NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers will open conference play this weekend when they host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Maestri Field. First pitch for Friday is at 6:30 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday games will be at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
ROTATION:
FRIDAY: UNO-RHP
William Andrade vs. SFA-LHP Cody Templeton
SATURDAY: UNO-RHP
Reid Leonard vs. SFA-RHP Gabe LeBlanc
SUNDAY: UNO-TBD vs. SFA-RHP Nate Vidlak
The Privateers went 2-0 in the midweek with wins over Tulane and Southern. On Tuesday, New Orleans defeated the Green Wave 11-3. They followed that up with a shutout victory against Southern, their first shutout since 2023.
Eli Tidwell and
Owen Smith have been inserted into the top two spots in the batting order and have yielded great results so far. Tidwell is 13-for-27 and leads the team in runs scored with nine. Smith has homered in back-to-back games and is tied for the team lead in that category with three.
Karson Evans is on both ends of the battery this season. On top of his catching duties, Evans is being used this season as a pitcher this year. He started behind the plate and finished on the mound in the Privateers' win against Tulane. Evans has two appearances on the mound thus far.
Andrade, who got his first weekend start in his second collegiate appearance, has allowed just two hits in his first 7.2 innings of the season. He has 10 strikeouts and last week, limited Alabama A&M to one hit.
The Privateers are 10-8 all-time against the Lumberjacks. This will be the first home meeting against Stephen F. Austin since 2015. New Orleans went 2-1 in Nacogdoches last season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Stephen F. Austin (7-3) won their first five games of the season which included an opening weekend sweep of Mississippi Valley State. The Lumberjacks lead the Southland in batting average at .323. They also head up the conference in runs scored (88) and are second in walks drawn (65).
BLUES ON TUES. NEWSLETTER
To keep up with all athletics news at the University of New Orleans, subscribe
here for our weekly newsletter.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow
@PrivateersBSB on X,
@PrivateersBSB on Instagram, like
Privateers Baseball on Facebook and subscribe to the
UNOPrivateers YouTube
