Golden Eagles end OVC tenure with nail-biting loss to longtime rival Eagles
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a historic and memorable day at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex on Saturday afternoon, as the Tennessee Tech baseball team competed in its final contest as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
Game 1
Game 1
| 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 Mike Lehman
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a historic and memorable day at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex on Saturday afternoon, as the Tennessee Tech baseball team competed in its final contest as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
Longtime rival Morehead State, the only founding member of the league still left, edged the purple and gold in another instant classic between the two squads, taking a 7-6 decision with plenty of dramatic moments along the way. With so many tight battles between a pair of programs that spent more than 75 years as conference foes, it seemed only fitting that one more would take place between the two in Tech's season finale.
Prior to the contest, 12 members of the Cookeville crew were recognized as part of a special Senior Day celebration, including 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. Many of those veterans made an impact in a contest that, for most of them, represented their final time on a baseball diamond.
The Golden Eagles left it all on the field, refusing to give in even after falling into a 4-0 hole midway through the tilt. Morehead used a two-run home run in the second, a solo shot in the fourth, and an RBI single in the fifth to hand the four-run advantage to its pitching staff.
The visiting bullpen took over for the bottom of the fifth, and things went awry quickly as the Golden Eagles attacked the new look on the mound. Catcher Manny Garza drew a lead-off walk and reached second safely on a fielder's choice and error by the Eagle defense.
With a pair on for the purple and gold, Morehead picked up a pair of quick outs before walking the bases loaded on four pitches. A second pitching change in the frame backfired for the away squad, as left fielder Jackson Rooker picked the perfect time to deliver the first round-tripper of his career.
After working a 3-1 count, the sophomore pounced on the fifth pitch he saw, blasting a game-tying grand slam to right-center field. The tie would be short-lived, as the Eagles recorded three straight hits with one out in the sixth to load the bags and then a fielder's choice to plate the go-ahead run for a 5-4 advantage.
That lead doubled in the seventh, as Morehead led off the frame with a solo jack to right-center field for a 6-4 lead. Tech rallied once again, this time getting off to a fast start in the eighth with an at-bat that made plenty of team history.
Following a lead-off single off the bat of Rooker, center fielder Jorsixt Jimenez took his turn in the batter's box, the last of his collegiate career. The senior, batting .398 entering the batter's box with 19 home runs, needed a knock to become the first Golden Eagle since TTU Sports Hall of Famer Chad Oberacker (2010) to hit at least .400 in a single season. He also needed one more long ball to become just the sixth different member of the Tech program to smack 20 bombs in a campaign.
Tracking a 2-1 offering up in the zone, Jimenez smoked the pitch the other way, producing a game-tying, two-run bomb to deep right field. The Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist became just the third Golden Eagle since the turn of the century to bat above .400, joining Oberacker and TTU Sports Hall of Famer Casey Benjamin (2003). His .401 average for the year placed him 12th for a single season in program history.
His 20 pumps for the year tied for the sixth-most in Tech history, as Jason Hinchman (2019, 2022), A.J. Kirby-Jones (2009, 2010), John Dyer (2023), Brandon Thomasson (2014), and Jeremy Bonczynski (1997) welcomed the slugger to the prestigious club of home run hitters. Jimenez also ended the season with an .817 slugging percentage, the second-highest mark for a single season by a Golden Eagle and only the second above .800 (Kirby-Jones - .859 in 2010). His 69 RBI's ranked as the 12th most for a Tech bat.
Morehead escaped the rest of the eighth inning without further damage, then delivered the final blow to the scoreboard in the top of the ninth. A one-out double and wild pitch put the winning run at third before Nick Griffith sent a sacrifice fly to center field to drive it in for a 7-6 lead.
Tech departs the Ohio Valley Conference following an impressive legacy, including 25 postseason appearances, 10 regular-season titles, four tournament championships, and numerous league records, both as a team and as individuals. Overall, the purple and gold won 665 games in OVC action, including 281 under the direction of current head coach Matt Bragga. He finished his OVC tenure with 581 victories while leading the Golden Eagles, the fourth-most in the history of the conference.
The 2018 Golden Eagles squad established OVC records of 53 wins, a 27-3 mark in league play, and a final season national ranking of 13th. That same squad became the only team in conference history to win an NCAA Regional and advance to a Super Regional, topping Ole Miss as the league's first and only at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.
Photos by Jim Dillon
