Tech heads to Nashville for midweek rematch with in-state rival Lipscomb
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team kicks off a four-game road swing with a rematch against in-state rival Lipscomb on Tuesday evening, squaring off with the Bisons in a 6:00 p.m. CT ball game in Nashville.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 0 |
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By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team kicks off a four-game road swing with a rematch against in-state rival Lipscomb on Tuesday evening, squaring off with the Bisons in a 6:00 p.m. CT ball game in Nashville.
The contest is slated to be streamed on ESPN+ with RJ Taylor and Alex Gould on the call.
THE SERIES
Tuesday's contest marks the 90th match-up since 1949 between the two programs, with the Golden Eagles owning a 50-39 lead in the series. Tech swept last season's home-and-home series with the Bisons.
The Golden Eagles went into Nashville and took the first meeting with Lipscomb last year, topping their in-state rival 9-5. Seven different hitters drove in at least one run for the Cookeville crew, while a combination of four pitchers took care of business on the mound.
In the return to the Quill, the Tech squad dominated on the mound while the offense provided plenty of support in an 8-1 victory. Four members of the Golden Eagle pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts while limiting the visitors from Nashville to just one run on four hits.
The bats took care of business in just two innings, starting with a six-run explosion in the fifth. Tech blasted a pair of three-run long balls in the frame, courtesy of Hayden Gilliland and Theo Bryant IV. Tech added two more in the sixth to take care of business.
Lipscomb righted the ship when the two sides squared off in Cookeville this season, earning an 11-2 victory back on Apr. 8. The Bisons took an early 2-0 lead and never looked back, holding the Golden Eagles to just one run over the first eight innings and only seven hits for the night.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Eagles enter Tuesday's tilt after picking up a huge Ohio Valley Conference series win over in-state rival UT Martin over the weekend. The purple and gold earned an improbable victory in Friday's opener, tying the game in the eighth inning with an unearned run and rallying from a one-run deficit in the bottom of the 10th.
Tech took advantage of two costly errors by the Skyhawks with two outs in the 10th, tying the game on a throwing miscue and walking things off, 6-5, on an RBI single by Riley Black. Mack Whitcomb raced home from second base, delivering a perfect swim move to avoid the tag and plate and dent the dish for the winning run.
In Saturday's affair, UT Martin's Zach Wager tossed a gem for the visitors, holding Tech to just two runs over 8.0 innings of work before passing things to the bullpen for a 4-2 win. The Cookeville crew swung back in the finale on Sunday, again providing a late rally to earn the win.
Trailing 6-4 heading into the eighth, the purple and gold used a pair of RBI singles to tie the contest before Whitcomb delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly to left-center field. Reece McDuffie finished things off with a perfect ninth on the mound.
THE OPPONENT
The Bisons head into the midweek contest after earning an Atlantic Sun series win over Eastern Kentucky this past weekend. Lipscomb took the bookends of the series, starting with a decisive 10-3 triumph in the opener.
The Colonels answered with a comeback special on Saturday, overcoming a 4-2 deficit to tie things at 4-4 heading into the ninth. EKU's Ehinger Adrianza delivered the heroics, smashing a three-run, pinch-hit home run to right field for the 7-4 win.
Lipscomb dialed back in to take the finale by an 8-5 final score, scoring three runs in the second and fourth to build a 6-1 lead. The Bisons finished things off to provide head coach Jeff Forehand with his 500th career victory at Lipscomb.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
Four-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year Matt Bragga is back for his 19th overall season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program and fourth after making his return to Cookeville in 2022. The Tech legend is starting to climb the OVC's all-time coaching wins list, currently tied for fifth overall in league history and tied for first in Golden Eagle program history with TTU Sports Hall of Famer David Mays. Bragga and Mays represent the only pair of coaches from the same school to rank in the league's top eight of OVC wins.
| 1. | Gary McClure, Austin Peay (1988-15) | 847 | ||
| 2. | Johnny Reagan, Murray State (1958-93) | 776 | ||
| 3. | Jim Ward, Eastern Kentucky (1980-01) | 628 | ||
| 4. | Jim Case, Jacksonville State (2004-21) | 564 | ||
| T-5. | Matt Bragga, Tennessee Tech (2004-18, 22-present) | 554 | ||
| T-5. | David Mays, Tennessee Tech (1974-98) | 554 | ||
| 7. | Mark Hogan, Southeast Missouri (1995-12) | 526 | ||
| 8. | Jim Schmitz, Eastern Illinois (1997-15) | 480 | ||
| 9. | John Stanford, Middle Tennessee (1974-87) | 402 | ||
| 10. | Steve Peterson, Middle Tennessee (1988-00) | 401 |
PRESEASON OUTLOOK
The purple and gold were selected to finish third in the OVC in a preseason vote of league head baseball coaches and communications directors, falling behind only defending tournament champion Southeast Missouri and defending regular-season champ Little Rock.
