As temperatures have hovered around freezing all week, the Washington State baseball team will try to heat things up over the weekend as they host Sacred Heart University in the Cougars’ second home series of the season.

The Cougars (7-5) are coming off a series win over UC Riverside where they scored 21 runs in four games. They won the series three games to one, getting the win in different ways on different nights.

Senior infielder Ian Sagdal led the offensive charge last weekend, notching five RBIs and scoring a run in all four games. One of the few veterans in the lineup, Sagdal currently has a .326 batting average, nine runs, and has posted a .396 on-base percentage to this point.

Another senior who has found success so far this year is catcher P.J. Jones, who is sporting an OBP of .478, although he is only hitting for a .226 average.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ian Hamilton already has five saves on the season and currently possesses the best ERA on the team at 1.23. Another strong performer has been junior pitcher Matt Bower, who leads the team with 17 strikeouts and also has a 3.38 ERA.

Of the 15 freshmen on the team, several of them have already risen to the top of team stat charts. Freshman catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea had his first career start for the Cougars on March 1 and had an RBI triple against UC Riverside. Freshman outfielder Wes Hatten picked up his first career home run against UC Riverside in the home opener and leads the team in slugging percentage at .500. He is hitting .333 on the season. Freshman infielder Jack Strunc leads the team in runs scored with 11 and is second on the team in hits with 10.

As a team, their inexperience has shown in the stats. The Cougars have posted a .210 batting average over their first 12 games – the worst in the Pac-12. The team also has a 4.76 ERA, another key stat that puts them at the bottom of the Pac-12. Those numbers have not affected their previous games due to strong pitching and hitting in timely situations.

The Cougar’s youth should not be a problem this weekend as their opponent has not found much success in any phase of the game. Sacred Heart is coming to Pullman with a .148 team batting average and an OBP of .204, with only three runs scored in four games. Pitching wise, the Pioneers have a team ERA of 5.26. The team is 0-4 so far this season, and is coming off a 13-1 loss against the University of New Orleans.

The Pioneers are led by junior outfielder Jayson Sullivan, who is sporting a .267 batting average and an OBP of .313. Another offensive leader has been junior infielder Jesus Medina, whose batting average is at .250 with an OBP of .357.

On the mound, Sacred Heart has had some struggles, but is led by senior pitcher Robbie Maguire, who has an ERA of 1.69 through 5.1 innings. The Pioneer’s next best performer has been senior Jeff Stoddard, who has a 3.00 ERA so far this season.

Game 1 of the four game series between WSU and Sacred Heart begins at 6 p.m. today at Bailey-Brayton Field.

Reporting by Steffen Stroup