FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team is set to begin PacWest Conference play on Thursday evening with the opener of a four-game road series against Academy of Art.
 
SCHEDULE
Series 3 – vs. Academy of Art

Thursday, Feb. 22 • 6:00 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. • Laney College Field
Live Stats
 
Friday, Feb. 23 • 6:00 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. • Laney College Field
Live Stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 24 (doubleheader) • 12/4 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. • Laney College Field
Live Stats
 
About Fresno Pacific (3-3)
• The Sunbirds were off last weekend after sweeping a doubleheader to take the three-game series from Sonoma State the previous weekend. The bats came alive on the final day for the Blue and Orange, as Fresno Pacific totaled 34 runs on 31 hits.  
• The longball has shown up early and often for FPU this spring, as five players have already left the yard. 2017 Sunbird leader Hunter Villanueva has jumped out to a hot start, launching three homers in his first six games.
• FPU's starting pitchers each turned in strong performances against the Seawolves, combining for 26 strikeouts and just six earned runs over 16 innings of work.
 
Sunbird Leaders
• Batting average: Nate Case, .412
• RBI: two players tied, 8
• Steals: Michael Warkentin, 3
• Doubles: two players, 3
• Triples: Derek Arkelian, 1
• Home runs: Hunter Villanueva, 3  
• Wins: three players tied, 1  
• ERA: three players tied, 0.00
• Strikeouts: Alex Garcia, 15
 
About Academy of Art
• The Urban Knights are coming off a 3-1 series victory over Simpson last weekend, with three of the four games being separated by just one run.
• Right hander Ken Baser fanned five on his way to the first no-hitter in program history on Saturday afternoon, and he was able to do so on just 57 pitches. He was named the PacWest Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.
• ARTU has hit .253 as a team through nine games, while catcher Marciano Reichel has hit a scorching .545 over five games.
 
Urban Knight Leaders
• Batting average: Jackson Murphy .296
• RBI: three players tied, 5  
• Steals: Elijah Smith, 4
• Doubles: two players tied, 2
• Triples: Jackson Murphy, 2
• Home runs: three players tied, 1
• Wins: five players tied, 1
• ERA: Ben Kaser, 0.73
• Strikeouts: Gonzo Rios, 12
 
All-Time Series
• After winning each of the first 17 meetings against ARTU, Fresno Pacific claims a 19-5 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Urban Knights have won the series in each of the last two seasons, taking two of three from FPU in San Francisco in 2016 before winning the last three in Fresno last spring.
 
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