Friday, March 25
Martin, Tenn.
5 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
Eastern Illinois
OHIO VALLEY CONFERNCE OPENER AWAITS SKYHAWK BASEBALL IN THE FORM OF WEEKEND SERIES VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS
3/24/2022 12:16:00 PM | Baseball
MARTIN, Tenn. – With 18 games behind them in the month-long precursor to Ohio Valley Conference competition, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team has arrived at the first league series of 2022 this weekend, hosting their first of four OVC opponents at Skyhawk Field starting Friday. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois – one of the more enticing matchups across the conference – have the distinction of visiting UTM first, staged for 5:00 p.m. tomorrow in Game 1.
In what will mark the first game in five days for both parties thanks to complications with rainy weather throughout the week, the Skyhawks stroll into league play with a record of 7-11 following a three-game set with Western Carolina in Cullowhee. The Panthers, meanwhile, hold the fewest losses of any team in the OVC with a 13-4 mark, amazingly without a single home appearance to date.
Attracting a nine-game winning streak that ended last weekend in Game 2 vs. McNeese State, Eastern Illinois nonetheless took two out of the three meetings against the Cowboys mainly thanks to their strength on the mound, ranking 2nd in the OVC with a 4.02 ERA behind an opposing batting average of .271, good enough for 4th in the league.
Since joining the NCAA's Division I level in 1993, the Skyhawks have bested the Panthers 28 times beside 43 losses. Downing EIU 11 times on their home turf, UTM managed to take two out of three in Charleston last season in both the opener and closer. Winning those two bouts 5-1 and 5-2 respectively, the Skyhawks and head coach Ryan Jenkins will search for a statement victory this weekend against one of the strongest teams in the OVC.
The Panthers will be making their first trip to Martin since 2018 for Friday's series-starter, where the navy and orange have gathered a record of 2-3 since February. After winning the Game 3 finale at home vs. Miami (Ohio) one month back, the Skyhawks emerged victorious in a similar manner the last time they competed in their own backyard, holding a red-hot Southern Illinois squad to just two hits in a 5-2 decision.
Tomorrow evening's OVC curtain-jerker should turn into quite the pitcher's duel if statistics are to be believed, as sophomore slinger Rhett Fetner goes head-to-head with EIU starter Trevor Nicholson, both recipients of the league's Pitcher of the Week honor already this year. Riding an individual streak of four consecutive wins – which includes a complete-game shutout over Central Arkansas and a 6-2 triumph over Western Carolina in his last go-around – Fetner will look to slow down an offense averaging nearly eight runs per contest, giving up only three extra-base hits in 111 at-bats.
On the other side of the coin, Nicholson stands as the Ohio Valley Conference leader in ERA (0.39 in 23.1 innings), opposing batting average (.157), and batters struck out (38). Second only to Fetner with three wins to his name, the senior southpaw will go up against a UT Martin offense that has gathered 17 home runs from 11 different players this year, ranking 5th in the league.
Once the first bout has finished on Friday, the next afternoon's Game 2 will see junior righty Matt Dickey go head-to-head with EIU's Cameron Doherty. The Panthers will then go with redshirt-junior Blake Malatestinic for Sunday's final act, while the Skyhawks' Game 3 pitcher remains TBD.
All three games at Skyhawk Field will be broadcasted live via ESPN+ with Brandon Burke on the call. Links to both the live video feed and statistics can be found below or at the top of this page.
Game 1 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/deec8df4-b4d0-484f-ac5c-94440260bc65#bucketId=1
Game 1 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397504
Game 2 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/f7bc3d86-6da5-4a3b-a83b-4e09feb285a5#bucketId=1
Game 2 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397505
Game 3 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/15b19636-f43e-4c1e-a8d6-a08761f9e86e#bucketId=1
Game 3 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397506
In what will mark the first game in five days for both parties thanks to complications with rainy weather throughout the week, the Skyhawks stroll into league play with a record of 7-11 following a three-game set with Western Carolina in Cullowhee. The Panthers, meanwhile, hold the fewest losses of any team in the OVC with a 13-4 mark, amazingly without a single home appearance to date.
Attracting a nine-game winning streak that ended last weekend in Game 2 vs. McNeese State, Eastern Illinois nonetheless took two out of the three meetings against the Cowboys mainly thanks to their strength on the mound, ranking 2nd in the OVC with a 4.02 ERA behind an opposing batting average of .271, good enough for 4th in the league.
Since joining the NCAA's Division I level in 1993, the Skyhawks have bested the Panthers 28 times beside 43 losses. Downing EIU 11 times on their home turf, UTM managed to take two out of three in Charleston last season in both the opener and closer. Winning those two bouts 5-1 and 5-2 respectively, the Skyhawks and head coach Ryan Jenkins will search for a statement victory this weekend against one of the strongest teams in the OVC.
The Panthers will be making their first trip to Martin since 2018 for Friday's series-starter, where the navy and orange have gathered a record of 2-3 since February. After winning the Game 3 finale at home vs. Miami (Ohio) one month back, the Skyhawks emerged victorious in a similar manner the last time they competed in their own backyard, holding a red-hot Southern Illinois squad to just two hits in a 5-2 decision.
Tomorrow evening's OVC curtain-jerker should turn into quite the pitcher's duel if statistics are to be believed, as sophomore slinger Rhett Fetner goes head-to-head with EIU starter Trevor Nicholson, both recipients of the league's Pitcher of the Week honor already this year. Riding an individual streak of four consecutive wins – which includes a complete-game shutout over Central Arkansas and a 6-2 triumph over Western Carolina in his last go-around – Fetner will look to slow down an offense averaging nearly eight runs per contest, giving up only three extra-base hits in 111 at-bats.
On the other side of the coin, Nicholson stands as the Ohio Valley Conference leader in ERA (0.39 in 23.1 innings), opposing batting average (.157), and batters struck out (38). Second only to Fetner with three wins to his name, the senior southpaw will go up against a UT Martin offense that has gathered 17 home runs from 11 different players this year, ranking 5th in the league.
Once the first bout has finished on Friday, the next afternoon's Game 2 will see junior righty Matt Dickey go head-to-head with EIU's Cameron Doherty. The Panthers will then go with redshirt-junior Blake Malatestinic for Sunday's final act, while the Skyhawks' Game 3 pitcher remains TBD.
All three games at Skyhawk Field will be broadcasted live via ESPN+ with Brandon Burke on the call. Links to both the live video feed and statistics can be found below or at the top of this page.
Game 1 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/deec8df4-b4d0-484f-ac5c-94440260bc65#bucketId=1
Game 1 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397504
Game 2 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/f7bc3d86-6da5-4a3b-a83b-4e09feb285a5#bucketId=1
Game 2 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397505
Game 3 Live Video - https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/15b19636-f43e-4c1e-a8d6-a08761f9e86e#bucketId=1
Game 3 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397506
Players Mentioned
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