During its 2025 OVC Season Preview, D1baseball.com selected southpaw Jared Herzog as the No. 1 prospect in the league for the 2025 MLB Draft while outfielder Jorsixt Jimenez was ranked 11th. The D1baseball crew listed catcher Mack Whitcomb as the No. 2 prospect from the OVC for the 2026 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Jack Brafa No. 7 and right-handed hurler Juan Vargas No. 9. Rookie righty Carter Casabella was selected as an Impact Freshman, sitting at No. 10.
OVC HONORS
On Monday, junior hurler Reece McDuffie was honored with his first career OVC Pitcher of the Week accolade, sharing the honor with Lindenwood's Josh Newell. The right-hander completed 6.1 innings out of the pen, allowing just three base runners while striking out four and picking up a pair of wins in three appearances.
Earlier this month, on Apr. 14, junior infielder Eddie Garza picked up the first OVC Player of the Week honor of his career after helping lead the Golden Eagles to a three-game sweep of Southern Indiana. The second baseman hit .667 with three home runs, four runs scored, and nine RBI during the week, slugging a ridiculous 1.417.
Back on Mar. 24, senior outfielder Nicho Jordan was recognized as the OVC Player of the Week for the first time in his career, slashing .583/.688/.1.417 over four games with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. After opening Tech's first OVC series at Little Rock 1-for-4, Jordan exploded in the second contest, tallying two home runs (including one of the inside-the-park variety) on a 4-for-4 day with five RBI, five runs, a walk, and a stolen base.
On Feb. 17, sophomore catcher Mack Whitcomb earned his first career OVC Player of the Week nod, batting .385 with five extra-base hits, six RBI, and five runs in a four-game sweep over Le Moyne on opening weekend. He slugged 1.154 while turning in an OPS of 1.625, smashing two long balls along the way.
Twitter: @TNTech_Baseball
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Current Week Schedule
Tuesday, Apr. 29 | at Lipscomb | 6:00 p.m. CT
Friday, May 2 | at Southeast Missouri | 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 3 | at Southeast Missouri | 2:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 4 | at Southeast Missouri | 1:00 p.m. CT
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2025 Record: 28-17
2025 OVC Record: 11-7
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 554-496-2 (19th Season)
Career: 605-572-3 (22nd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Mack Whitcomb (.360)
2B: Whitcomb (12)
3B: Jackson Green (2)
HR: Whitcomb (9)
RBI: Whitcomb (38)
R: Whitcomb (39)
BB: Owen Lee (30)
SLG%: Whitcomb (.615)
OB%: Whitcomb (.485)
SB: Nicho Jordan (14)
ERA: Reece McDuffie (3.02)
W: Jack Brafa (6)
APP: Drew Mattox / Logan Moller (17)
IP: Jaxson Pease (53.2)
K: Pease (45)
BAA: McDuffie (.227)
SV: Juan Vargas (6)
LIPSCOMB BISONS
2025 Record: 20-22
2025 ASUN Record: 13-8
Head Coach: Jeff Forehand
LIP: 500-525 (19th Season)
Career: 711-667-1 (25th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Parks Bouck (.333)
2B: David Coppedge (15)
3B: Brady Miller (3)
HR: Damion Kenealy Jr. (8)
RBI: Coppedge (35)
R: Coppedge (39)
BB: Jake Berg (28)
SLG%: Coppedge (.564)
OB%: Coppedge (.431)
SB: Berg (10)
ERA: Jake Lynch (2.67)
W: Cameron Guise / Cole O'Brien (3)
APP: Jake Lynch (20)
IP: O'Brien (49.2)
K: Rigo Ramos (49)
BAA: Puckett (.210)
SV: Collin Bosley-Smith (3)
Photo by Jim Dillon
