ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After winning their first home-opening series since 2017, Griffon Baseball is back on the road this weekend to take on non-conference opponent Drury for a three-game series in Springfield, Missouri.

SKIPPER SYNOPSIS
After serving as an assistant coach in 2023, Damian Stambersky comes in with a young head-coaching record of 5-2. His adversary is Scott Nasby, a 12-year veteran with a 306-228 record at Drury. Just two seasons ago, he was named the 2022 GLVC Coach of the Year.

NOTABLES

• Western (5-2) is coming off its first series sweep since 2020 and its first home-opening sweep since 2017.
• In that sweep of St. Cloud State, MWSU recorded its first shutout win since 2021.
• The Griffons are tied for fourth in the MIAA standings.
• Through seven games, Western's pitching staff now sits fourth in the MIAA with a team ERA of 3.62. 
• The Griffons are second in the MIAA with five triples.
• Thanks to a .298 team batting average, MWSU is fourth in the MIAA.
• Western is the only team in the conference that hasn't been thrown out yet, going 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts.
• The pen has only given up one home run through seven games, the lowest number in the MIAA. 
• Senior catcher Noah Cook is tied for eighth in the MIAA with eight RBI. Sophomore infielder Jackson Bryant is tied for ninth with seven ribbies.
• Junior infielder Quinton Robertson is second in the conference with a .500 batting average. 
• With 12 hits, Robertson is tied for third in the league. 
• Graduate student pitcher Zack Cushing is tied for fifth in the MIAA with 10 strikeouts.
• Senior pitcher Brayden Haug is first in the MIAA with an ERA of 0.00.

SCOUTING DRURY | FEB. 17-18
Saturday will serve as Drury's Opening Day for the 2024 season. The Panthers are coming off a 30-24 season and 17-15 showing in the GLVC. Their season ended in the GLVC Tournament Championship game against No. 5 Quincy, losing in 13-6 fashion.

Who to Watch
Senior infielder Kellen Williamson owns Drury's returning lead bat, accumulating a .357 batting average in 2023. Fellow senior infielder leads all returners with 56 hits in 2023. Luke Burk, another senior infielder, comes back after producing team highs of 44 RBI and 10 home runs. 

Junior pitcher Cody Bahl is the Panthers' leading man on the mound, notching a team-low 2.71 ERA in 2023. He is also the team' returning strikeouts leader, punching out 62 batters during his sophomore campaign.

First Pitch Times
Satursay, Feb. 17 | 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 18 | 12/3 p.m. (Doubleheader)