By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team makes its first-ever trip to St. Charles, Mo for a three-game, Ohio Valley Conference series at Lindenwood this weekend, kicking off the action with a 6:00 p.m. CT affair Friday evening at the Lou Brock Sports Complex.
Game two of the series is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch Saturday afternoon. The third and final tilt of the weekend will commence with another 1:00 p.m. start on Sunday.
Friday's match-up will mark just the fourth match-up all time between the two programs, with the Lions claiming victory in the first two contests of last year's three-game slate in Cookeville. Tech was blanked in the first meeting behind Lindenwood's complete-game shutout from Preston Salazar, an eventual 6-0 decision.
The Lion bats led the way in game two, racking up 17 hits in a 19-12 barn burner. The Golden Eagles salvaged a win in the series finale, edging the visitors 4-3 behind a strong pitching performance from eventual MLB Draft Pick of the Colorado Rockies, Hunter Mann. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings with three total runs allowed and 11 strikeouts in the win.
On Tuesday, the Cookeville crew earned its seventh win in the past eight games with a 9-5 triumph at in-state rival Lipscomb. The Golden Eagles plated a pair in the first and never looked back, taking as large as a 6-0 lead in the ball game.
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 fourth in the nation in triples as a team, boasting 16 so far on the year. Tech ranked 26th nationally in walks, drawing 186 this year to lead the OVC.
Left fielder Austin Turner paces the group with a whopping 39 in 33 games, tying for second nationally. Boasting 112 in his Tech career, he now ranks seventh in program history for walks, boasting two more than current teammate and Golden Eagle catcher Hayden Gilliland. Turner's eight career triples rank eighth in program history.
Turner is also tied for 10th in the nation with four triples while center fielder Nicho Jordan and shortstop Tanner Shiver rank tied for 32nd with three each. Peyton Calitri has been special on the bump, ranking second nationally with a strikeout/walk ratio of 13.75, fanning 55 batters with just four free passes on the year.
Lindenwood enters the weekend with a bit of momentum of its own, winning four of its past five outings, including its first OVC series of the season. The Lions topped Southern Indiana twice in Evansville to close out the weekend, avenging a 9-4 loss in the opener with wins of 7-6 and 9-4 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
On Wednesday, Lindenwood picked up a midweek victory at Bradley, outscoring the Braves 11-9 in a contest that saw both teams produce three runs in the ninth inning.
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Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, Apr. 12 | 5:00 p.m. CT | at Lindenwood
Saturday, Apr. 13 | 1:00 p.m. CT | at Lindenwood
Sunday, Apr. 14 | 1:00 p.m. CT | at Lindenwood
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2024 Record: 20-13
2024 OVC Record: 6-3
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 517-466-2 (18th Season)
Career: 568-542-3 (21st Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Preston Ford (.362)
2B: Troy Baunsgard (12)
3B: Austin Turner (4)
HR: 3 players tied (7)
RBI: Hayden Gilliland (36)
R: Austin Turner (37)
BB: Austin Turner (39)
SLG%: Tanner Shiver (.691)
OB%: Hayden Gilliland / Nicho Jordan (.477)
SB: Austin Turner (14)
ERA: Peyton Calitri (2.04)*
W: Peyton Calitri (5)
APP: Jack Erdman / Drew Mattox (12)
IP: Peyton Calitri (53.0)
K: Peyton Calitri (55)
BAA: Peyton Calitri (.217)*
SV: Jack Erdman (3)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
LINDENWOOD LIONS
2024 Record: 11-21
2024 OVC Record: 4-5
Head Coach: PJ Finigan
LIN: 11-21 (1st Season)
Career: Same
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Anthon Stellato (.323)
2B: Bryson Arnette (8)
3B: Kam Edwards / Colin Shea (2)
HR: Dawson Hokuf (4)
RBI: Dawson Hokuf (20)
R: Kam Edwards (19)
BB: Mitch Cummins (19)
SLG%: Dawson Hokuf (.515)
OB%: Dawson Hokuf (.434)
SB: Kam Edwards (13)
ERA: Eli Brown (4.46)*
W: 4 players tied (2)
APP: Aaron Jungers (12)
IP: Eli Brown (42.1)
K: Eli Brown (37)
BAA: Eli Brown (.253)*
SV: Preston Salazar (2)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
Photo by Jim Dillon
