Wolf Pack baseball now ranked No. 18 in NAIA

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released its second in-season Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll on Wednesday, and the Loyola Wolf Pack dropped to No. 18 in the rankings. 
 

After defeating NCAA Division II foe Spring Hill College Tuesday night, Loyola is now 20-9 overall this season, and it has a 5-4 mark in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Wolf Pack is 6-5 against teams either ranked or receiving votes. 
 

William Carey is the highest-ranked SSAC team in the poll, checking in at No. 13, and ABAC is No. 24 to make three conference teams in the Top 25. Faulkner dropped out of the poll and is in the receiving votes category. 
 

Jaxon Buratt, who was named the SSAC Player of the Week on Monday, leads the team in batting average among those who have at least two plate appearances per game and have played in 75 percent of the contests this season. He has a .368 average, and he's joined by Nathan McDonald (.356), Reed Duthu (.324), and Jordan McKenzie (.318), all above .300, who also meet those requirements. Jed Cambre (.299), Jovan Swasey (.297), and JJ Garcia (.296) are on the verge of cracking that .300 mark as well. 
 

On the mound, Brady Bowen and Michael Hotard have started to solidify the weekend rotation. Bowen is 3-1 on the season with a 2.59 earned run average, and Hotard is 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 31.1 and 30.2 innings, respectively. Out of the bullpen, Frank Fernandez is the setup man with a 1.04 ERA in 17.1 innings and 11 appearances, and Jake Cohen has already racked up six saves (Tied for fourth in the NAIA) in eight appearances with a 0.00 ERA as the team's closer. 
 

On the base paths, Cambre leads the SSAC with 20 stolen bases, and McDonald is tied for second in the league with 15. 
 

Loyola is set to take on Mobile this weekend for another three-game SSAC series at Segnette Field. Game 1 will be Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.