By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
Tennessee Tech Baseball Weekend Preview (May 4)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team makes its way back to Cookeville for another Ohio Valley Conference series this weekend, playing host to SIUE at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex starting Friday evening.
First pitch for the series opener on Friday has been moved up to a 2:00 p.m. CT start due to anticipated inclement weather in the Cookeville area in the evening. Saturday's tilt will commence at 2:00 p.m. while Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start. Saturday and Sunday's game 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.
Tech will host its annual Alumni Day on Saturday, May 6, with all Golden Eagle baseball alumni encouraged to attend. There will be a tent and refreshments set up beginning at 12:00 p.m. CT for baseball alumni just inside the entrance of Bush Stadium. For more information about Alumni Day, please contact Kristie Phillips at kphillips@tntech.edu.
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend after falling twice up in Charleston, Ill. against Eastern Illinois last week. Tech claimed the series opener with the Panthers, rocking an 8-3 victory behind strong pitching from Hunter Mann and Jacob Morin and an all-around offensive onslaught that saw every player in the lineup gather at least one hit.
EIU answered back in the Saturday tilt, racing out to a 12-4 win to even the series. The purple and gold turned in a furious rally in the finale on Sunday, falling just short in an 11-10 loss.
For the weekend, first baseman John Dyer continued his manic tear at the dish, capturing both Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and OVC Player of the Week accolades. The senior slammed five home runs in the three games, driving in nine while hitting .462 and slugging 1.615.
He became just the 29th member of the OVC's 40-home run club and the sixth Golden Eagle to reach the mark. The Mt. Juliet native also tied a program record with his fifth-straight contest clearing the fences, a mark set by Matt Ballard back in 1992 and matched by Zach Stephens in 2012.
Dyer's second round-tripper of the finale, his 17th long ball of the year and 41st of his career, gave the slugger eight in his last nine games, a stretch bested only once in program history by Ryan Guardino with 10 dingers in seven games last season. The Tech leader has been on a torrid pace the past month plus, piling up a whopping 16 round-trippers in the team's last 22 games and compiling a .413 average, .465 on-base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage, 25 runs scored, 31 RBI, and six doubles.
SIUE comes into the contest after winning two of its three games against Southern Indiana last weekend in Edwardsville, Ill. The Cougar offense led the way to a 10-3 win in the opener, plating five in the fourth and four more in the sixth.
USI got its revenge in the middle contest, outscoring the home squad 12-5 to even things up. In the finale, SIUE bounced back for a 14-4 victory in seven innings, thanks to a huge seven spot in the fifth.
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Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 5 | 2:00 p.m. CT | vs. SIUE | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, May 6 | 2:00 p.m. CT | vs. SIUE | Live Video | Live Stats
Sunday, May 7 | 1:00 p.m. CT | vs. SIUE | Live Video | Live Stats
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2023 Record: 14-27
2023 OVC Record: 5-10
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 490-446-2 (17th Season)
Career: 541-522-3 (20th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: John Dyer (.331)
2B: Peyton Mills (9)
3B: 4 players tied (1)
HR: John Dyer (17)
RBI: Peyton Mills (43)
R: John Dyer (37)
BB: Troy Baunsgard / Hayden Gilliland (29)
SLG%: John Dyer (.722)
OB%: Troy Baunsgard (.427)
SB: Theo Bryant IV (4)
ERA: Jacob Morin (4.28)
W: Peyton Calitri (3)
APP: Colt Taylor (17)
IP: Hunter Mann (48.0)
K: Hunter Mann (62)
BAA: Jacob Morin / Brock Smith (.220)
SV: Brody Lanham / Jacob Morin (2)
SIUE COUGARS
2023 Record: 24-19
2023 OVC Record: 7-8
Head Coach: Sean Lyons
SIUE: 139-179 (7th Season)
Career: Same
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Brennan Orf (.344)
2B: Brady Bunten (18)
3B: Brennan Orf / Avery Owusu-Asiedu (2)
HR: Brennan Orf (15)
RBI: Brennan Orf (40)
R: Brennan Orf (58)
BB: Brennan Orf (43)
SLG%: Brennan Orf (.748)
OB%: Brennan Orf (.500)
SB: Avery Owusu-Asiedu (20)
ERA: Tyler DeLong (2.95)
W: Tyler DeLong (5)
APP: Jacob Kampf / Zeus Ponder (18)
IP: Jake Bockenstedt (62.0)
K: Tyler DeLong (68)
BAA: Tyler DeLong (.191)
SV: Zeus Ponder (5)
Photo by Jim Dillon
