UTM SET TO HOST TENNESSEE TECH IN INTRIGUING OVC SERIES AT SKYHAWK FIELD

MARTIN, Tenn. – Returning to the friendly confines of Skyhawk Field for the first time in nearly two weeks, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team confronts one of the most potent offensive attacks in the Ohio Valley Conference this weekend in a pivotal three-game set, playing host to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the fifth league series of the season. First pitch for Game 1 on Friday is penned for a 5:00 start.

Following Wednesday's weather-related cancellation of a planned non-conference outing versus Christian Brothers, the Skyhawks will take the field against TTU for the first time since making the short drive to Murray State over Easter weekend that cemented the halfway point of the spring's OVC schedule. With just under four weeks left until the close of the regular season, the Golden Eagles will venture to Martin sitting in sixth place in the latest conference standings next to a bit of a perplexing 4-5 league record considering the visitors' ability to score runs in a hurry at various points on the year.

Racing out of the gates in 2022 behind a 10-game winning streak right from the jump, the Golden Eagles have fizzled out somewhat with an up-and-down trajectory over the past month, although the high points for TTU have been euphoric whenever the bats are clicking. Just nine days ago on a neutral field in Kodak, the No. 1 ranked Tennessee Volunteers saw their school-record 23-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Golden Eagles by a 3-2 margin.

Tennessee Tech followed up that monumental upset by taking two out of three from preseason OVC favorite Southeast Missouri in Cookeville, winning the beginning and end of the series by a combined score of 17-7. TTU – in a similar manner to the Skyhawks' last home opponent, Austin Peay – heads to Martin on the heels of a visit to No. 5 Vanderbilt in the state capital on Tuesday, a game that was handily won by the Commodores, 7-0.

Downing the Golden Eagles 30 times since becoming conference adversaries, UT Martin has emerged victorious over their purple and gold foe in five out of the last six occasions that the two schools have locked horns, including a three-game sweep in 2019 and back-to-back wins at home last season by a combined score of 16-12. Meeting each other a grand total of 48 times at Skyhawk Field, the all-time record between the two clubs in Martin currently sits dead even at 24-24.

Defense will be a vital area for UTM this weekend when going up against a TTU unit that places second in the OVC in collective batting average (.292), runs scored (258), hits (356), RBI (231), and home runs (58, only two shy of taking the lead in that category). The Golden Eagles have pushed their run count to double digits 13 times this spring while averaging nearly 11 hits per game, anchored by fifth-year senior and OVC batting-average leader Jason Hinchman, a .381 hitter and .748 slugger who has gone yard 15 times in 2022, tied for sixth-most in all of NCAA Division I baseball.

Tennessee Tech's bullpen has also been solid throughout the semester, ranking fourth in the league in total ERA (5.25) and second in opposing BA (2.59). This weekend's duel has all the makings of an unpredictable outcome, as the Skyhawks have begun to find their groove offensively in their own backyard. The last time UTM competed at home (Game 3 vs. APSU), they landed a conference-high 10 runs in a late rally that just fell short, bringing their overall record to 8-24.

All three outings this weekend will be streamed live via ESPN+ as the Skyhawks gear up for another in-state feud's next chapter. Links to video and statistics for the trifecta can be found below, as well as at the top of this page.

Live Video – Game 1: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d118e4f4-2655-442a-b61e-3abd67402901

Live Stats – Game 1: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397511

Live Video – Game 2: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/94c3de80-ba80-44dd-af1f-c413767db915

Live Stats – Game 2: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397512

Live Video – Game 3: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/2d512f58-5729-427c-8d38-ea15309d4cd2

Live Stats – Game 3: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397513

UTM SET TO HOST TENNESSEE TECH IN INTRIGUING OVC SERIES AT SKYHAWK FIELD

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