By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
Tennessee Tech Baseball Midweek Preview (Mar. 20)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team will host its final midweek contest in the comfort of Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Tuesday evening, squaring off with in-state rival Middle Tennessee in a rematch of last week's Wednesday action in Murfreesboro.
First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. CT with the contest slated to be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano on the call. Admission to all Tech baseball games is free of charge and open to the public.
The Golden Eagles dropped two of its three contests over the weekend against in-state foe ETSU, picking up a gutsy, 4-3 victory in the opener. After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the purple and gold fought back over the next three frames to take a 4-3 lead.
Starter Peyton Calitri settled in after a rocky first, finishing the opening five frames before turning the remainder of the contest over to rookie hurler Reece McDuffie. Calitri picked up his second win of the year while McDuffie locked down his first career save after finishing the final four innings.
The Buccaneers answered with wins of 13-4 and 12-0 to take the series from the Golden Eagles.
Last week, when Tech and Middle Tennessee met in Murfreesboro, it was the Blue Raiders who came out on top. The home squad pushed out to a 5-0 lead after the two squads fought to a stalemate through the opening three frames. The Golden Eagles couldn't muster enough offense for a comeback, falling to the Blue Raiders, 11-3.
Middle Tennessee picked up a pair of wins in its three-game set against Western Kentucky over the weekend, opening Conference USA play 2-1. The Blue Raider offense got off to a fast start in a 12-8 win in the opener in Murfreesboro, scoring six in the opening two frames.
The Hilltoppers evened the score on Saturday, besting Middle Tennessee 8-4, and looked well on its way to a series in the finale. The Blue Raiders fought back from a 6-3 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh, however, plating two in the seventh and three more in the eighth for an 8-6 victory.
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Current Midweek Schedule
Tuesday, Mar. 21 | 6:00 p.m. CT | vs. Middle Tennessee | Live Video | Live Stats
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2023 Record: 8-11
2023 OVC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 484-430-2 (17th Season)
Career: 535-506-3 (20th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Theo Bryant IV (.274)
2B: Theo Bryant IV (5)
3B: Peyton Mills (1)
HR: Peyton Mills (6)
RBI: Peyton Mills (20)
R: 3 players tied (14)
BB: Hayden Gilliland (15)
SLG%: Peyton Mills (.588)
OB%: Hayden Gilliland (.427)
SB: Theo Bryant IV (3)
ERA: Reece McDuffie (3.38)
W: Peyton Calitri / Tyler Zarella (2)
APP: Colt Taylor (9)
IP: Peyton Calitri (24.1)
K: Peyton Calitri / Hunter Mann (21)
BAA: Brock Smith (.171)
SV: 5 players tied (1)
MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS
2023 Record: 10-9
2023 CUSA Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Jerry Meyers
MT: 10-9 (1st Season)
Career: 177-167 (7th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: JT Mabry (.411)
2B: JT Mabry (5)
3B: Jared Vetetoe (2)
HR: 3 players tied (4)
RBI: Gabe Jennings (21)
R: JT Mabry (19)
BB: Jeremiah Boyd (16)
SLG%: Jeremiah Boyd (.554)
OB%: JT Mabry (.483)
SB: Brett Coker (9)
ERA: Ollie Akens (3.00)
W: Jaden Hamm (3)
APP: James Sells (8)
IP: Jaden Hamm (32.2)
K: Jaden Hamm (41)
BAA: Eriq Swan (.190)
SV: James Sells (2)
Photo by Jim Dillon
