HARROGATE, Tenn. – Riding a season-long, eight-game winning streak, the Lincoln Memorial baseball team returns to Lamar Hennon Field this week to begin a five-game home stand with nonconference matchups against Shorter on Tuesday and Kentucky State on Wednesday. First pitch in those single games is set for 3 p.m.

The Railsplitters (19-8) swept their second straight South Atlantic Conference series this past weekend, pulling out 13-4, 9-8 and 10-1 wins at Lenoir-Rhyne to improve to 10-2 in conference play. Those three victories extended Lincoln Memorial’s winning streak that began on March 5 to eight games.

Both Shorter and Kentucky State are off to solid starts to the 2019 season. The Hawks (14-10) took two of three from West Alabama this past weekend in Livingston, Ala., to move to 6-7 in Gulf South Conference play. The Thorobreds (13-5-1) won three of four games at Morehouse College last weekend, highlighted by 16-2 and 15-3 beatdowns.

Notes on Shorter

– Michael Avendano and Bailey Gerstner have carried the Shorter offensive attack with .468 and .416 batting averages, respectively. Avendano has racked up a team-leading 36 hits with three homers and 20 RBI while drawing 16 walks compared to only 10 strikeouts. Gerstner has 32 hits with six doubles, 15 RBI and 14 walks with a mere six strikeouts. That duo also has two stolen bases apiece.

– Victor Perez is the only other everyday player hitting above .300 for the Hawks. The senior out of Puerto Rico has a .315 average with 29 hits, seven doubles and 18 RBI. Samyr Santos is hitting only .273, but has done a load of damage with a team-leading 10 doubles and five home runs. Samur also ranks second on the team with 19 RBI.

– Nathaniel Butterworth has also been potent in the middle of the Shorter order with eight doubles, two dingers and 13 RBI. However, he is among the team leaders with 21 strikeouts.

– The Shorter pitching staff has posted a 4.16 team ERA with 180 strikeouts over 197 innings of work. Opposing offenses are batting .236 against the Hawks.

– Freshman Jaydon Berry started the most recent midweek game for Shorter in a 7-6 loss to Emmanuel last Tuesday. Berry went eight innings in that contest, allowing 12 hits and five earned runs while striking out five and walking four.

Notes on Kentucky State

– The Thorobred offense has been outstanding so far this season with a .324 team batting average and a .452 on-base percentage. On top of that, Kentucky State has limited its opposition to a .216 batting average and .356 on-base percentage.

– The quartet of Russell Sims, Jay Poullard, Cameron Starks and Jordan Ransom are leading the way for Kentucky State offensively. Sims is batting .410 with 25 hits, three doubles, 22 RBI and a .538 on-base percentage, while Poullard has accounted for a .400 average with just three strikeouts in 45 at-bats. Starks leads the team with 27 hits, including three triples, while Ransom has produced a team-high four home runs with a .385 average.

– Dom Lawsom has also been productive with a .339 average, six doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI. He is one of six everyday players for Kentucky State with an on-base percentage of .420 or better with a .452 clip.

– Kentucky State’s pitching staff boasts a 4.82 ERA and .226 batting average against. De’Nayus Johnson made the most recent midweek start for the Thorobreds, tossing 3.0 innings of three-hit, three-run ball against Eastern Kentucky. Jacob Kelly started the game before that, going three innings with two hits and five walks allowed in a loss to Murray State.

– The Thorobreds visit Kentucky Christian University on Tuesday before heading to Harrogate for Wednesday’s matchup against the Railsplitters. Kentucky State has already played 15 of its 19 games on the road this season, compiling a 10-4-1 road record.

Series History

– The Railsplitters are 5-0 all-time against Shorter. The closest margin of victory for the Railsplitters was three runs in a 7-4 win in 2013. Since then, Lincoln Memorial has rattled off 13-8, 27-8 and 14-3 victories.

– The Railsplitters are 24-1 all-time against Kentucky State with a run of five straight wins. The Thorobreds notched their only win in the series in 2015 in Frankfurt, Ky. Lincoln Memorial dominated a doubleheader against KSU last season, winning 10-1 and 11-1 in Harrogate.