By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team heads west this weekend for an in-state battle with Ohio Valley Conference rival UT Martin, kicking off the series with a 5:00 p.m. affair Friday evening at Skyhawk Baseball Field in Martin, Tenn.
Game two of the weekend will feature a 3:00 p.m. first pitch while Sunday's finale will open with a 1:00 p.m. start. All three contests are scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+.
THE SERIES
Friday's series opener marks the 92nd match-up since 1949 between the two programs, with the Golden Eagles owning a 58-33 lead in the series. Last season, Tech claimed three of the four meetings with the Skyhawks, including a tilt in the OVC Tournament.
Competing in Cookeville during the regular season, the purple and gold took the series opener with a 13-7 win, backed by an eight-spot in the third inning alone. UT Martin answered with a huge offensive day in game two, cruising to a 16-2 decision to square things up.
The Golden Eagles took care of business in the rubber game, tossing an 11-0, seven-inning shutout while holding the Skyhawks to just five hits. Tech dropped a whopping seven runs in the sixth frame alone. The two in-state foes went toe-to-toe in an elimination game at the OVC Tournament, as the purple and gold used spectacular pitching and stellar defense to secure a 7-3 win and advance to the semifinals.
LAST TIME OUT
It was all business for the Cookeville crew on Tuesday, as the Golden Eagles handed in-state rival Lipscomb an 8-1 loss at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex to complete the season sweep of the Bisons. The win marked Tech's 13th in the last 16 games.
Brilliant pitching held Lipscomb to just a single run, scored in the first inning, and four total hits. The Tech offense went to work in the fifth, using a pair of three-run home runs from catcher Hayden Gilliland and right fielder Theo Bryant IV to do the heavy damage. The Golden Eagles plated two more in the sixth for good measure.
TEAM NOTES
Known historically under the watch of long-time head coach Matt Bragga as one of the premier, home-run slugging programs in the country year in and year out, this year's Golden Eagles squad sports a slightly different look on offense. The 2024 edition still ranks third in the OVC in long balls, but it's been the patience and speed that has shined during the season.
Heading into the weekend, the Golden Eagles ranked tied for seventh in the nation in triples as a team, boasting 17 so far on the year. Tech also ranked 37th nationally in walks, drawing 221 this year to lead the OVC.
Left fielder Austin Turner paces the group with a whopping 45 in 41 games, ranking sixth nationally. Boasting 118 in his Tech career, he now ranks sixth in program history for walks, boasting three more than current teammate and Golden Eagle catcher Hayden Gilliland, who ranks eighth. Turner's eight career triples rank eighth in program history.
Turner and shortstop Tanner Shiver are both tied for 19th in the nation with four triples each. Peyton Calitri has been special on the bump, ranking third nationally with a strikeout/walk ratio of 11.50, fanning 69 batters with just six free passes on the year. The hurler also ranks third in the nation in walks/nine innings with a mark of 0.79 and eighth in the country with a 1.85 ERA.
Tech head coach Matt Bragga is starting to climb the OVC's all-time coaching wins list, closing in on sixth place. Bragga and TTU Sports Hall of Famer David 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 (1980-01) | 776 | ||
| 3. | Jim Ward, Eastern Kentucky (1980-01) | 628 | ||
| 4. | Jim Case, Jacksonville State (2004-21) | 564 | ||
| 5. | David Mays, Tennessee Tech (1974-98) | 554 | ||
| 6. | Mark Hogan, Southeast Missouri (1995-12) | 526 | ||
| 7. | Matt Bragga, Tennessee Tech (2004-18, 22-present) | 523 | ||
| 8. | Jim Schmitz, Eastern Illinois (1997-15) | 480 | ||
| 9. | John Stanford, Middle Tennessee (1974-87) | 402 | ||
| 10. | Steve Peterson, Middle Tennessee (1988-00) | 401 |
On Monday, Tech starter Jaxson Pease earned his first career OVC Pitcher of the Week honor tossing a career-high 8.2 innings with two earned runs allowed and a career-best eight strikeouts in a 4-3 win over Southeast Missouri. He also completed the ninth inning with two punch outs to earn a save at Middle Tennessee.
Pease's honor marked the fifth OVC Pitcher of the Week nod presented to a Golden Eagle hurler this season and the fourth in as many weeks. Fellow weekend starters Peyton Calitri and Landon Smiddy have each taking home the accolade twice during the season. It marks the first time in program history Tech has captured five Pitcher of the Week awards, topping the previous program record for a season held by the 2010, 2017, and 2018 squads.
THE OPPONENT
On Tuesday, the Skyhawks gave their all in some midweek action at No. 11 nationally-ranked Vanderbilt, taking a 4-4 tie into the bottom of the ninth. The Commodores ended the evening with a walk-off long ball to left-center field off the bat of David Diaz.
The weekend prior, UT Martin took the bookend games of its OVC series at Southern Indiana, picking up wins of 15-10 and 5-3. The Screaming Eagles salvaged a win on its home diamond with a 4-2 decision on Saturday.
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Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, Apr. 26 | 5:00 p.m. CT | at UT Martin
Saturday, Apr. 27 | 3:00 p.m. CT | at UT Martin
Sunday, Apr. 28 | 1:00 p.m. CT | at UT Martin
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2024 Record: 26-15
2024 OVC Record: 10-5
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 523-468-2 (18th Season)
Career: 574-544-3 (21st Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Hayden Gilliland (.346)
2B: Troy Baunsgard (16)
3B: Tanner Shiver / Austin Turner (4)
HR: Hayden Gilliland (8)
RBI: Hayden Gilliland (45)
R: Austin Turner (45)
BB: Austin Turner (45)
SLG%: Tanner Shiver (.595)
OB%: Hayden Gilliland (.468)
SB: Austin Turner (18)
ERA: Peyton Calitri (1.85)*
W: Peyton Calitri (7)
APP: Drew Mattox / Jaxson Pease (14)
IP: Peyton Calitri (68.0)
K: Peyton Calitri (69)
BAA: Peyton Calitri (.216)*
SV: Jack Erdman / Jaxson Pease (3)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
UT MARTIN SKYHAWKS
2024 Record: 15-25
2024 OVC Record: 7-8
Head Coach: Ryan Jenkins
UTM: 108-204 (7th Season)
Career: Same
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Will Smith (.329)
2B: Blaze Bell (11)
3B: Andrew Fernandez / Will Smith (2)
HR: Mac Danford (9)
RBI: Mac Danford (39)
R: Zac Rice (40)
BB: Cole Smith (30)
SLG%: Mac Danford (.537)
OB%: Cole Smith (.436)
SB: Zac Rice (13)
ERA: Tristan Walton (3.07)*
W: Tristan Walton (4)
APP: Tucker Reed (17)
IP: Tristan Walton (58.2)
K: Tristan Walton (60)
BAA: Tristan Walton (.249)*
SV: Tucker Reed (3)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
Photo by Jim Dillon
