By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team will host its second Ohio Valley Conference series of the season this weekend, taking on the league's top-ranked Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in a trio of tilts starting with Friday's opener at 6:00 p.m. CT at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Game two of the weekend is slated for a 2:00 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday afternoon, while Sunday's finale will feature a 1:00 p.m. affair at the Quill. The contests will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Dylan Vazzano providing the coverage.
Fans are encouraged to check TTUSports.com and Tennessee Tech social media for any potential updates to this weekend's schedule.
THE SERIES
Friday's series opener marks just the seventh tilt between the two programs, with the Screaming Eagles owning a 4-2 edge in the series. USI also owns a slight 2-1 advantage when competing in Cookeville.
Last season, the Golden Eagles earned a thrilling 9-7 victory in 10 innings in the series opener in Evansville, staying resilient after the Screaming Eagles tied the tilt in the ninth inning. Tech plated two in the top of the 10th before clinching the win with a scoreless bottom half.
Tech looked well on its way to a series victory in the second tilt of the weekend, taking a 5-0 lead into the eighth. USI scored its first and only run of Golden Eagle starter Peyton Calitri in the eighth before stunning the purple and gold in the ninth. The home squad scored three times to pull within a single marker, then ended the contest with a three-run, walk-off home run for a 7-5 win.
Southern Indiana rode the momentum into the finale, claiming an 8-1 decision, with Tech scoring its lone run in the eighth inning.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Eagles enter Friday's series opener following an 11-2 loss at the hands of in-state rival Lipscomb on Wednesday evening in Cookeville. The visiting Bisons piled up 15 hits while holding Tech to just seven on the night.
Prior to the midweek battle, the Cookeville crew picked up its second OVC series win of the year at Western Illinois last weekend.
The Tech offense dominated in the first two meetings, helping produce wins of 14-2 and 10-5. Starter Jaxson Pease moved to 5-1 on the year after tossing 6.0 innings with five punch-outs and just two runs allowed in game one, with the offense delivering 16 hits.
In game two, the Golden Eagles rallied from a couple of small deficits, taking a 6-5 lead into the ninth before plating four more to put the contest to bed. Jack Brafa improved to 6-2 on the season with 3.0 innings of work out of the bullpen, allowing just a single unearned run on four hits. Juan Vargas earned his team-leading sixth save of the year by finishing the final 2.2 innings with four strikeouts.
Western Illinois held Tech to just seven hits in the finale, with the Golden Eagles' lone run coming off a lead-off home run by Ryan Lee. Up 3-1, the Leathernecks put the game out of reach in the seventh with five insurance runs.
THE OPPONENT
The Screaming Eagles head into the weekend series after dropping a midweek affair to No. 25 WKU on Tuesday in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers topped Southern Indiana, 13-9, exploding for a 12-0 lead after five innings and holding on down the stretch.
USI swept a three-game series with Morehead State last weekend to move into first in the OVC standings. Southern Indiana had to rally in two of the three victories, coming back from a 5-0 deficit in the opening game to win 9-5 and a 4-3 deficit to win 6-4 in game three. The Screaming Eagles won the second game of the series in big fashion, 14-6.
Sophomore infielder Parker Martin was named the OVC Player of the Week after leading USI to a 4-0 week, including a sweep of Morehead State University in conference play. Martin hit .538 (7-13) with two runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, and nine RBIs. He also had a slugging percentage of 1.154.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
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) | 547 | ||
| 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 |
PRESEASON OUTLOOK
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.
During its 2025 OVC Season Preview, D1baseball.com selected southpaw Jared Herzog as the No. 1 prospect in the league for the 2025 MLB Draft while outfielder Jorsixt Jimenez was ranked 11th. The D1baseball crew listed catcher Mack Whitcomb as the No. 2 prospect from the OVC for the 2026 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Jack Brafa No. 7 and right-handed hurler Juan Vargas No. 9. Rookie righty Carter Casabella was selected as an Impact Freshman, sitting at No. 10.
OVC HONORS
Back on Mar. 24, senior outfielder Nicho Jordan was recognized as the OVC Player of the Week for the first time in his career, .slashing .583/.688/.1.417 over four games with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. After opening Tech's first OVC series at Little Rock 1-for-4, Jordan exploded in the second contest, tallying two home runs (including one of the inside-the-park variety) on a 4-for-4 day with five RBI, five runs, a walk, and a stolen base.
On Feb. 17, sophomore catcher Mack Whitcomb earned his first career OVC Player of the Week nod, batting .385 with five extra-base hits, six RBI, and five runs in a four-game sweep over Le Moyne on opening weekend. He slugging 1.154 while turning in an OPS of 1.625, smashing two long balls along the way.
Twitter: @TNTech_Baseball
Facebook: /TennesseeTechBaseball
Instagram: TNTech_Baseball
Current Week Schedule
Wednesday, Apr. 9 | vs. Lipscomb | L, 11-2
Friday, Apr. 11 | vs. Southern Indiana | 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, Apr. 12 | vs. Southern Indiana | 2:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, Apr. 13 | vs. Southern Indiana | 1:00 p.m. CT
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2025 Record: 21-13
2025 OVC Record: 6-3
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 547-492-2 (19th Season)
Career: 598-568-3 (22nd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Mack Whitcomb (.357)
2B: Whitcomb (11)
3B: Jackson Green (2)
HR: Whitcomb (7)
RBI: Whitcomb (30)
R: Owen Lee / Whitcomb (29)
BB: O. Lee (24)
SLG%: Whitcomb (.627)
OB%: Whitcomb (.471)
SB: Nicho Jordan (8)
ERA: Juan Vargas (2.10)
W: Jack Brafa (6)
APP: Drew Mattox (14)
IP: Jaxson Pease (42.2)
K: Pease (37)
BAA: Vargas (.191)
SV: Vargas (6)
SOUTHERN INDIANA SCREAMING EAGLES
2025 Record: 16-16
2025 OVC Record: 7-2
Head Coach: Chris Ramirez
USI: 16-16 (1st Season)
Career: 367-219-1 (11th Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Cole Kitchens (.415)
2B: Kannon Coakley / Kitchens (11)
3B: Patrick McLellan (3)
HR: Kitchens (5)
RBI: Kitchens (31)
R: Khi Holiday (35)
BB: Holiday (21)
SLG%: Kitchens (.653)
OB%: Coakley (.480)
SB: Holiday (14)
ERA: Blake Kimball (3.56)
W: Kimball (4)
APP: Sage Stout (14)
IP: Kimball (48.0)
K: Andres Gonzalez (29)
BAA: Brady Watts (.167)
SV: Aaron Rubio (2)
Photo by Betty Myers
