JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State baseball team split its Opening Day doubleheader with Oakland on Friday at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

A strong starting pitching performance and a fast start on offense led the Gamecocks to a 9-5 win in the season opener before the Golden Grizzlies bounced-back for an 11-4 in the nightcap.

With a plethora of new faces on the the roster, it was transfer pitcher Jackson Phipps who highlighted the pitching effort, while transfer Cooper Blauser sparked the offense.

Phipps, who joined the Gamecocks from South Carolina, was stellar in a four-inning start. He tallied six strikeouts and held Oakland to a pair of hits in his debut.

Blauser, who came to Jax State from the other school in the Palmetto State, Clemson, posted a pair of hits, including a triple in his Gamecock debut.

The offense handed Phipps a 5-0 lead after two frames after two runs in the first and three runs in the second. Sophomore Sam Silas' single drove in one of the runs in the first, while Jax State took advantage of walks issued by Golden Grizzlie pitching, aiding in the pair of runs. Silas, who was inserted at first base this season, finished with two hits in the opener.

Jax State tacked on a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to build a 9-1 cushion before Oakland attempted a rally with two runs each in the eighth and ninth.

Junior Jackson Sleeper, one of the few holdovers from the 2024 pitching staff, picked up the win in relief after tossing a pair of innings.

Preseason All-Conference USA selection Caleb Johnson opened the season with a three-hit day, including a pair of doubles and three RBI.

In the nightcap, the Golden Grizzlies unlocked a 1-1 contest with a three-run fourth inning and broke it open with five runs in the fifth inning. OU starter Grant Garman limited the Gamecocks to four hits and a run in 5.0 innings of work with six strikeouts.

Senior Drew Collins, a former Golden Grizzlie before becoming a Gamecock in 2024, finished with two hits in the setback. Junior Grayson Ashe, a newcomer from Montgomery, Alabama and Wallace State, contributed two hits.

The two clubs continue the season-opening series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match up on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium. The game will have an audio-only feed on Jax State Athletics YouTube page. Tickets are available online at JaxStateSports.com. All Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.