Game #12 & 13
ART U Urban Knights (4-7, 0-0 PacWest) vs. #23 CUI Eagles (6-3-1, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats and Video

Games #14 & 15
ART U Urban Knights (4-7, 0-0 PacWest) vs. #23 CUI Eagles (6-3-1, 0-0 PacWest)
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 at 1 & 4 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats and Video

TUNED UP
Hot off the momentum of a doubleheader sweep over Holy Names that split a four-game series, Academy of Art baseball opens Pacific West Conference play when ART U clashes with nationally-ranked No. 23 Concordia in a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. 

FIRST PITCH
Both doubleheaders will be held at Laney College, with Saturday's first pitch times set for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the series concluding on Sunday at 1 and 4 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. 

KNIGHT WATCH
Large innings would be the undoing of the Urban Knights in games one and two of their non-conference series against Holy Names, allowing three or more runs in an inning three separate times leading to a combined 14 runs allowed. The tides would turn on the final day of the series in a doubleheader, however, as ART U earned its first walk-off win and first win in a one-run game from an RBI single by junior outfielder Hayato Niki in game three. It was an all-around performance in the series finale, as senior pitcher Cannon Secrist recorded his second consecutive quality start after striking out 10 batters in 7.0 innings pitched while junior outfielder Charles Morgan became just the fifth Urban Knight in history to have a multi-homer game (last: Noah Daubin; 5/21/21), propelling ART U to a 7-3 win. 

Setting the table from the top of the lineup throughout the series was Morgan, as he was a combined 6-for-15 (.400) with six runs scored, five RBI, two walks, a double, and three home runs while also leading the PacWest in total bases for the week (16). His production would earn him recognition from the conference, as he was tabbed as the PacWest Player of the Week on Feb. 21, the first player to earn the award since junior infielder Adam Inouye earned the honor last season on Mar. 8, 2021. 

Through 11 games the Urban Knights are averaging 4.2 runs per game with a overall .241 batting average, scoring a high of nine runs during a victory over Cal State East Bay on Feb. 5. ART U has only recorded double-digit hits twice this season, happening in back-to-back games beginning with 13 hits in the series finale with Sonoma State in a winning effort, followed by 12 more the next time out in defeat at the hands of HNU in the series opener. On the mound, ART U has compiled a staff ERA of 4.81 with a 1.31 WHIP across a total of 88.0 innings, striking out a total of 82 batters while issuing 36 walks. 

Sitting with the best batting average in the early season is senior first baseman Vincent Lontz, as he is the only Urban Knight directly on the fabled .400 mark by going a combined 14-for-35 (most hits on ART U) with six runs scored, three doubles and three RBI. Following is graduate student outfielder Travis Turney, as he has hit safely in eight consecutive games (the longest such streak by a Knight this season) while posting an overall average of .300 (12-for-40) eight runs scored, a double, a triple and seven RBI. Meanwhile, after raising his average to .297 (11-for-37), Morgan now leads the team multiple categories including runs scored (11), home runs (3) and total bases (22), and has also collected a pair of doubles and five RBI. 

Logging a 3-1 record on the hill thus far has been Secrist, posting a 4.79 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 20.2 innings pitched (most on ART U) across his four starts, allowing just 11 earned runs on 20 hits with an ART U best 26 strikeouts. Both Secrist and right-handed senior Collin Carriger logged 10 strikeouts apiece in their previous start, tied for the most in a single game by an ART U pitcher this season, lifting Carriger's season total to 22 on the year. Right-handed freshman Cole Shafer has the lowest ERA on the squad, tossing a pair of scoreless frames with just one hit and one walk allowed. The only save on the team belongs to right-handed sophomore Dallen Turner, which he notched on Feb. 5 as he preserved the win against Cal State East Bay when he had a season-best two strikeouts. 

KNIGHTS' QUEST
A three-run fifth inning highlighted the 2022 Academy of Art season opener against Stanislaus State, led by a pair of hits including an RBI triple and run scored from senior shortstop Dominic Ruggiero, but it was not enough to overcome an early Stan State lead as they captured a victory in the first game of the season, 5-3. Though ART U was blanked the following time out against in the series opener against Cal State East Bay, the tides turned in a doubleheader as the Knights more than quadrupled their season run total with their 13-run output on the final day of the series, highlighted by a seven-run inning that ultimately led to the first win of the year for Academy of Art. 

Clashing with Sonoma State in a three-game series for the first time since 2017, the Urban Knights' offense was kept in check during game one and limited to just four runs in game two, but would salvage the final game of the series with a pair of three run innings that ultimately led to a 7-1 win. Providing much of the damage at the plate was the outfield duo of senior Ty Conrad and Turney, as Conrad was a combined 4-for-10 (.400) with four runs scored, three RBI and two doubles. Meanwhile, Turney posted a hit in all three games and was a combined 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, three RBI, a double and a triple.

EAGLES MIGRATING NORTH
Having lost two of their past three times on the diamond including a 15-3 loss in eight innings to Cal State San Marcos, Concordia enters the matchup with a 6-3-1 record, with an odd tie coming in their first series of the year when the second game of a doubleheader against Regis was called early due to light curfew. Offense has been strong for the Eagles in the early going, scoring double-digit runs on three separate occasions while averaging 6.3 runs per game. Four different Eagles are hitting .300 or above to help CUI post an overall average of .252, led by the .333 average of Jackson Collins. He leads the squad in most offensive categories including runs (10), hits (12), doubles (5), triples (1), RBI (10), and total bases (22). From the hill, Noah McBride has logged a 2-0 record in three appearances, as he is one of five Eagles to earn a winning decision without taking a loss. The lowest ERA with more than 5.0 innings pitched belongs to Matthew Williams, who has just a 1.08 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP across 8.1 innings pitched with five punch outs. CUI leads ART U in the all-time series between the two teams 21-7, and the Eagles have also won each of the past three meetings including their last battle on May 7, 2021. 

DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP FOR ART U LEADS TO SERIES SPLIT
Both games of Sunday's twinbill between Academy of Art baseball and Holy Names were close battles for the majority of the contest, but the difference maker was the long ball as ART U crushed four home runs on the day, powering them to a doubleheader sweep over HNU with finals of 4-3 and 7-3 (seven innings) to earn a split of this four-game set.  

ON DECK
The Southern California opponents continue to roll in for ART U when the Biola Eagles come to town for a four-game PacWest showdown beginning with a doubleheader on Mar. 4.