Friday, March 17
OXFORD, AL
6 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Eastern Illinois
JSU Baseball Hosts Eastern Illinois in OVC Home Opener
3/16/2017 3:34:00 PM | Baseball
LIVE STATS Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
JACKSONVILLE – After Playing 14 of the first 16 games on the road, including the first weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play, the Jacksonville State baseball team will host the Panthers of Eastern Illinois this weekend in the first OVC home series of the season.
Friday's opener will get underway at 6 p.m., while the two clubs will meet at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
JSU, playing its home games during the 2017 season at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama due to renovations at Rudy Abbott Field, looks to bounce back after dropping the first three league games last weekend at Austin Peay. EIU was idle from the conference last weekend and begins its 30-game OVC slate against the Gamecocks and will enter the weekend at 1-14 on the season. Jax State enters the weekend set at 8-8 overall after splitting a pair of midweek games against Samford and Auburn. JSU downed Samford on Tuesday in its second home contest of the season on Tuesday, but dropped a Wednesday road decision to the Tigers of AU. EIU has toured the state of Alabama this weekend, having played a three-game series last weekend at Samford and a Tuesday contest at Alabama.
After logging so many miles on the road in the first four weekends of the season, JSU will enjoy the confines of its temporary home for the weekend. JSU has claimed both contests played at Choccolocco Park, which will serve as the home of the OVC Baseball Tournament for the next two seasons. Jax State has scored 14 runs on 14 hits combined in the two games, including five extra base hits. The JSU pitching staff has been impressive in both home games as opponents are hitting .169 against Gamecock pitchers at Choccolocco Park. JSU has allowed five runs in 18 innings of work and has struck out 27 batters. Through the first 16 games of the season, JSU pitchers have accumulated 143 strikeouts, averaging close to 9.0 strikeouts per game. The Gamecock staff has posted double figure strikeout totals in six games this season, including three of the last four games. JSU pitchers fanned a season-high 15 at Western Kentucky. Last weekend at APSU, JSU collected 30 strikeouts.
Sophomore Derrick Adams will get the starting nod in Friday's series opener, while junior Colton Pate and senior Joe McGuire will toe to rubber on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Offensively, the Gamecocks' bats have cooled like the cooling temperatures in the last week. In the last five games, JSU is hitting .200 collectively and has scored 19 runs. Junior Trent Simpson has carried Jax State in the last five games with six hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run. The Oxford, Alabama product ranks second on the club with a .310 batting average. The weather forecast for this weekend has the temperatures at normal during the month of March. On the season, junior shortstop Taylor Hawthorne leads JSU at the plate with a .328 clip. The Prattville, Alabama native has a team-best 21 hits and 12 RBI.
All three games will be available through live stat links on JSUGamecockSports.com. Tickets are also available online and at the gate of Choccolocco Park.
JACKSONVILLE – After Playing 14 of the first 16 games on the road, including the first weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play, the Jacksonville State baseball team will host the Panthers of Eastern Illinois this weekend in the first OVC home series of the season.
Friday's opener will get underway at 6 p.m., while the two clubs will meet at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
JSU, playing its home games during the 2017 season at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama due to renovations at Rudy Abbott Field, looks to bounce back after dropping the first three league games last weekend at Austin Peay. EIU was idle from the conference last weekend and begins its 30-game OVC slate against the Gamecocks and will enter the weekend at 1-14 on the season. Jax State enters the weekend set at 8-8 overall after splitting a pair of midweek games against Samford and Auburn. JSU downed Samford on Tuesday in its second home contest of the season on Tuesday, but dropped a Wednesday road decision to the Tigers of AU. EIU has toured the state of Alabama this weekend, having played a three-game series last weekend at Samford and a Tuesday contest at Alabama.
After logging so many miles on the road in the first four weekends of the season, JSU will enjoy the confines of its temporary home for the weekend. JSU has claimed both contests played at Choccolocco Park, which will serve as the home of the OVC Baseball Tournament for the next two seasons. Jax State has scored 14 runs on 14 hits combined in the two games, including five extra base hits. The JSU pitching staff has been impressive in both home games as opponents are hitting .169 against Gamecock pitchers at Choccolocco Park. JSU has allowed five runs in 18 innings of work and has struck out 27 batters. Through the first 16 games of the season, JSU pitchers have accumulated 143 strikeouts, averaging close to 9.0 strikeouts per game. The Gamecock staff has posted double figure strikeout totals in six games this season, including three of the last four games. JSU pitchers fanned a season-high 15 at Western Kentucky. Last weekend at APSU, JSU collected 30 strikeouts.
Sophomore Derrick Adams will get the starting nod in Friday's series opener, while junior Colton Pate and senior Joe McGuire will toe to rubber on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Offensively, the Gamecocks' bats have cooled like the cooling temperatures in the last week. In the last five games, JSU is hitting .200 collectively and has scored 19 runs. Junior Trent Simpson has carried Jax State in the last five games with six hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run. The Oxford, Alabama product ranks second on the club with a .310 batting average. The weather forecast for this weekend has the temperatures at normal during the month of March. On the season, junior shortstop Taylor Hawthorne leads JSU at the plate with a .328 clip. The Prattville, Alabama native has a team-best 21 hits and 12 RBI.
All three games will be available through live stat links on JSUGamecockSports.com. Tickets are also available online and at the gate of Choccolocco Park.
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