Tuesday, April 13
Martin, Tenn.
5 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
Southeast Missouri
Photo by: UT Martin University Relations
UT MARTIN BASEBALL STARTS SEASON-LONG FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND TOMORROW IN NONCONFERENCE MATCHUP AGAINST SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
4/12/2021 4:23:00 PM | Baseball
MARTIN, Tenn. – After 14 consecutive games on the road, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball squad returns to Skyhawk Field for a Tuesday, April 13 nonconference outing against Southeast Missouri. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
This game will be just the fourth home contest of the season for UT Martin, compared to 24 already on the road during the 2021 campaign. The Skyhawks last played in front of the home crowd on March 11-12, taking two of three against Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont.
UT Martin's lineup has been carried recently by a pair of left-handed hitters in Wil LaFollette and Blake Daniels as each are carrying eight-game hitting streaks. Starting with Tuesday's game at No. 1 Vanderbilt, LaFollette produced multi-hit performances in all four games last week – including a season-bests in hits (three), RBI's (three) and runs scored (three) in the series finale at SIUE. Meanwhile, Daniels hit .462 (6-for-13) while accounting for team-highs in runs scored (five), slugging percentage (1.077) and on-base percentage (.563) last week.
Ethan Whitley also had a good week at the dish for the Skyhawks, hitting a sizzling .526 (10-of-19) – including a career-best four hits in Game 2 of the SIUE series. The junior first baseman smacked his 24th career home run in Saturday's victory at SIUE, which shot him into fourth place in school history in that category.
Overall, UT Martin (11-16) ranks second in the OVC with 36 home runs. Christian Hall ranks in the top-six in the league with eight home runs (fourth), 29 RBI's (fifth) and a .625 slugging percentage (sixth). LaFollette's seven round trippers rank seventh in the conference while Sean Dixson's three triples are tied for the OVC lead.
On the pitching side, the Skyhawks' 4.68 cumulative ERA ranks second in the conference while their 87 walks allowed are the fewest of any OVC staff. One of UT Martin's major strengths has been its bullpen as primary relievers David Hussey (1.33 ERA in 12 appearances), Seth Petry (1.65 ERA in nine appearances), Tucker Reed (2.00 ERA in four appearances – all since March 30) and Matthew Shunk (2.57 ERA in eight appearances) have all shined in high-pressure situations.
Ryan Insco is also coming off one of the best appearances of his career, a three-inning, one-hit, career-high five-strikeout performance at SIUE in Game 1 of last Friday's doubleheader. It was the fourth scoreless appearance of the spring for the freshman righty out of Kirkwood, Mo.
The Skyhawks' probable starting pitcher for tomorrow is sophomore right-hander Seth Petry (1-1). The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native will be making his third start of the season as he has allowed a miniscule .207 opponent batting average with 13 strikeouts over 16.1 innings of work.
Southeast Missouri enters the contest with a 15-14 overall record. Although this game does not count towards the OVC standings, the Redhawks are second in that category as their 9-6 mark in league play trails only Morehead State (6-3). Offensively, Southeast Missouri likes to cause havoc on the basepaths as it leads the OVC in stolen bases (40) and sacrifice bunts (19). Junior shortstop Tyler Wilber tops the OVC in hits (45) while ranking third in batting average (.395), seventh in on-base percentage (.455) and eighth in RBI's (27). Bryce Grossius (1-1, 8.66 ERA) is expected to get the starting nod on the mound tomorrow for the Redhawks, as the sophomore righty will be making his 11th appearance and second start of the season.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. That link - as well as a link for live stats - can be found at the top of the webpage.
This game will be just the fourth home contest of the season for UT Martin, compared to 24 already on the road during the 2021 campaign. The Skyhawks last played in front of the home crowd on March 11-12, taking two of three against Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont.
UT Martin's lineup has been carried recently by a pair of left-handed hitters in Wil LaFollette and Blake Daniels as each are carrying eight-game hitting streaks. Starting with Tuesday's game at No. 1 Vanderbilt, LaFollette produced multi-hit performances in all four games last week – including a season-bests in hits (three), RBI's (three) and runs scored (three) in the series finale at SIUE. Meanwhile, Daniels hit .462 (6-for-13) while accounting for team-highs in runs scored (five), slugging percentage (1.077) and on-base percentage (.563) last week.
Ethan Whitley also had a good week at the dish for the Skyhawks, hitting a sizzling .526 (10-of-19) – including a career-best four hits in Game 2 of the SIUE series. The junior first baseman smacked his 24th career home run in Saturday's victory at SIUE, which shot him into fourth place in school history in that category.
Overall, UT Martin (11-16) ranks second in the OVC with 36 home runs. Christian Hall ranks in the top-six in the league with eight home runs (fourth), 29 RBI's (fifth) and a .625 slugging percentage (sixth). LaFollette's seven round trippers rank seventh in the conference while Sean Dixson's three triples are tied for the OVC lead.
On the pitching side, the Skyhawks' 4.68 cumulative ERA ranks second in the conference while their 87 walks allowed are the fewest of any OVC staff. One of UT Martin's major strengths has been its bullpen as primary relievers David Hussey (1.33 ERA in 12 appearances), Seth Petry (1.65 ERA in nine appearances), Tucker Reed (2.00 ERA in four appearances – all since March 30) and Matthew Shunk (2.57 ERA in eight appearances) have all shined in high-pressure situations.
Ryan Insco is also coming off one of the best appearances of his career, a three-inning, one-hit, career-high five-strikeout performance at SIUE in Game 1 of last Friday's doubleheader. It was the fourth scoreless appearance of the spring for the freshman righty out of Kirkwood, Mo.
The Skyhawks' probable starting pitcher for tomorrow is sophomore right-hander Seth Petry (1-1). The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native will be making his third start of the season as he has allowed a miniscule .207 opponent batting average with 13 strikeouts over 16.1 innings of work.
Southeast Missouri enters the contest with a 15-14 overall record. Although this game does not count towards the OVC standings, the Redhawks are second in that category as their 9-6 mark in league play trails only Morehead State (6-3). Offensively, Southeast Missouri likes to cause havoc on the basepaths as it leads the OVC in stolen bases (40) and sacrifice bunts (19). Junior shortstop Tyler Wilber tops the OVC in hits (45) while ranking third in batting average (.395), seventh in on-base percentage (.455) and eighth in RBI's (27). Bryce Grossius (1-1, 8.66 ERA) is expected to get the starting nod on the mound tomorrow for the Redhawks, as the sophomore righty will be making his 11th appearance and second start of the season.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. That link - as well as a link for live stats - can be found at the top of the webpage.
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