CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The 2018 Mid-South Conference regular-season title is on the line this weekend as Campbellsville's baseball team hosts No. 13 University of the Cumberlands at HIG Field on Friday and Saturday to finish out the regular-season schedule.
 
For the second-straight season, the Tigers head into the final weekend series of the regular season needing to sweep Cumberlands for the conference title. With Campbellsville holding a record of 10-2 in the Mid-South Conference and the Patriots at 12-1, the Tigers would need to sweep the weekend series to win the regular-season title in order to have a greater win percentage than Cumberlands in the MSC, following the three-game series. With many teams in the conference playing a different number of games, the regular-season title is going to be determined by winning percentage in conference games.
 
Last season, the Tigers were in a similar situation as they trailed the Patriots by two games entering the final week of the regular season with just the two teams left to face each other in the MSC. Campbellsville won all three games on the road, 8-3, 6-0 and 7-6 to win the regular-season title. However, the Patriots got their revenge in the MSC Tournament with two wins over the Tigers, 6-1 and 17-6, to win the tournament crown.
 
Prior to the doubleheader on Saturday, the Campbellsville baseball team will honor its seniors: Matthew Valdez, David Montoya, Brandon Diaz, Logan Roberts, Justin Phillips, DJ Wilson, Shane Stober, Jared Welander, Nick Johnston and Kirby Broadbent. Each of the 10 will be playing in their final game at HIG Field on Saturday night.
 
Coming into the final three games of the regular season, the Tigers are 31-13 overall and come into the weekend after sweeping Lindsey Wilson College last weekend. Campbellsville has started to find its groove over the last month and half as they hold a record of 20-5 since mid-March. After the Tigers' three-game skid in the early portion of this month, they have gone 7-1 coming into the week.
 
Logan Roberts and Matthew Valdez have paced Campbellsville's offense this year. Roberts has 13 home runs this season and a .366 batting average. Valdez is right behind with 11 long balls and a .358 batting average. The duo are the only two Tigers to surpass 30 RBIs this season as they have combined for 67 RBIs coming into the weekend. Campbellsville has moved its batting average up to .315 this season.
 
The Tigers have bolstered one of the top pitching staffs in the NAIA as they rank 11th in opponent batting average (.231) and 14th in earned run average at 3.59. Parker Loutensock leads Campbellsville with a 2.13 ERA and has a 4-0 record. However, in the 10 games that Loutensock has started the Tigers have gone 8-2 this season. Tyler Deason has a team-best 6-1 mark with a 2.49 ERA in 43-1/3 innings of work. DJ Wilson has anchored the backend of the bullpen with eight saves and a 4-1 record, while also posting a 0.39 ERA.
 
Cumberlands dropped it first Mid-South Conference game last time out in an 8-5 loss to Cumberland University at home. The Patriots have an overall record of 42-6 and are one of 13 teams in the NAIA to not reach double-digit losses this season.
 
Entering the weekend series, Cumberlands has the fifth-best team batting average in the NAIA at .348. Pacing the offense for the Patriots has been Roberto Prado with a .389 batting average. Bryan Benz and Raudy Martinez have posted the power numbers for the Patriots with Benz leading the team with 15 home runs and is second with 48 RBIs. Martinez leads the way with 55 RBIs and 12 home runs – which are second on the team.
 
On the mound, Zach Hurley has been the leader for Cumberlands with a 7-0 record in 10 starts and 11 appearances. He is second in the MSC with an ERA of 1.87 and has 79 strikeouts in 62-2/3 innings of work. The Patriots have a team ERA of 3.78 with 15 different pitchers taking the mound at least once this season.
 
With the Tigers game at home against Brescia University being cancelled for next week, the three-game series on Friday and Saturday will be the final regular-season games for Campbellsville.
 
First pitch of the weekend series is set for 5 p.m. ET on Friday for one, nine-inning game followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 3 p.m. ET with Senior Day festivities starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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