Friday, April 28
Martin, Tenn.
5 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
Morehead State
Photo by: UT Martin Sports Information
SKYHAWK BASEBALL PLAYS HOST TO MOREHEAD STATE IN OVC SHOWDOWN THIS WEEKEND
4/27/2023 1:02:00 PM | Baseball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin closes out the month of April with a three-game home baseball series against Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State this weekend at Skyhawk Field. First pitch times for the series are 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 and 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.
UT Martin (13-29, 7-8 OVC) hosts the Eagles for the first time in five years as these two sides have only played a total of three games against each other (all in Morehead) since March 2019. The Skyhawks have won each of their last two home series against Morehead State, taking two out of three in 2019 and sweeping the weekend series in 2017.
In conference play, UT Martin ranks second in six major offensive categories: batting average (.306), slugging percentage (.527), on-base percentage (.406), runs scored (109), hits (115) and RBI's (99). The Skyhawks boast three hitters in the top-10 in the OVC in slugging percentage against league pitching in Zac Rice (.813, sixth), Jack Culumovic (.784, seventh) and Mac Danford (.680, 10th).
UT Martin's offense has been guided by Hunter McLean (team-best .333 batting average, OVC-high .507 on-base percentage), Andrew Fernandez (second in the OVC with 15 doubles, third in the league with 54 hits) and Caleb Hobson (OVC-best 27 stolen bases, OVC-high 18 walks drawn in OVC play).
Junior left-handed starting pitcher Tristan Walton has come on strong lately for the Skyhawk pitching staff as he ranks amongst the OVC leaders in strikeouts (24, fourth) and ERA (3.60, fifth) in conference action.
Senior righty Seth Petry (3-4, 6.35 ERA) is expected to start on the hill for UT Martin during Friday's series opener. Walton (3-4, 5.44) will likely follow on Saturday while redshirt junior right-hander Eric Steensma (2-3, 6.43) is listed as the Skyhawks' probable starting pitcher for the series finale.
The Eagles (25-14, 9-3 OVC) come into the series as the OVC's leader in victories, boasting an offense that tops the league in slugging percentage (.511), runs scored (295), RBI's (264) and home runs (72 – 20 more than the next team). OVC Preseason Player of the Year Jackson Feltner leads the league with a .373 batting average while Ryley Preece is .001 batting average points away from topping the OVC in all three triple-crown categories (.468 batting average, .557 on-base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage) against conference pitching.
Morehead State's probable starting pitching rotation is expected to be graduate southpaw John Bakke (5-2, 4.83) on Friday, junior righty Grant Herron (4-1, 5.16) on Saturday and senior right-hander Luke Helton (4-2, 5.68) on Sunday. That trio will look to hand a lead over to OVC saves leader Jarrett Miller, who has managed six saves.
Games 2 and 3 of this series will be streamed live on ESPN+. Those links, plus links to live stats for all games, can be found at the top of the webpage.
UT Martin (13-29, 7-8 OVC) hosts the Eagles for the first time in five years as these two sides have only played a total of three games against each other (all in Morehead) since March 2019. The Skyhawks have won each of their last two home series against Morehead State, taking two out of three in 2019 and sweeping the weekend series in 2017.
In conference play, UT Martin ranks second in six major offensive categories: batting average (.306), slugging percentage (.527), on-base percentage (.406), runs scored (109), hits (115) and RBI's (99). The Skyhawks boast three hitters in the top-10 in the OVC in slugging percentage against league pitching in Zac Rice (.813, sixth), Jack Culumovic (.784, seventh) and Mac Danford (.680, 10th).
UT Martin's offense has been guided by Hunter McLean (team-best .333 batting average, OVC-high .507 on-base percentage), Andrew Fernandez (second in the OVC with 15 doubles, third in the league with 54 hits) and Caleb Hobson (OVC-best 27 stolen bases, OVC-high 18 walks drawn in OVC play).
Junior left-handed starting pitcher Tristan Walton has come on strong lately for the Skyhawk pitching staff as he ranks amongst the OVC leaders in strikeouts (24, fourth) and ERA (3.60, fifth) in conference action.
Senior righty Seth Petry (3-4, 6.35 ERA) is expected to start on the hill for UT Martin during Friday's series opener. Walton (3-4, 5.44) will likely follow on Saturday while redshirt junior right-hander Eric Steensma (2-3, 6.43) is listed as the Skyhawks' probable starting pitcher for the series finale.
The Eagles (25-14, 9-3 OVC) come into the series as the OVC's leader in victories, boasting an offense that tops the league in slugging percentage (.511), runs scored (295), RBI's (264) and home runs (72 – 20 more than the next team). OVC Preseason Player of the Year Jackson Feltner leads the league with a .373 batting average while Ryley Preece is .001 batting average points away from topping the OVC in all three triple-crown categories (.468 batting average, .557 on-base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage) against conference pitching.
Morehead State's probable starting pitching rotation is expected to be graduate southpaw John Bakke (5-2, 4.83) on Friday, junior righty Grant Herron (4-1, 5.16) on Saturday and senior right-hander Luke Helton (4-2, 5.68) on Sunday. That trio will look to hand a lead over to OVC saves leader Jarrett Miller, who has managed six saves.
Games 2 and 3 of this series will be streamed live on ESPN+. Those links, plus links to live stats for all games, can be found at the top of the webpage.
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