Opening Weekend For Red Raider Baseball

Game Time...The Northwestern College baseball team will make its season debut with a four-game series against Central Baptist (Ark.). The teams will play doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday on a neutral field in Chickasha, Okla. Game one on Friday begins at 1pm, followed by a 5pm start at the Chickasha High School field. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11am.

All-Time...This weekend's games will be the first played between the two teams.

About Central Baptist...The Mustangs are off to a unbeaten, 7-0 start to the 2020 season, including a pair of wins (5-4; 16-11) against Southwestern Christian (Okla.), a team earning votes in the NAIA preseason poll. 

Head Coach Dr. Aaron Brister is in his seventh season as the head of the CBU baseball program and has guided the Mustangs to five, 30+ win seasons. Brister returns three everyday starters and one starting pitcher from a team that finished fifth in the American Midwest Conference (17-13) and 27-27 overall. 

By the Numbers (2020 stats)

Batting Average: .364 

Runs / Hits per Game: 10 / 11.3

Home Runs: 10

Stolen Bases: 14/17

Runs / Hits Given Up per Game: 4.7 / 6.7

Opponents Batting Ave: .241

Team ERA: 4.06

Strikeouts / Walks: 55 / 28

Individual Leaders (2020 stats)

Jared Jones - .522 BA, 6 runs, 2 HR

Griffith Olinde - .481 BA, 9 runs, 5 HR, 16 RBI; AMC Player of the Week

Will Hodges - .458 BA, 6 runs, 12 RBIs; AMC Player of the Week

             1-0, 1.50 ERA 12 IP, 15 K's

Jay French (All-Conf) - .286 BA, 5/5 SB

Garon Johnson - 1-0, 2.70 ERA  10 IP, 14 K's

Northwestern Notes...Picked third in the GPAC preseason poll, the Red Raiders are making their 2020 season debut this weekend. Brian Wede begins his 14th season as the head of the program and returns four everyday starters and all five starting pitchers from a 2019 team that finished sixth in the GPAC with a 15-13 record, 23-25 overall. Wede's tenure has been the most successful in the 50+-year history of the program, leading Red Raider teams to 369 wins, best in program history. He has a 57% winning percentage, 59% in the GPAC. 

By The Numbers (2019 Season)

Batting Average: .304 

Runs / Hits per Game: 6.4 / 9.3

Home Runs: 35

Stolen Bases: 43/54

Runs / Hits Given Up per Game: 6.2 / 9.1

Opponents Batting Ave: .299

Team ERA: 6.17

Strikeouts / Walks: 221 / 211

Individual Leaders (2019 stats)

Sutton Derrr (All-Conf) - .443 BA, 21 runs, 16 RBIs

Drew Schutt (All-Conf) - .353 BA, 32 runs, 14 2B, 10 HR, 42 RBIs

Josh Fakkema - .274 BA, 19 runs, 2 HR, 24 RBIs

Brady Roberts (All-Conf) - 6-3, 3.66 ERA, 71.1 IP, 39 K's

Evan Olesen - 2-3, 5.51 ERA

Alec Rickabaugh - 5-4, 5.76 ERA