Bees Set to Tangle with Thunderducks in Key DAC Series

MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College Eastfield's baseball team has a big week on tap as it prepares for a marquee series with fifth-ranked Dallas College Richland beginning Wednesday.

Eastfield (35-10, 17-4 Dallas Athletic Conference) sits a game behind Richland (32-12, 18-3) in the league standings. Following nonconference games for both teams Monday, the two DAC frontrunners will begin a three-game series at Eastfield noon Wednesday.

The Harvester Bees, which entered the weekend ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III poll, won two of the three games against Richland in the first series a month ago. Eastfield won both home games, 10-8 and 8-6, after dropping the series opener at Richland, 11-1.

Eastfield pitchers Tyler Do and Marcus Peters lead the country in wins with eight apiece. Richland's Bron Farr has seven. Peters is second in NJCAA Division III in strikeouts with 81.

Harvester Bees sophomore first baseman Payton Poole's 22 doubles are tied for first in the country. Richland's Nick Hockemeyer has 19, and is tied for fifth. Poole has driven in 52 runs, which is seventh among NJCAA Division III leaders. Hockemeyer's 50 are tied for eighth. Bees sophomore outfielder JJ Bush has 10 home runs, which is tied for sixth in the nation. Richland's Trey Smith has 12, and ranks third. Eastfield sophomore center fielder River Curs' 59 hits are tied for ninth with Richland's Hernan Zamora. Hockemeyer has 66, teammate Kelton Phillips 65 and Smith 64.

Richland took a one-game lead in the conference last week, sweeping all three games of its series against Dallas College Brookhaven. Eastfield won one of three against Dallas College Cedar Valley.

The regular season runs through May 11, with two more three-game series for DAC schools after this week.