TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTEEN STATESMEN 2004 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS | 14-TIME GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS | 12 NCAA REGIONAL TITLES | 12 NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES APPEARANCES DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY 2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS INSIDE THE STATESMEN RANKINGS HOME PARK Overall | GSC 36-7 | 21-4 CBN / NCBWA 5 / 7 Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field (1,000) MEDIA COVERAGE Radio: WCLD 107.5 FM Current Streak: W7 NCAA South Region 3 L: 330 | LC 355 | C 400 | RC 355 | R 330 Matt Jones (PBP) | Cody Clark (PBP/Color) Last Five/Last 10: 5-0 / 9-1 vs. Ranked Opponents 11-2 HEAD COACH Mike Kinnison Statesmen Audio/Video: GoStatesmen.com H: 12-3 | A: 22-4 | N: 2-0 Career: 933-295-2 (22nd season) Live Statistics: GoStatesmen.com Last Game: 4.24 W, 20-13 vs. OBU at DSU: 933-295-2 (22nd season) Date Opponent Time/Result AROUND THE HORN: RIVAL MC VISITS FERRISS FIELD FOR FINAL GSC BASEBALL SERIES 2/2 @ Lynn University L, 7-0 R First Pitch: No. 5/10 Delta State University (36-7, 21-4 GSC) hosts Mississippi College (30-12, 18-6 GSC) for a three-game Gulf South Confer- 2/3 @ Nova Southeastern ^ W, 21-10 ence series beginning with a doubleheader on Sat., at 2 p.m. and closing with a single game on Sun., at 2 p.m. at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. The 2/4 @ Palm Beach Atlantic W, 10-5 Statesmen have won 16 of their last 17 games and seven straight entering the weekend. 2/9 @ Ouachita Baptist W, 3-2 R Senior Day: Fifteen seniors and a graduating junior will play their final regular-season home game prior to Sunday’s tilt against the Choctaws. 2/10 vs. Nebraska-Kearney (Arkadelphia, Ark.) W, 10-4 (12) 2/17 Southern Indiana ^ W, 7-0 The 15 seniors are Emil Ellis (2B), Jason Popovich (CF), Jamell Newson (OF), Justin Nussbaum (SS), Nick Morgan (3B), Jonathan Lindsey 2/18 Quincy University ^ W, 6-5 (P), Brian Lane (DH/C), Peyton White (P), Tyler Milligan (P), Jason Lott (P), Tyler Brown (OF), Andy Borries (P), Clay Casey (RF), 2/18 Quincy University ^ W, 11-2 Zack Shannon (1B) and Seth Birdsong (P). Junior Juwan Burney will graduate and skip his final season to enter Naval Officer Training school. 2/20 Mississippi Valley State W, 10-5 Entering the series, this class has posted an 81-20 overall record and a 46-12 GSC record, winning two GSC regular-season, a GSC tournament and 2/24 @ Valdosta State * (9) W, 13-11 (11) an NCAA South Region championship during their time in the Delta. 2/24 @ Valdosta State * (7) W, 7-6 R The Road Runs Through Cleveland: The road to the 2018 GSC Baseball title will run through Cleveland, Miss., for the second straight year 2/25 @ Valdosta State * W, 10-5 following DSU’s three-game sweep of North Alabama last weekend that clinched the school’s 22nd regular season title. Montevallo (18-8), West 3/3 Auburn - Montgomery * (9) W, 16-6 (7) Florida (18-8), Mississippi College (17-8) and UNA (18-9) have all clinched a berth in the tournament. Lee (14-12). West Georgia (14-13), West 3/3 Auburn - Montgomery (7) W, 5-3 Alabama (12-14) and Alabama Huntsville (11-15) still have tournament berth aspirations. This weekend will determine the final tournament 3/4 Auburn - Montgomery * W, 10-4 field and seedings for the pool play tournament on May 5-7. The championship game of the GSC Baseball Tournament is set for Tues., at 6 p.m. 3/9 @ West Georgia * ^(9) W, 16-5 R Casey Earns GSC Honor: Clay Casey was named the GSC Player of the Week on Tues., April 24. Casey helped lead the Statesmen to a 5-0 3/9 @ West Georgia * ^ (7) W, 12-3 week, including a three-game sweep of No. 27 North Alabama and two wins over Arkansas Tech in the midweek. The senior went 14-for-20 3/10 @ West Georgia * ^ L, 10-9 with 10 runs scored, five home runs, 15 RBIs, four walks and one hit by a pitch. Casey slugged 1.450 and had a .760 on base percentage. The 3/13 Harding University W, 15-0 Melbourne, Fla., native hit .536 with a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored along with a 1.182 slugging percentage and a .667 on base 3/16 @ West Alabama * (9) Cancelled percentage in the UNA series. Casey went 4-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs