By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
Tennessee Tech Baseball Weekend Preview (May 17)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team closes out the 2023 regular season this weekend, playing host to first-time foe Southern Indiana in Ohio Valley Conference action at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex starting Thursday evening.
Thursday's series opener is slated for a 6:00 p.m. CT first pitch. Game two on Friday will kick off at 6:00 p.m. while Saturday's series finale will begin with a 2:00 p.m. start. All three games are scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano on the call. With inclement weather expected in the area over the weekend, fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com and Tennessee Tech social media for any potential updates to this weekend's schedule.
Saturday will also serve as Senior Day for the Golden Eagle program, with 14 members of the purple and gold slated to be honored prior to the contest.
The Golden Eagles head into the final weekend after a 1-2 showing at Little Rock last week. Tech nearly took down the league's top squad twice, settling for the lone victory. The Trojans opened the series with a 7-0 win over the purple and gold, limiting Tech to just six hits.
The Tech bats answered back in game two, exploding for seven runs in the first inning on its way to a 9-5 victory behind 12 hits. In the finale, both sides held the lead, with the Golden Eagles rallying back from a four-run deficit with five in the eighth. Little Rock tied it in the bottom half to force extras, then answered Tech's 10th-inning run with a pair to walk it off, 11-10.
Southern Indiana enters the series in the midst of a tough, nine-game skid, dropping its midweek tilt against Ball State after falling in all three games at No. 16 Oral Roberts over the weekend. On Tuesday, the Cardinals smashed five home runs to down USI 12-1.
Last weekend, Oral Roberts looked the part of a nationally-ranked opponent, cruising to a 12-4 win in the opener. The other Golden Eagle unit bested the Screaming Eagles 9-2 in game two for the series, holding USI scoreless for seven frames. ORU rounded out the week with a 5-0 shutout on Sunday, limiting Southern Indiana to four hits.
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Current Weekend Schedule
Thursday, May 18 | 6:00 p.m. CT | vs. Southern Indiana | Live Video | Live Stats
Friday, May 19 | 6:00 p.m. CT | vs. Southern Indiana | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, May 20 | 2:00 p.m. CT | vs. Southern Indiana | Live Video | Live Stats
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2023 Record: 18-30
2023 OVC Record: 9-12
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 494-449-2 (17th Season)
Career: 545-525-3 (20th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: John Dyer (.345)
2B: Peyton Mills (13)
3B: 4 players tied (1)
HR: John Dyer (21)
RBI: Peyton Mills (49)
R: John Dyer (45)
BB: Hayden Gilliland (37)
SLG%: John Dyer (.757)
OB%: Hayden Gilliland (.439)
SB: Theo Bryant IV (6)
ERA: Jacob Morin (3.41)
W: 4 players tied (3)
APP: Colt Taylor (20)
IP: Hunter Mann (59.0)
K: Hunter Mann (77)
BAA: Jacob Morin (.179)
SV: Jacob Morin (4)
SOUTHERN INDIANA SCREAMING EAGLES
2023 Record: 15-36
2023 OVC Record: 6-14
Head Coach: Tracy Archuleta
USI: 542-349 (17th Season)
Career: 690-473 (22nd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Tucker Ebest (.321)
2B: Lucas McNew (11)
3B: 3 players tied (3)
HR: Tucker Ebest (12)
RBI: Tucker Ebest (51)
R: Lucas McNew (39)
BB: Tucker Ebest (32)
SLG%: Tucker Ebest (.600)
OB%: Ricardo Van Grieken (.489)
SB: Ren Tachioka (14)
ERA: Cory Anderson (5.19)
W: 4 players tied (2)
APP: Carter Stamm (26)
IP: Tyler Hutson (48.1)
K: Blake Ciuffetelli (40)
BAA: Will Kiesel (.224)
SV: 6 players tied (1)
Photo by Jim Dillon
