Games #25 & #26
ART U Urban Knights (13-11) vs. Concordia Eagles (11-12)
Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 at 2 & 5:30 p.m.
Alameda, Calif. – College of Alameda
Live Stats and Video

Games #27 & #28 *SENIOR DAY*
ART U Urban Knights (13-11) vs. Concordia Eagles (11-12)
Friday, Apr. 30, 2021 at 2 & 5:30 p.m.
Alameda, Calif. – College of Alameda
Live Stats and Video

SENIOR CELEBRATION
After just having concluded Pacific West Conference Northern California pod play, Academy of Art baseball will host fellow PacWest member Concordia for a four-game non-conference set this Thursday and Friday. This will mark the first time this season that ART U plays outside the NorCal pod. Additionally, Friday will be Senior Day for ART U, as it will be the final home contests for Andrew Shebloski, Jacob Hord, Justin Summers, Jayson Summers, Fabian Barcena, Austin LaBarber, and Matthew Sanchez. 

FIRST PITCH
All four contests will be played at Pat Bail Field from the College of Alameda, with a pair of doubleheaders set for Thursday and Friday with first pitch times of 2 and 5:30 p.m. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

RACE FOR FIRST PLACE
Thanks to winning three of their last four games against Holy Names, there is a tie atop the PacWest NorCal pod standings between ART U and Fresno Pacific. With the Knights having finished conference play, they will be scoreboard watching for the results between the Sunbirds and the Hawks, who are set to battle each other this week for the final time. For the Knights to win the NorCal pod title outright, HNU must defeat FPU three out of four times. 

KNIGHT WATCH
ART U is currently second in team batting average in the PacWest at .315, and are averaging 6.79 runs per game in 2021. Their on-base percentage (.383) ranks fourth while their slugging percentage (.423) is third, while also posting the conference-lead in doubles (48) and triples (8). From the hill, the Knights have allowed the fourth-fewest runs (152) in the PacWest, while allowing the third-fewest hits (195) in the conference.

Three Urban Knights are currently batting above .350, led by redshirt junior shortstop Dominic Ruggiero at .367 while just behind him are sophomore outfielder Hayato Niki (.361) and junior outfielder Ty Conrad (.355). Much of the ART U damage comes from Ruggiero and Conrad at the top of the lineup, with Conrad leading the team in runs (26; sixth-most in the PacWest) and RBI (25; tied sixth-most in PacWest) while Ruggiero has the lead in doubles (9; tied for most in PacWest) and total bases (52; ninth-most in PacWest). A total of eight Knights are above the .300 mark, the most of any team in the PacWest NorCal pod. Holding the lead in multi-hit games is Ruggiero (13), while Niki is the owner of the longest-active hitting streak, currently sitting at seven games. After having recently recorded an RBI in six consecutive games, Conrad has notched eight multi-RBI games, including the only five-RBI game on the team this season. 

It is a tie for the team-lead in wins between three Urban Knights in graduate student righty Matthew Sanchez (3-2), junior right-hander Noah Daubin (3-2), and senior righty Jayson Summers (3-3). Summers currently claims the best ERA of the ART U pitching staff at 2.54 (third in PacWest), while junior right-hander Ryan Skillman is just behind him at 3.80 ERA as a crucial piece out of the bullpen. Logging the most innings thus far in the season is Summers with 39.0 (tied second-most in PacWest), as the senior has four complete-games on his record (most in the PacWest) while cruising to the team-lead in strikeouts with 44. During his last outing, Summers set his career-high in strikeouts with 10, and has recorded at least six strikeouts in five of his six starts this season. Additionally, opposing hitters are batting just .215 against Summers, the third-lowest mark among PacWest pitchers who qualify, while Daubin ranks ninth (.252) in the same category. Junior right-hander Collin Carriger owns the team-lead for saves with two, while Skillman recently recorded his first save in his ART U career. 
 
FLIGHT OF THE CONCORDIA
The Eagles enter the series just below the .500 mark at 11-12, sitting second in the PacWest SoCal pod behind Azusa Pacific (who has already clinched the SoCal pod title). Most recently, the Eagles are 2-5 in their last seven contests, dropping three of four to No. 17 Azusa Pacific before dropping two of three to Biola. Matt Lautz comes in as the top-hitter for CUI, batting .373 with a 1.116 OPS in 24 games this season. Concordia is a team with pop from the plate, combining for 27 home runs at the dish while posting over 200 hits as a team. From the mound, Evan Larsen remains undefeated with a 3-0 record, rolling to a team-best 4.08 ERA, while Mason Metcalfe holds the lowest WHIP at 1.12 (both minimum five appearances). Larsen also owns the best strikeout mark with 37 in 28.2 innings pitched (second-most on the team). The Eagles hold the edge in the all-time matchup, 15-5. 

PAIR OF EIGHT-RUN GAMES EARNS ART U DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP
The offense was booming for Academy of Art baseball during Saturday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader against Holy Names, starting with a program-best three triples during game one as ART U rolled to an 8-5 victory. Meanwhile in game two, a three-run home run from graduate student catcher Ryan Gamboa set the stage for a fifth-inning comeback as Academy of Art would erase a four-run deficit en route to another 8-5 win (seven innings). 

ON DECK CIRCLE
Only the final series of the season remains for the Urban Knights, as they travel to Southern California for the first time this season to set up a four-game series rematch with the Concordia Eagles beginning on May 6 at 2 p.m.