JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State baseball team will begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday, hosting Alabama State at Rudy Abbott Field before welcoming the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky for a weekend series.
Wednesday's contest with the Hornets is set for 3 p.m. on the JSU campus and it will be Fan Appreciation Day with free admission for all fans. The ASU game was scheduled for Tuesday evening, but due to forecasted rain showers in the area, the in-state match up was pushed back a day. Wednesday's afternoon tilt will be the first of three games with the Hornets this season. JSU will host ASU at the end of March at Rudy Abbott Field before JSU travels to Montgomery, Alabama on April 26. ASU will bring an overall mark of 3-5 in to Wednesday's game after taking two-of-three this past weekend against WInthrop at home.
The medweek duel will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.
The Gamecocks enter the four games in five days stretch at 3-3 on the season after dropping a weekend series at Kennesaw State. JSU suffered a pair of tough setbacks on Friday and Sunday, but took a 10-5 decision against the Owls on Saturday.
Paschal Petrongolo has started his senior campaign swinging a hot stick through the first two weekends of the season. Petrongolo leads Jax State at the plate with a .417 batting average and tied with
Clayton Daniel and
Gavin Golsan for the team lead in total hits with 10. The Blackwood, New Jersey native has five extra base hits, including two home runs – which he belted this past weekend at KSU. Petrongolo finished the weekend 6-for-12 with seven RBI. He blasted a grand slam in Sunday's 11-9 setback and had a solo shot in Saturday's contest.
Daniel, from Guntersville, Alabama, has picked up right where he left off from a solid freshman campaign. The second baseman has hit safely in all six games this season and pushed his hitting streak to 15 games dating back to last season. Daniel has also reached base 28 consecutive games dating back to April of 2015. Golsan ranks third on the team in batting average at .370 and continues to cause havoc on base paths with five stolen bases on the season, including three swiped bases versus KSU on Saturday. The Mountain Brook, Alabama outfielder registered his second home run of the season on Saturday along with a double in Friday's opener.
WKU, members of Conference USA, enters the week at 5-1 before facing Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont on Tuesday and hosting Lipscomb on Wednesday. The Hilltoppers won all three games this past weekend in Athens, Georgia in the Bulldog Invitational. WKU topped Cincinnati and South Alabama before edging host-UGA, 8-7, on Sunday.
The homestand will close on March 9 against in-state nemesis Troy.
