DRURY BASEBALL
Season Opener at Central Oklahoma, Feb. 9
 
Drury Schedule at UCO
Sat.- at Central Oklahoma, noon
Sat.- vs. Arkansas Tech, 3 p.m.
 
Drury opens 2019 with two games at Central Oklahoma
The Drury Panthers open the 2019 baseball season on Saturday with two games in Oklahoma. Drury will take on Central Oklahoma at noon, then face Arkansas Tech at 3 p.m. at Wendell Simmons Field in Edmond, Oklahoma. The weekend event was originally scheduled in Russellville, Arkansas before inclement weather forced the games to be moved.
 
Of the three teams playing head-to-head this week, Drury is the only squad that will be playing their first game of the year. Central Oklahoma is off to a 1-2 start after going 37-21 last year while Arkansas Tech has won three of their first four games and went 29-23 last season.
 
The Panthers return 24 lettermen and 11 starters from a team that went recovered from a 0-6 start to finish 29-23, 20-8 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and were the West Division champions for the second straight year.
 
Among Drury's returners are five who were voted to the all-conference team last year. Infielders Brant Schaffitzel (INF, Soph., Springfield-Hillcrest), Ethan Owens (INF, Jr., Greenwood, Mo.), OF Clayton Engel (Jr., Ozark, Mo.), OF Caleb Essick (Jr., Ozark, Mo.), and Tom Tewes (P, Soph., Lincoln, Neb.) were all named 2nd Team All-GLVC a year ago.
 
Head coach Scott Nasby enters his seventh year leading the program and needs to wins to reach 200 career victories as he enters the season with a record of 198-131-1.
 
Following Saturday's games, Drury heads to Austin, Texas to play a four-game against St. Edward's Feb. 15-17.
 
QUICK FACTS
Records
Drury: 29-23 (in 2018)
Central Oklahoma: 1-2, 37-21 (in 2018)
Arkansas Tech: 3-1, 29-23 (in 2018)
 
Stat Leaders
Drury (in 2018): Brant Schaffitzel (.366, 0 HR, 20 RBI, 49 bb, 42 runs, .545 ob%), Ethan Owens (.342, 1 HR, 27 RBI), Clayton Engel (.298, 2 HR, 28 RBI), Tom Tewes (3-3, 3.42 ERA, 41 SO, 22 BB, 55.1 inn.)
 
Head Coach
Drury: Scott Nasby (7^th year, 198-131-1)
 
All-time series
Drury vs. Central Oklahoma: first meeting
Drury vs. Arkansas Tech: 3-1
 
Next
Drury at St. Edward's (four-game series), Feb. 15-17
 
 
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