By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team wraps up a grueling stretch of eight games in 10 days Monday afternoon, playing host to Western Kentucky in a 4:00 p.m. CT bout at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The contest was originally scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, but the decision was made to reschedule due to expected inclement weather in the Cookeville area on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Admission to all Tech baseball games is free of charge. Fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com and Tennessee Tech social media for any potential updates to this weekend's schedule.
THE SERIES
Monday's contest represents the 123rd meeting between the two ball clubs in the all-time series, with the Hilltoppers boasting a 70-50-2 advantage. When competing in Cookeville, WKU leads the series with a 38-27-1 mark.
Longtime Ohio Valley Conference and regional rivals, the two sides have been squaring off since 1923. Since the Toppers departure from the league following the 1982 campaign, the two teams have met just 24 times, including only once since 2001.
Tech has picked up wins in each of the last three battles, including a 10-1 victory in Bowling Green, Ky. back during the 2018 Super Regional run. In the midst of a program and OVC-record 28-game winning streak, the purple and gold landed victory No. 21 with a dominant showing.
All-American shortstop David Garza plated five runs on a double and two long balls while All-American first baseman Chase Chambers drove in a pair. Starter Nic Dye completed 5.2 innings with eight strikeouts and just one run allowed on a long ball.
TEAM NOTES
Four-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year Matt Bragga is back for his 19th overall season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program and fourth after making his return to Cookeville in 2022. The Tech legend is starting to climb the OVC's all-time coaching wins list, currently ranked sixth overall. 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 (1958-93) | 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. | Matt Bragga, Tennessee Tech (2004-18, 22-present) | 535 | ||
| 7. | Mark Hogan, Southeast Missouri (1995-12) | 526 | ||
| 8. | Jim Schmitz, Eastern Illinois (1997-15) | 480 | ||
| 9. | John Stanford, Middle Tennessee (1974-87) | 402 | ||
| 10. | Steve Peterson, Middle Tennessee (1988-00) | 401 |
The purple and gold were selected to finish third in the OVC in a preseason vote of league head baseball coaches and communications directors, falling behind only defending tournament champion Southeast Missouri and defending regular-season champ Little Rock.
Tech righted the ship after suffering three straight losses, completing a weekend sweep of UIC at the Quill. The Cookeville crew opened the slate with an offensive explosion, piling up 14 hits in an 11-5 win on Friday.
The Golden Eagles followed it up by winning a tough-nosed battle on Saturday. After trailing 3-0, the purple and gold rallied with a four-run third and two-run fourth for a 6-4 victory. Jorsixth Jimenez led the charge in Sunday's series sweep, driving in six of the team's runs in an 8-3 triumph.
THE OPPONENT
If you thought Tech's stretch has been ruthless, you haven't seen WKU's schedule the past two weeks. After seeing three straight contests either canceled or postponed due to weather, the Hilltoppers will play in their 10th game in the past 10 days, a stretch that has featured two doubleheaders.
WKU kicked off the stretch with a three-game sweep of Lafayette College in a two-day span before suffering its only loss of the season, a 2-1 decision at Murray State. The Toppers rebounded quickly, defeating in-state rival Eastern Kentucky the next day before finally getting a two-day break.
Getting back after it on Friday with another doubleheader, WKU opened a stretch of four straight wins over Central Michigan over the weekend. The Hilltoppers swept the double dip with wins of 9-4 and 2-0 before earning victories of 10-5 and 8-4 on Saturday and Sunday.
Twitter: @TNTech_Baseball
Facebook: /TennesseeTechBaseball
Instagram: TNTech_Baseball
Current Midweek Schedule
Monday, Mar. 3 | 4:00 p.m. CT | vs. WKU
Wednesday, Mar. 5 | 4:00 p.m. CT | at Belmont
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2025 Record: 9-3
2025 OVC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 535-482-2 (19th Season)
Career: 586-558-3 (22nd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Mack Whitcomb (.341)
2B: Whitcomb (4)
3B: Jackson Green / Whitcomb (1)
HR: Whitcomb (3)
RBI: Whitcomb (14)
R: Whitcomb (11)
BB: Nicho Jordan (8)
SLG%: Whitcomb (.707)
OB%: Whitcomb (.462)
SB: Jordan / Owen Lee (3)
ERA: Patrick Johnson / Jaxon Pridgen (0.00)
W: Jaxson Pease (3)
APP: Drew Mattox (5)
IP: Pease (16.1)
K: Pease (17)
BAA: Pridgen (.000)
SV: 3 players tied (2)
WKU HILLTOPPERS
2025 Record: 10-1
2025 CUSA Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Marc Rardin
WKU: 79-49 (3rd Season)
Career: 1,013-301 (23rd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Ryan Wideman (.429)
2B: Carlos Vasquez (5)
3B: Wideman (2)
HR: Ethan Lizama (4)
RBI: Lizama (13)
R: Lizama / Wideman (12)
BB: Kyle Hvidsten (7)
SLG%: Caleb Marmo (.786)
OB%: Hvidsten (.514)
SB: Wideman (6)
ERA: Jack Bennett / Evan Jones (0.00)
W: 3 players tied (2)
APP: Jones (5)
IP: Drew Whalen (14.1)
K: Drew Whalen (25)
BAA: Jones (.105)
SV: Jones (2)
Photo by Jim Dillon
