The record books at St. Edward’s University have a new coach topping the list for the most coaching victories: Rob Penders. In his ninth season as head coach, Penders’ all-time wins number has surpassed that of John Knorr (317-198), a former St. Edward’s Athletic Director and SEU Hall of Famer.

Milestone wins 318 and 319 took place on the road in a doubleheader sweep against Rogers State University on March 22 following a pair of 4-3 scores. Since then, the team has continued to dominate. 

On the home field, the Hilltoppers extended their winning streak in a 12-11 slugfest against Texas A&M-Kingsville University on March 24. The two teams have squared off three times in the last two NCAA Regional Tournaments, according the SEU Athletics website. 

Strong Hilltopper pitching performances and clutch hitting moments would help secure a 6-1, 8-4 and 4-2 sweep against Lubbock Christian University this past weekend at Hays Field. 

As far as Heartland Conference (HC) standings, St. Edward’s is 24-8, 10-2 HC and tied for first place in with St. Mary’s University, who is 22-6, 10-2 HC. The Hilltoppers have about 16 games remaining in the regular season.

“We have performed well thus far, especially in the month of March. Our players have become a cohesive group who believe in each other and themselves. Because of this belief we have been able to come back in many of our games,” Penders said.

When the season started in February, the team had somewhat of a slow start, as the team lost six of their first 14 games. However, since February, the team has only lost twice, improving more and more each week. 

Over the past two months, batting leaders have included senior right fielder A.J. Hermanson, junior first baseman J.D. Arrowood and junior and sophomore catchers/designated hitters Gable Whitacre and Joe Olsen, along with senior leftfielder Cutter Runte and junior second baseman Kevin Mayo.

On the pitcher’s mound, junior Collin Sherrod and senior Dalton Brown have both had good starts along with other junior starters and relievers Cameron Stanton, Eric Hester, Dan Becks and Cam Hatch.

The Hilltoppers are nationally ranked with a current home record of 16-5, while their away record stands at 8-3. Coach Penders’ all-time wins record is 323-157.

“We have some tough conference games coming up, so we must still perform at a high level and keep getting better as a team. I feel as if this team can play with anyone in the country when we are playing our brand of baseball,” Penders added.

The Hilltoppers hope to extend their six-game winning streak, as St. Edward’s will host University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in a crucial Heartland Conference series. The first pitch of Thursday’s doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Lucian-Hamilton Field. Live coverage can be found on the athletic website.