Tech Baseball honors seniors as it tries to clinch OVC playoff berth
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s do-or-die time for the Tennessee Tech baseball team as the Golden Eagles close out the regular season Thursday through Saturday with a visit from Morehead State to the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. Thursday and Friday’s games are slated for a 6 PM start, while Saturday’s Senior Day finale is scheduled for 2 PM.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
Game 3
Game 3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 1 |
|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's do-or-die time for the Tennessee Tech baseball team as the Golden Eagles close out the regular season Thursday through Saturday with a visit from Morehead State to the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Thursday and Friday's games are slated for a 6 PM start, while Saturday's Senior Day finale is scheduled for 2 PM.
Admission to the games is free. All three contests will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with Dylan Vazzano on the call.
So what does the Golden Eagles need to happen to reach the postseason? Tech (18-34 overall, 6-18 Ohio Valley Conference) stands two games back of Southern Indiana and Western Illinois (both 8-16). The Golden Eagles would lose the tiebreaker between both teams, meaning they have to leap-frog both the Screaming Eagles and the Leathernecks to reach the conference tournament field.
Simply, the Golden Eagles need to sweep Morehead State and USI and WIU need to get swept – the Screaming Eagles by Lindenwood in Evansville and the Leathernecks by Eastern Illinois in Macomb.
It's tough odds, but still very much in the realm of possibility.
The OVC Baseball Championships return to Marion, Ill., next week, starting on Tuesday at Mtn Dew Park, the fourth-straight year at the venue.
The order on the weekend though is to recognize a great group of senior players as they will be honored before the game on Saturday. The honorees include Manny Garza, Eddie Garza, Reece McDuffie, Connor Crowson, Jorsixt Jimenez, Lawson Stricklin, Jamie Robertson, Drew Mattox, Nash Crowell, Garrett Holpuch, Jaxson Pease and Cooper Casteel.
Morehead State enters the series with a 28-23 overall record, 12-12 in OVC play. The Eagles are currently tied with Lindenwood for fifth-place in the standings and have clinched a spot in next week's field.
The visitors have a 14-16 record on the road this season and have won four straight games entering this final series with a 5-1 victory at Ohio, then sweeping Western Illinois last weekend in Morehead.
As a team, MSU is batting .310, posting 189 extra-base hits with 96 doubles, 16 triples and 77 home runs. The team also likes to wreak havoc on the basepaths, stealing 93 bases, led by Kyle Krupp's 24 swipes. With the power numbers, it's not surprising to see the Eagles post the conference's most strikeouts with 450 – nearly 100 more than the Golden Eagle batters. Morehead State has also drawn the third-most walks with 233. Only one team in the conference has more home runs – SIUE with 98. UT Martin is the only team to score more runs with 415 to Morehead's 399, as well as record more hits with 575 to MSU's 547.
Aubrey Kearns stands atop the Eagles' offensive chart with a .386 average, as well as team-highs in runs (56), hits (78) and RBI (56), while Ian McCubbin is hitting .367 with 32 runs scored, a team-best 13 home runs and 52 RBI.
On the hill, Morehead State has a 7.71 earned run average, allowing 425 total runs with 373 earned. The Eagles have walked 242 and struck out 313, while they have allowed 86 home runs – the most by any pitching staff in the conference. Opponents are hitting .303 against the MSU battery this season.
Meanwhile, Tech is hitting .274 as a team, putting down 155 extra-base hits with 83 doubles, 10 triples and 62 home runs. The Golden Eagles have scored 331 runs with 310 RBI.
Jimenez continues to lead the team offensively, leading Tech in average (.405), runs scored (54), hits (77), doubles (16), triples (4), home runs (19), RBI (66) and total bases (158). Manny Garza is hitting .311 with nine doubles, five home runs and 29 RBI, while Owen Lee (.298) has 12 home runs and 41 RBI.
On the mound, the Golden Eagles have an 8.30 ERA, allowing 450 runs – 399 earned – with 240 walks and 313 strikeouts with opponents hitting .341. Carter Casabella (2-5, 5.65 ERA), Pease (5-6, 5.65 ERA), Holpuch (2-4, 7.00 ERA) and Casteel (3-3, 9.07 ERA) have seen the bulk of the workload this season, all throwing over 40 innings.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
