Thursday, May 20
JACKSONVILLE
6:00 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Eastern Illinois
OVC Tourney Implications On The Line Against EIU This Weekend
5/19/2021 3:48:00 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE – With postseason berths at stake in the final weekend of the 2021 season, the Jacksonville state baseball team will host Eastern Illinois in an all-important three-game series on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
With the 2021 OVC Tournament starting next Thursday, the final weekend of the regular season will get started on Thursday with a 6 p.m. contest. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. with senior day recognition taking place prior to the start of the action on Friday. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.
Entering the final weekend of the league slate, eight of the 11 teams in the league are vying for one of the four spots in the tournament field. The Gamecocks (24-26, 14-13 OVC) begin the weekend in a tie for fourth place with Austin Peay but are on the outside looking into the four-team tournament due to APSU winning the season series last weekend in Clarksville. The Governors will travel to OVC leader Murray State this weekend. The Panthers of EIU come to Jacksonville with their sights set on a tournament berth with a 13-14 league mark through 27 games.
Jax State will honor its 2020 and 2021 senior classes prior Friday's activity. The four seniors on the 2021 club are Tre Kirklin, Kyle Luigs, Alex Webb and Corley Woods. Kirklin, Webb and Woods chose to use the extra year provided to them after last season was cut short die to the COVID-19 pandemic. JSU will also recognize members of the 2020 class with Andrew Naismith, Chase Robinson, Tyler Wilburn and Taylor Craven.
Kirklin, from Kennesaw, Georgia, saw his 2021 season come to an end due to an injury during the Morehead State series in late April. In two-plus seasons as a Gamecock, Kirklin played in 106 games and started in the outfield for 102 of those games. Before suffering the injury, he had started in 73 consecutive games dating back to the last 21 games of the 2019 season. The speedy outfielder finished with 117 total hits, 32 for extra bases and swiped 29 bases in 33 attempts.
Luigs, a graduate transfer from North Georgia, bolstered the Gamecock bullpen with experience. The Richmond Hill, Georgia native has made 17 appearances on the mound, including three starts this season. Luigs has collected three wins, including a win last week at APSU after tossing a career-high 5.1 innings.
Webb, a mainstay behind the plate for JSU since 2019 has prospered in his time with the program. He was named the 2019 OVC Baseball Tournament Most Valuable Player along with claiming All-OVC honors. After a shortened 2020 season, the Columbia, Tennessee native returned for his final year to cap off an impressive career at the plate. Webb has played in 126 games, started in 123 of those games and has registered 157 career hits, 62 for extra bases, which is 40 percent of his hits as a Gamecock. He will exit the program among the top-20 all-time JSU players on the program's career RBI list with 120. Defensively, he has thrown out 30 base runners on the base paths.
Woods has been the anchor of the JSU pitching staff with 90 career appearances entering the weekend and over 146 innings of pitching. The Alexander City, Alabama righthander has collected 10 career saves and nine wins in relief. Woods has posted 103 strikeouts and 62 earned runs/ He capped off JSU combined no-hitter on March 29 against Tennessee Tech.
All three games will be available on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
With the 2021 OVC Tournament starting next Thursday, the final weekend of the regular season will get started on Thursday with a 6 p.m. contest. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. with senior day recognition taking place prior to the start of the action on Friday. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.
Entering the final weekend of the league slate, eight of the 11 teams in the league are vying for one of the four spots in the tournament field. The Gamecocks (24-26, 14-13 OVC) begin the weekend in a tie for fourth place with Austin Peay but are on the outside looking into the four-team tournament due to APSU winning the season series last weekend in Clarksville. The Governors will travel to OVC leader Murray State this weekend. The Panthers of EIU come to Jacksonville with their sights set on a tournament berth with a 13-14 league mark through 27 games.
Jax State will honor its 2020 and 2021 senior classes prior Friday's activity. The four seniors on the 2021 club are Tre Kirklin, Kyle Luigs, Alex Webb and Corley Woods. Kirklin, Webb and Woods chose to use the extra year provided to them after last season was cut short die to the COVID-19 pandemic. JSU will also recognize members of the 2020 class with Andrew Naismith, Chase Robinson, Tyler Wilburn and Taylor Craven.
Kirklin, from Kennesaw, Georgia, saw his 2021 season come to an end due to an injury during the Morehead State series in late April. In two-plus seasons as a Gamecock, Kirklin played in 106 games and started in the outfield for 102 of those games. Before suffering the injury, he had started in 73 consecutive games dating back to the last 21 games of the 2019 season. The speedy outfielder finished with 117 total hits, 32 for extra bases and swiped 29 bases in 33 attempts.
Luigs, a graduate transfer from North Georgia, bolstered the Gamecock bullpen with experience. The Richmond Hill, Georgia native has made 17 appearances on the mound, including three starts this season. Luigs has collected three wins, including a win last week at APSU after tossing a career-high 5.1 innings.
Webb, a mainstay behind the plate for JSU since 2019 has prospered in his time with the program. He was named the 2019 OVC Baseball Tournament Most Valuable Player along with claiming All-OVC honors. After a shortened 2020 season, the Columbia, Tennessee native returned for his final year to cap off an impressive career at the plate. Webb has played in 126 games, started in 123 of those games and has registered 157 career hits, 62 for extra bases, which is 40 percent of his hits as a Gamecock. He will exit the program among the top-20 all-time JSU players on the program's career RBI list with 120. Defensively, he has thrown out 30 base runners on the base paths.
Woods has been the anchor of the JSU pitching staff with 90 career appearances entering the weekend and over 146 innings of pitching. The Alexander City, Alabama righthander has collected 10 career saves and nine wins in relief. Woods has posted 103 strikeouts and 62 earned runs/ He capped off JSU combined no-hitter on March 29 against Tennessee Tech.
All three games will be available on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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