- On April 19-20, the Bison will head to Henderson State for a crucial, three-game conference series. First game comes on Friday at 6 p.m.
