UT Martin
Illinois State
SKYHAWK BASEBALL RETURNS HOME FOR WEEKEND SERIES WITH ILLINOIS STATE
3/14/2024 11:41:00 AM | Baseball
MARTIN, Tenn.- After a five-game road trip, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team is set to host a three-game series with Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State. Game 1 is set for Friday, March 15 at 5 p.m. with Game 2 on Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. and the series finale will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 17.
The Skyhawk offense has continued to pose major threats to their adversaries this season. The squad as a whole ranks among the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average (.283, second), hits (161, second), doubles (first) and slugging percentage (.449, third). Meanwhile, the pitching staff places third in fewest hits allowed (150) and fourth in opponent batting average (.270).
Andrew Fernandez has put together a solid campaign thus far. The Kissimmee, Fla. native finds himself ranked with the best bats in the OVC in terms of slugging percentage (.667, eighth), runs scored (18, fifth), hits (23, fourth), doubles (five, seventh) and home runs (four). Additionally, Will Smith (21 hits, eighth in the OVC), Mac Danford (17 RBI's, sixth in the OVC) and Jackson Cooke (four-game hitting streak) have given UT Martin (5-12) some firepower.
Senior left-hander Tristan Walton (team-high 28 strikeouts) and senior righty Eric Steensma (team-high 21.2 innings pitched) have been some of the league's best arms in non-conference play. Jeb Bartle (no runs allowed in last 8.1 innings pitched) and Brock Arender (three appearances and 0.00 ERA) have given the Skyhawks solid outings recently. Tucker Reed has found his groove in his last two appearances (3.2 innings pitched, two hits and four strikeouts) while Dylan Lapic (3.68 ERA, .208 opponent batting average) continues to perform well in his debut season.
Illinois State (6-8) is coming off a 16-6 thumping of Big 10 opponent Indiana in a midweek contest. Senior outfielder Auggie Rasmussen belted his first two homers of the season in the win over the Hoosiers.
The Redbirds rank third in the MVC with a .300 batting average while Daniel Pacella has been all over the baseball (four home runs, .370 batting average, 17 RBI's and .667 slugging percentage). Noah Rabin (team-leading five home runs), Luke Lawrence (22 hits, ninth in MVC), Judah Morris (seven doubles, second in MVC) and Luke Cheng (team-best .455 on-base percentage) make up a potent Illinois State offensive attack.
Joe Husak (1.04 ERA over 17.1 innings pitched) has been outstanding as his ERA is tied for eighth nationally. Tyrelle Chadwick (team-high 21 innings pitched and 22 batters fanned), Ben Dandelet (2.45 ERA in four appearances) and Lawson Minshew (.182 opponent batting average) give head coach Steve Holm good depth in his pitching staff.
UT Martin is expected to start Walton (2-2, 3.10 ERA) for Game 1 with Steensma (1-2, 3.32 ERA) taking the mound in Game 2 and Bartle (1-0, 5.40 ERA) slated to get the ball in the series finale. The Redbirds will bring Cameron Mabee (2-1, 6.64 ERA) to the bump in Game 1, Tyrelle Chadwick (2-2, 6.43 ERA) for Game 2 and Tanner Perry (0-3, 6.23 ERA) in Game 3.
Fans can watch the action on ESPN+ and follow along via the live stats link above.
