LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University baseball (11-19, 6-6 GLVC) makes the short trip across St. Louis for a late-week Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup with the Saints of Maryville University (18-15, 7-5 GLVC). The Bearcats enter the Easter week series after splitting its latest series with Missouri-St. Louis while Maryville beat Lindenwood 3-1 and then defeated Missouri S&T in a non-conference contest. 

So far this season, McKendree has blasted the ball on offense, ranking highly throughout the GLVC and the country. In the league, the Bearcats ranks tied for first in home runs with 63 in the 30 games this spring, second in slugging percentage at .570, and third in total bases with 540. In NCAA DII, McKendree ranks third in home runs per game at 2.10, tied for ninth in total homers with 63, and ninth in slugging percentage at .570. 

THIS SEASON
At the plate, McKendree has been led by senior outfielder Corey Price, who owns a .392 batting average with a 1.138 OPS, 47 hits, 31 runs, 28 RBIs, and 21 extra base hits. Price also has earned a 25-game on-base streak while ranking 37th in the country (DII) at 1.57 hits per game. Freshman infielder Gavin Arseneau and sophomore outfielder Joseph Copeland sit just behind Price, each with an average of .364 on the season. Arseneau has amassed 39 hits in 107 attmepts with 28 runs abd 26 RBIs while Copeland leads the team with an OPS of 1.224 with 32 hits, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored. 

On the mound, junior hurlers Garrett Herring and Mac Grant lead the team with 34.0 and 30.0 innings tossed so far. Herring owns a WHIP of 1.76 with an ERA of 9.26, 35 strikeouts and a record of 1-2 this season. Grant owns a pair of complete games with a 3-1 record and 16 strikeouts. 

SCOUTING THE HOST
Maryville comes into the four-game series with a four-game winning streak, beating Missouri S&T in a non-conference single game and taking the final three versus Lindenwood in the GLVC series. The Saints have been led by infielder Joey Polak, who owns a .360 average and a 1.104 OPS with 111 attempts. The mound has been held by Ben Prywitch, who leads the team with a 0.92 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a 3-0 slate over 19.2 innings this season.

UP NEXT
McKendree baseball takes on the Saints on Thursday at 3 P.M. in Chesterfield, Missouri to kick off the series. Friday will feature a double-header, beginning at 1 P.M. while Saturday's series finale will be a 12 P.M. first pitch. 

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