JACKSONVILLE – Jax State prepares to host Auburn in the final midweek contest of the season for both programs. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
Jax State carries a record of 40-11 into the contest, one of just seven teams in Division I with 40 wins at this point of the season. Last time out, the Gamecocks and rival Kennesaw State had it out at Jim Case Stadium in a Conference USA series. After the Owls bested the Gamecocks on Friday night,
Beau Bryans turned in a second consecutive 7.0 inning outing to help lead the Gamecocks to a 5-4 win to even the series. On Sunday, the Gamecocks walked-off the Owls with a
Trey Majette sac fly in the bottom of the ninth to claim a share of the CUSA regular season crown.
Auburn comes in with a record of 35-15, taking down 10th-ranked Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field to claim a ranked SEC series victory on the road. Like Jax State, the Tigers fell to the Bulldogs to open the series, but a 5-4 victory on Friday evened up the series, and a run-rule victory on Saturday claimed the series for Auburn.
After the midweek contest, Auburn will turn around and face another 40 win program in Georgia, who claimed the SEC regular season crown last weekend.
Jax State has already clinched at least a share of the Conference USA regular season championship, but has a strong chance to clinch the title outright and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament. The Gamecocks' magic number is one, meaning the team needs one win over DBU or one Liberty loss to MTSU to claim the outright league title.
Jax State claimed a spot in four national polls over the previous few weeks, headlined by the program's ranking of No. 24 in the Baseball America poll last week. The Gamecocks are currently ranked 24th in the NCBWA poll and have finally earned a ranking of No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after weeks of receiving the most votes of a team outside of the Top 25. The team also rose to No. 21 in the Perfect Game poll a few weeks ago, the highest ranking ever for the team. PEARatings has Jax State at No. 3 in the mid-major NET ratings.
Both teams have top pitching staffs in the nation in ERA, with Jax State's ranking third in Division I and Auburn's ranking fifth. Jax State's pitching only allows 6.95 hits per game, only trailing USC (6.83) for the fewest in Division I.
The Gamecocks will trot out right-hander Ryan Geraghty (1-1, 6.37 ERA) to open up action on Tuesday night, who also started the first meeting between the two teams. Auburn has announced southpaw Griffin Graves (2-0, 4.66 ERA) will begin the contest for the Tigers.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., with ESPN+ carrying the video broadcast. Eli Gold and Jim Case will have the call, with Mike Parris taking over the radio call on the Gamecock Radio Network.
Tickets are extremely limited for the contest, with less than 10 seatback tickets remaining. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets now at JaxStateSports.com/Tickets.
