By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - With a place in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament already clinched, the Tennessee Tech baseball team will set its sights next on grabbing the top spot in the tournament with just six games left in league play.
The Golden Eagles will start their quest this weekend as they travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on OVC foe Southeast Missouri for their final road trip of the season. Tech owns a 19-5 record in OVC play this season, sitting a full game ahead of both Belmont and Jacksonville State.
The Redhawks own a 42-21 lead in the all-time series against Tech, including a 4-1 advantage in the previous five contests. The Golden Eagles enter the weekend series resting atop most offensive categories in the OVC. The team will look to use that potent offense to keep its regular season title hopes alive.
Taking the hill on Friday for the Golden Eagles is Tristan Archer. The senior ace is in search of his 22nd career win, which would tie the Tech record for wins in a career. Cookeville native Ross Spurgeon and sophomore Jacob Honea will round out the weekend rotation for the Golden Eagles as both will be in search of their third victories.
Fans can follow this weekend's game via live stats here.
SCOUTING THE SOUTHEAST MISSOURI REDHAWKS
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LAST FIVE GAMES FOR |
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| Date | H/A/N | Opponent | Result | Score |
| April 28 | Home | Jacksonville State* | L | 5-2 |
| April 30 | Away | Missouri | W | 9-7 |
| May 3 | Away | Murray State* | L | 4-0 |
| May 4 | Away | Murray State* | L | 5-4 |
| May 5 | Away | Murray State* | W | 7-4 |
A look at the top seven offensive weapons for the Redhawks:
| Player | Avg. | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SLG% | OB% | SB-SA |
| Derek Gibson | .351 | 32 | 60 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 25 | .456 | .422 | 6-6 |
| Dalton Hewitt | .328 | 26 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 19 | .387 | .405 | 6-9 |
| Clayton Evans | .315 | 23 | 39 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 21 | .452 | .422 | 6-8 |
| Matt Tellor | .312 | 34 | 59 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 40 | .513 | .366 | 3-3 |
| Jason Blum | .308 | 41 | 57 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 28 | .459 | .446 | 9-15 |
| Cole Bieser | .306 | 29 | 45 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 17 | .401 | .363 | 15-15 |
| Andy Lennington | .282 | 31 | 51 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 32 | .436 | .327 | 7-10 |
A look at this weekend's likely starters for Southeast Missouri:
| Day | Player | ERA | W-L | G-GS | IP | Hits | Runs | ER | BB | SO | Avg. |
| FRI | Zack Smith | 5.43 | 2-5 | 12-12 | 63.0 | 78 | 47 | 38 | 21 | 44 | .304 |
| SAT | Will Spitzfaden | 4.48 | 5-3 | 12-12 | 80.1 | 90 | 44 | 40 | 17 | 23 | .293 |
| SUN | TBA |
CATCHING UP WITH TECH
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LAST FIVE GAMES FOR |
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| Date | H/A/N | Opponent | Result | Score |
| April 27 | Home | Murray State* | W (10) | 10-9 |
| April 28 | Home | Murray State* | W (10) | 10-6 |
| May 1 | Home | East Tennessee State | W | 10-6 |
| May 3 | Away | Western Carolina | L | 18-7 |
| May 4 | Away | Western Carolina | L | 6-1 |
A look at the top seven offensive weapons for the Golden Eagles:
| Player | Avg. | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SLG% | OB% | SB-SA |
| Daniel Miles | .365 | 35 | 57 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 44 | .660 | .443 | 2-2 |
| James Abraham | .335 | 30 | 56 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 22 | .383 | .419 | 13-15 |
| Zach Stephens | .330 | 47 | 60 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 56 | .599 | .419 | 0-0 |
| Dylan Bosheers | .309 | 29 | 55 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 35 | .506 | .374 | 6-6 |
| Brandon Thomasson | .301 | 45 | 58 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 49 | .601 | .382 | 0-0 |
| Austin Wulf | .298 | 43 | 56 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 27 | .383 | .403 | 9-11 |
| Zach Zarzour | .296 | 45 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 17 | .391 | .399 | 12-15 |
A look at this weekend's likely starters for Tennessee Tech:
| Day | Player | ERA | W-L | G-GS | IP | Hits | Runs | ER | BB | SO | Avg. |
| FRI | Tristan Archer | 3.62 | 7-4 | 12-12 | 77.0 | 78 | 38 | 31 | 19 | 74 | .263 |
| SAT | Ross Spurgeon | 4.32 | 2-3 | 15-6 | 41.2 | 43 | 26 | 20 | 11 | 33 | .270 |
| SUN | Jacob Honea | 5.80 | 2-1 | 12-11 | 49.2 | 61 | 37 | 32 | 22 | 50 | .302 |