JACKSONVILLE – The Jax State baseball team travels south to take on the Troy Trojans in midweek action on Tuesday night at Riddle-Pace Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Gamecocks carry a 33-8 record into the match with the Trojans, most recently sweeping Florida International to sweep its fifth CUSA series in six tries. After a 4-2 victory on Friday night, the Gamecocks put together 13 runs on 13 hits on Saturday to run-rule FIU in the shortest game of the year, clocking in at only two hours and 18 minutes of play. Jax State secured the sweep on Sunday behind 13 strikeouts by
Steven Cash, his new career-high.
Troy brings a 20-20 record into the game, most recently taking a Sun Belt series over Louisiana with a victory in the Sunday rubber game. After rallying back from a six-run deficit at 9-3, Troy catcher Jimmy Janicki blasted a grand slam to just left of center field to walk-off the Ragin' Cajuns, 15-11, to secure the series.
Jax State has the eighth-most double plays in Division I with 35, tied with Bethune-Cookman, CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Kennesaw State, Utah, and Vanderbilt. La Salle and New Orleans lead the nation with 45.
The Gamecocks also hold high rankings in several other categories, including sac bunts (third nationally, 47), sac flies (15th, 25), hits allowed per nine innings (seventh, 7.18), strikeouts per nine innings (12th, 11.0), and shutouts (11th, four).
Jax State's weekend pitching rotation of Eli Pillsbury, Beau Bryans, and Steven Cash all posted quality starts over the weekend. Pillsbury pitched a career-high eight innings with zero earned runs, earning CUSA weekly honors as a result. With that, Jax State boasts the only pitching rotation in CUSA to have all of its starters named Pitcher of the Week.
The Gamecocks are currently receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll (33 points, 26th-most). PEARatings has Jax State at No. 2 in the mid-major NET ratings, only behind Coastal Carolina.
Fans can follow along with the action on ESPN+, or through the Gamecock Radio Network with Mike Parris. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher for the contest.
