COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Contrary to popular belief, the Tennessee Tech
baseball team (21-7, 10-2 OVC) does indeed play road games,
evidenced by its upcoming five-game road trip. The Golden Eagles
will venture out Tuesday evening for a contest at in-state rival
East Tennessee State (14-10, 4-5 A-Sun).
The Golden Eagles have played just eight of their first 27 games away from Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex this season, earning a 6-2 mark in those contest. The Tech squad enters the road trip off to its hottest start in program history and off the heels of a recent 14-game winning streak.
Tuesday's contest will feature a 6:05 p.m. CDT start and can be followed via live stats here.
SCOUTING THE EAST TENNESSEE STATE BUCS
|
LAST FIVE GAMES FOR |
||||
|
Date |
H/A/N |
Opponent |
Result |
Score |
|
March 23 |
H |
No. 26 Florida Gulf Coast* |
W |
3-2 |
|
March 23 |
H |
No. 26 Florida Gulf Coast* |
L |
10-9 |
|
March 28 |
A |
North Florida* |
L |
15-4 |
|
March 29 |
A |
North Florida* |
W |
7-5 |
|
March 30 |
A |
North Florida* |
L |
11-4 |
The Bucs are off to a solid start this season, owning a 14-10 record on the year, incuding a 10-5 mark at home. ETSU boasts a potent offense, batting .298 with 19 home runs and 152 runs scored.
Leading the offensive surge has been Clinton Freeman. The junior outfielder is batting an impressive .404 in 24 starts this season, smacking seven home runs, three triples and nine doubles while driving in 23 and scoring 21. He is slugging .787 for the year while drawing 15 walks and racking up an on-base percentage of .482.
The ETSU pitching staff has been led all season by Kerry Doane, a senior with a 2.33 ERA and 5-1 record. The right hander has pitched five complete games this season, including two shutouts, while striking out a team-high 29 batters in 58 innings of work.
As a team, the Bucs have worked up a 5.09 ERA, throwing three shutouts in 214 innings. They have struck out 130 batters and walked 83, giving up 140 runs, including 121 earned.
CATCHING UP WITH TECH
|
LAST FIVE GAMES FOR |
||||
|
Date |
H/A/N |
Opponent |
Result |
Score |
|
March 24 |
A |
UT Martin* |
W (6) |
8-5 |
|
March 26 |
H |
Maryville (Tenn.) |
W |
1-0 |
|
March 28 |
H |
SIU Edwardsville* |
W |
1-0 |
|
March 30 |
H |
SIU Edwardsville* |
W |
11-3 |
|
March 30 |
H |
SIU Edwardsville* |
L |
6-4 |
The Golden Eagles enter the contest fresh off their first loss since March 9 and ready to begin a new streak. The Tech squad is batting .288 on the year, scoring 187 runs and bashing 24 home runs in 28 games.
On top of the offensive charts for the Golden Eagles is junior Brandon Thomasson. The designated hitter is batting .339 with seven home runs, three triples, and 10 doubles. He has scored 25 times while collecting 31 RBI on his way to a .679 slugging percentage and .430 on-base percentage.
The Tech pitching staff has been very impressive this season, owning a 4.22 ERA in 245 innings pitched. The team has struck out 261 batters, a league-high by a long shot and walked just 108. The team owns three shutouts on the year and has been led all season by senior ace Tristan Archer, recent winner of this week's Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week award.
