Games 22, 23, 24, 25

vs Arkansas-Forth Smith (1-17 (0-9))

3/13 | 3 PM | McCarthy Field
Video | Live Stats

3/14 | 2 PM | McCarthy Field
Video | Live Stats | Audio

3/15 | 12 PM | McCarthy Field
Video | Live Stats | Audio 

vs Missouri Southern (9-10 (4-5))

3/17 | 3 PM | Joplin Mo.
Video | Live Stats 

Last Time Out 
The Jets played in a weekend series against Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. NSU would take game one, 3-2 and game two, 11-10. The Jets would win game three, 12-4. They played Pittsburg State for a midweek game on March 11th, the No. 1 Gorillas would take the game, 21-4. 

In game one, Newman struck first in the opening inning when Anthony Cannavino drove in Kaynan Kaku with an RBI single. The Jets added another run in the second on Peyton Mitchell's solo home run to left, while Andrew Hudson retired the RiverHawks in order in the bottom half to keep Newman ahead 2–0. The lead held through six innings as the Jets' pitching staff, including Alex Gillig in relief, kept Northeastern State quiet. The RiverHawks broke through in the seventh, scoring three runs. Northeastern State held on for a 3-2 win in game one of the series.

Game two started with Collin Morris scoring first on a play during Kaynan Kaku's steal of second. Northeastern State responded in the bottom half with a four-run homer to take a 4-1 lead. The Jets cut into the deficit in the third with Peyton Mitchell driving in Kaku to make it 4-3. Newman scored six runs in the sixth highlighted by Kaku's home run and a two-run double from Louis Coca to take a 10-4 lead. The RiverHawks rallied late, hitting solo home runs in the sixth and seventh before tying the game 10-10 in the ninth. After Newman was held scoreless in the tenth, Northeastern State walked it off for an 11-10 win.

In game three, Newman struck first as Peyton Mitchell singled to score Nicolas Ely for a 1-0 lead. Northeastern State answered with three runs in the bottom half to move ahead 3-1, but Ely cut the deficit to 3-2 with a leadoff home run in the third. The Jets took control in the fourth when Brett Kocher hit a two-run homer to give Newman the lead. The offense added additional runs in the inning to make it 6-3, and Kocher added another two-run home run in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-3. Newman continued to build the advantage with three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. Northeastern State added one late run, but the Jets kept their lead and closed out game three with a 12-4 win. 

The Jets traveled to Pittsburg, Kansas for a game on Wednesday, March 11 to face the No. 1 Pittsburg State Gorillas. The Jets jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. Collin Morris walked and Kaynan Kaku was hit by a pitch before a throwing error allowed Peyton Mitchell to reach and load the bases. Brett Kocher brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly, and Justin Birch followed with a three-run home run to give the Jets a 4-0 lead. The Gorillas answered in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs to tie the game. After a scoreless second inning, PSU took control in the third with nine runs to go ahead 13-4. The Gorillas continued to add on with three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one in the sixth. The Jets were unable to respond, and the game ended after seven innings with the Gorillas winning 21-4.

Scouting the Jets 
Kaynan Kaku currently leads the Jets with a batting average of .314, 15 runs and 14 RBIs.  Kaku has tallied 22 hits, five doubles, and two home runs. Justin Birch leads the team in extra base hits with five doubles and three home runs. Nicolas Ely has a batting average of .293 and has recorded 22 hits and 14 runs. On the mound, Frank Fabian has pitched 29.2 innings for the Jets while recording 14 strikeouts. Fabian has a record of 2-2. Alex Gillig leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 20 through 27.1 innings. Ryan Pacha is another strong arm for the Jets with an ERA of 6.35 through 22.2 innings. 

Behind Enemy Lines 
Layne Sweat leads the Lions with a batting average of .362 and 21 hits while tallying two home runs and 11 RBIs. Sweat leads the team in extra base hits. CJ Snowden has a batting average of .333 and has recorded three home runs, 20 hits, and 11 RBIs. Quinton Borders leads the team with 12 RBIs. On the mound, Aden Almeida leads the Lions in innings pitched with 20.2 recording 16 strikeouts. Almeida has a record of 1-3. Steffan Fak has pitched 19.2 innings while recording 13 strikeouts. 

For the Missouri Southern Lions Brayden Luikart leads the team with a batting average of .392. Luikart leads in hits (29) as well as extra base hits with three home runs, nine doubles, and one triple. Will Doherty has recorded a team high in RBIs with 17, he has recorded 20 hits and three home runs. Ethan Clark also helps out the offense with a batting average of .315 recording 23 hits. Owen Schneider has pitched 34.2 innings for Missouri Southern and has recorded 31 strikeouts. Schneider has a record of 4-0. Michael Mulhollon has pitched 23.0 innings and leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 32. Walker Sweet has pitched 21.2 innings with a record of 1-3. Sweet has tallied 28 strikeouts. 

The Series
-Newman holds a 4-9 record against Arkansas-Forth Smith. They have not had a matchup since the year of 2019. 

-Missouri Southern and Newman have met 18 times with Missouri Southern taking 15 wins. The Jets last won in May of 2023. 

Next Up 
Newman Baseball will prepare to host Rogers State in a weekend series beginning on Friday, March 20th at 3 PM.