LYNCHBURG, Va. - Jacksonville State will begin its run for a Conference USA Baseball title on Wednesday with its opening contest against Louisiana Tech in the opening contest of the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship, hosted by Liberty.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

The Gamecocks earned the No. 4 seed in the eight-team field after finishing CUSA play at 15-12. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs of LA Tech concluded the regular season at 14-12. Both clubs begin play in Lynchburg, Va. with momentum after the Gamecocks handed WKU its first home series loss of the season. LA Tech posted a pair of wins over New Mexico State on its home turf.

The final match up of the first day of tourney action will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.

GAME INFO
#5 Louisiana Tech (31-23, 14-12 CUSA) vs. #4Jax State (33-23, 15-12 CUSA) 

Wednesday, May 21 (6:30 p.m. CT) 

Probable Starters
Jax State: Steven Cash (5-2, 4.30 ERA), LHP, Jr.
Louisiana Tech: Brook Roberson (5-4, 4.70 ERA) RHP, Fr.

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com
 
GAMECOCK STORYLINES
•             The Gamecocks will be looking for their sixth tournament championship after winning five crowns in the Ohio Valley Conference (2004, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2019). Prior to moving to the OVC, JSU won ASUN divisional titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

•             Jax State and LA Tech will be meeting for the fourth time in the last three weeks after the two clubs met on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium on May 9-11. The Gamecocks claimed the series with a pair of pitching gems from Jackson Phipps and Steven Cash. Jax State posted a 4-2 win in the opener and blanked the Bulldogs, 4-0, in the Saturday contest. LA Tech salvaged the final game of the weekend, 11-8. The Bulldogs have won four-of-the-six previous meetings.

•             After Jax State went 18-34 in 2024, the Gamecocks have bounced back in the second season under Steve Bieser with a 33-23 record (+15 wins) entering the week. The Gamecocks' turnaround ranks third among other NCAA teams that have improved the win total from last season. The Bruins of UCLA have the biggest turnaround in 2025 with a 37-14 record in 2025 after a 19-win season in 2024.
 
•             In two of Steve Bieser's previous stops (Southeast Missouri, Missouri and Jax State), the second year under him, the program made great strides in the win column. After a 26-33 first season at SEMO, he led the Redhawks to a 37-20 overall record (+11 wins). SEMO claimed the regular season crown, but the Gamecocks made the improbable run through the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament after dropping the first game.
 
•              Jax State's Grayson Ashe and Jackson Phipps were named to the Conference USA All-Conference Second Team on the eve of the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship. Ashe, a junior catcher, has been a mainstay behind the plate in his first season with the Gamecocks. The Montgomery, Alabama native wrapped up the regular season hitting .308 and a team-high 11 home runs. Ashe has collected 48 hits, including 19 extra bases hits. In the 24 conference games, Ashe blistered CUSA pitching with a .360 average, which ranks fifth in CUSA. Phipps, the Gamecocks' Friday night starter since Opening Day, has been solid every Friday night. The Dallas, Georgia lefty has tossed 4.0 or more innings in eight-of-his-nine starts in CUSA games. CUSA. Hitters in the conference are hitting just .205 against him in 46.0 innings of work. Phipps ranked third in the league in strikeouts with 71 and an overall earned run average of 3.59.
 
•             Jax State has had a power surge over the last 20 games with 29-of-the-50 home runs this season coming during that span. Junior Grayson Ashe has recorded 8-of-his-team-high-11 home runs over the stretch of the last 20 games, while Drew Collins and Brady Thomas have combined for eight home runs since the Auburn game on April 15.