THE AGENDA
After having their season opener delayed by a week due to rain, the OUAZ baseball team will take the field for the first time in 2019 this weekend with a three-game series against in-state for Benedictine Mesa. The teams will play at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday before a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
 
All three games will be played in Surprise Stadium. Admission is free to all OUAZ home baseball games this season. Entry to the stadium will be through the north gate located down the right field line.
 
OUAZ will broadcast all three games live on the NAIA Network and through the OUAZ Game Central portal. The NAIA Network is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices by searching NAIA. Live stats will also be available during each game. Links for all live coverage is available at OUAZSpirit.com/live.
 
ABOUT THE SPIRIT
OUAZ begins the second season in program history with 25 players returning that played on the inaugural squad that finished 24-24 and made a trip to the NCCAA World Series. That includes five regular starts in the lineup and every guy that threw a pitch for the Spirit last season.
 
Last season saw the Spirit get off to a slow start as they were 3-11 through 14 games before winning 21 of the next 31 to earn that trip to the NCCAA world Series. They finished the year 10-6 at home after winning seven of their first nine home games.
 
The 2018 team batted .302 with a .385 on-base percentage and .401 slugging percentage. They finished the season with 91 doubles, 17 home runs, and 268 runs batted in. The group of returners accounted for 66.0 percent of the teams hits, 51.6 percent of those doubles and 58.2 percent of the RBI. The 2019 squad also totaled 70.5 percent of the team's 105 stolen bases and scored 66.6 percent of the total runs.
 
On the hill, OUAZ finished 2018 with a 5.44 earned run average and an opponent batting average of .288. The staff threw 406.2 innings and allowed 454 hits with 189 walks and 370 strikeouts. Spirit opponents hit 83 doubles and 28 home runs while OUAZ finished with two complete games and 12 saves.
 
Defensively, OUAZ posted a .968 fielding percentage with 55 errors last season. The team turned 38 double plays and threw out 35.4 percent of would-be base stealers.
 
AT THE PLATE
Adrian Salazar led the Spirit in hitting last season with his .348 batting average. He tallied 14 doubles and one home run while driving on 26 runs. Salazar led the club with 21 multi-hit games, including 17 2-hit games and the program's only 5-hit game. He posted a 10-game hitting streak from February 20 through March 13 in which he hit .477.
 
Jared Crockett was second on the team with his .333 batting average. He scored 23 runs while posting 24 RBI in 38 games played. Crockett had 16 multi-hit games and another six games with multiple RBI. He added three double, two triples, and 13 stolen bases.
 
Chandler Reynard started all 48 games a year ago and hit .319. He hit leadoff in 40 of those starts and posted a .410 on-base percentage and he led the team with 23 stolen bases and 36 runs scored. Reynard had 18 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games.
 
Esteban Martinez finished the season hitting .273 in 42 games played and 41 starts. He totaled seven doubles and a home run with 20 runs batted in. Martinez led the club with 33 walks and a .423 on-base percentage and he had 11 multi-hit games.
 
ON THE MOUND
Miguel Cirino led all qualified starters with his 3.83 ERA last season. He went 1-3 with 51.2 innings pitched and a .205 opponent batting average. Cirino allowed 38 hits with 58 strikeouts in 13 appearances and 11 starts.
 
Hayden Durkiewicz appeared in 15 games with 10 starts and finished 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA. In 57 innings of work, he allowed 66 hits and 32 runs (28 earned) with 19 walks and 29 strikeouts. Durkiewicz held the opposition to a .297 batting average.
 
Cole Anderson led the Spirit with 12 starts and finished 7-4 with a 5.66 ERA. Anderson threw 68.1 innings and surrendered 98 hits and 49 runs (43 earned). He recorded 50 strikeouts against 19 walks with a .343 opposing batting average.
 
Travis Hawkins tied for the team lead with 18 appearances (three starts) and he finished 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA. In 45 innings pitched, Hawkins allowed 57 hits with 40 strikeouts and 12 walks.
 
ABOUT BENEDICTINE MESA
Benedictine Mesa has started the 2019 season at 5-1 and they enter this week after taking three of four from the College of Idaho at home last week. The Redhawks are hitting .316 with a .481 slugging percentage. Their pitching staff has a 3.24 ERA and holds opponents to a .258 batting average. Travis Hunt has a pair of home runs to lead the club while Kelby Richardson and Shawn Barrowdale have 10 hits apiece. Ivan Torres has gone 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts.
 
BenU Mesa won four of the five meetings last season with the teams splitting two games in Surprise.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Spirit will play a two-game non-conference series against Arizona Christian next week. Game one is on February 13 at 6 p.m. with game two on February 15 at 6 p.m. Both games will be played on the Royals side of the Surprise Stadium practice fields with the specific field to be announced next week.