in an 11-8 game three win against UNA. Casey had three-five 3/17 @ West Alabama * (7) W, 7-6 RBI games, including going 7-for-9 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in the two games against Arkansas Tech. 3/17 @ West Alabama * (RV) W, 4-1 R The Big Three: Opposing pitchers are treading lightly when it comes to facing Brian Lane, Zack Shannon and Clay Casey in the 3/20 @ Arkansas-Monticello ^ L, 17-9 Statesmen lineup The Big Three have combined for a .378 batting average (189-of-500) with 36 doubles, three triples, 49 home runs, 188 RBIs 3/21 @ Mississippi Valley St. L, 6-5 (10) and 163 runs scored while slugging .756 with a .470 on base percentage through 43 games. The trio has also combined for 378 total bases and 88 3/24 Shorter (GA) University * (9) W, 10-3 extra base hits while walking 60 times, being plunked 39 times and striking out once in every 8.06 at bats. 3/24 Shorter (GA) University * (7) L, 9-2 R Birdman Approaching Wins List: Senior righty Seth Birdsong is 8-0 this season and has 18 career wins entering the MC series. The 3/25 Shorter (GA) University * L, 3-0 3/27 @ Southern Arkansas ^ W, 26-4 Brownsville, Tenn., native is two wins from tying Josh Melton (1995-96) for 10th on the school’s career wins list. Birdsong has started 12 games 3/30 Christian Brothers * (9) W, 6-4 with 63 strikeouts against 27 walks while yielding 44 runs, 35 earned, on 75 hits in 64 innings pitched this season. 3/30 Christian Brothers * (7) W, 4-0 R Records Watch: Zack Shannon’s two home runs in the UNA series moved him ahead of Dee Haynes (1999) for first on the DSU’s single-season 3/31 Christian Brothers * W, 12-2 (8) home runs list. Shannon’s 46 career home runs are second all-time behind Haynes (1998-2000) 62 career bombs. Shannon’s 80 RBIs are tied for 4/3 Arkansas-Monticello ^ W, 19-9 (7) fifth in a single-season with Jud Thigpen (2004) and Andy Dillard (2002) while his 168 career RBIs are eighth in school history. Shannon’s 170 4/7 @ Union (TN) University * (9) W, 12-6 total bases are ranked fourth on the single-season total bases list. Clay Casey’s 15 long balls are in an eight-way tie for eighth on the single-sea- 4/8 @ Union (TN) University * (9) W, 4-2 (10) son home runs list while his 29 career bombs stand alone in sixth. Casey needs four home runs to move up to a tie for fifth with Barry Lyons 4/8 @ Union (TN) University * (7) W, 13-3 (1979-82). Shannon is also showing up in some GSC single-season and career categories. He ranks eighth in total bases (170) in a single season, 4/10 @ Harding University W, 8-3 second in single-season slugging percentage (1.037), second in single-season home runs (27), and fifth in career home runs (46). Shannon needs 4/14 Lee (TN) University * (9) Cancelled nine more RBIs to move onto the GSC’s single-season RBIs list for the second straight year. 4/15 Lee (TN) University * (7) L, 13-10 (10) 4/15 Lee (TN) University * W, 10-5 R THIS WEEK IN STATESMEN BASEBALL 4/17 @ Arkansas Tech W, 25-16 OUACHITA BAPTIST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 4/18 @ Arkansas Tech W, 13-6 OVERALL GAC OVERALL GSC 4/20 @ North Alabama * W, 5-3 13-34 | 8-21 28-13 | 17-8 4/21 @ North Alabama * (9) W, 5-2 4/22 @ North Alabama * (7) W, 11-8 INSIDE THE TIGERS INSIDE THE CHOCTAWS 4/24 Ouachita Baptist W, 20-13 H: 10-14 | A: 3-19 | N: 0-1 H: 22-4 | A: 8-8 | N: 0-0 4/28 Mississippi College * (9) 2 p.m. Last Five/Last 10: 3-2 \ 3-7 Last Five/Last 10: 2-3 / 6-4 4/28 Mississippi College * (7) 6 p.m. Last Game: 4.24.18 | L, 20-13 @ Delta State Last Game: 4.24.18 | L, 5-2 @ So. Ark. 4/29 Mississippi College * 2 p.m. Current Streak: L2 Current Streak: L2 5/5-8 GSC Tournament (Cleveland, Miss.) TBA RANKINGS RANKINGS 5/17-20 NCAA South Region (Campus Sites) TBA CBN/NCBWA -- / -- CBN/NCBWA -- / -- NCAA South Region -- NCAA South Region -- 5/26-6/2 NCAA Division II CWS (Cary, N.C.) TBA HEAD COACH Kyle Hope HEAD COACH Jeremy Haworth Career Record: 45-102 (3rd season) Career Record: 167-166-1 (7th season) Record at OBU: 45-102 (3rd season) Record at MC: 65-71 (3rd season) SERIES SNAPSHOT SERIES SNAPSHOT DSU leads 51-17 Delta State leads 119-41-2 | Kinnison 6-3 Last Meeting: 4.24.18 • DSU W, 20-13 H: 64-17 • A: 54-24 • N: 1-0 Cleveland, Miss. Last Meeting: 4.29.17 • DSU W, 4-2 | Clinton, Miss.