Two teams combine for 23 wins and seven losses 

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Mar. 17, 2022) – Two of the top offenses in the country collide at Thomas Stadium this weekend as the Blue & Gold host Tennessee Tech for a three-game set.

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m., and the finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. All games will be streaming on ESPN+.

Records: ETSU (12-3, 0-0 SoCon) | Tennessee Tech (11-4, 0-0 OVC)

Twitter Updates: @ETSU_Baseball

Weather Forecast: Friday (high-60s, cloudy, 40% chance of rain) | Saturday (low-60s, cloudy) | Sunday (low-50s, partly cloudy)

Game 1: Friday, Mar. 18 | 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+

Probable Starters:

East Tennessee State – RHP Zach Kirby (2-0 | 1.74 ERA | 20.2 IP | 19 K | 4 BB)

Tennessee Tech – RHP Peyton Calitri (2-0 | 2.39 ERA | 26.1 IP | 15 K | 6 BB)

Game 2: Saturday, Mar. 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+

Probable Starters:

East Tennessee State – LHP Colby Stuart (3-0 | 3.48 ERA | 20.2 IP | 17 K | 6 BB)

Tennessee Tech – RHP Carter Gannaway (2-1 | 4.70 ERA | 15.1 IP | 10 K | 8 BB)

Game 3: Sunday, Mar. 20 | 1:00 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+

Probable Starters:

East Tennessee State – RHP Hunter Loyd (2-0 | 0.79 ERA | 22.2 IP | 31 K | 7 BB)

Tennessee Tech – LHP Connor Adams (1-0 | 3.07 ERA | 14.2 IP | 14 K | 6 BB)

ETSU QUICK HITTERS

• After taking their seventh straight game last night, the Bucs are 12-3 to start the 2022 season. This is the second time in three seasons that the Bucs have started 12-3 through 15 games (2020).
• The Bucs posted their eighth double-digit run game last night, matching the start of the 2010 season. Five of those eight games this season came in the first six games.
• Last night’s 13-4 win marked back-to-back double-digit run games for the third time this season, matching the same amount in 2017.
• Fresh on the scene, Tommy Barth (Brecksville, Ohio) has made an instant impact on offense and defense for the Blue & Gold, leading the Bucs in batting average (.421), walks (9), and on-base percentage (.532). Barth has reached base safely in his last ten games, the longest streak this season by any Buccaneer.
• Following a pair of RBIs last night, Bryce Hodge (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Garett Wallace (Sanford, Fla.)each share the team lead with 17 apiece. Wallace leads the Bucs with seven doubles on the season while Hodge leads the Blue & Gold with 18 hits.
• After his first start at the hot corner on Sunday, Logen Sutton (Knoxville, Tenn.) has recorded a multi-hit game in three of his last four games, going 6-for-14 (.428) in this recent stretch.
• Of the seven batters with double-digit hits on the season, six of them are batting above .320, combining for 17 of the team’s 25 home runs.
• Hunter Loyd (Knoxville, Tenn.) has again been dominant through three starts on the season, starting 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched and a team-high 31 strikeouts.
• The other two pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched on the season, Zach Kirby (Upland, Calif.) and Colby Stuart (Elon, N.C.) are a combined 5-0 with a 2.61 ERA. Kirby was just named SoCon Pitcher of the Week following a seven-inning quality start in which he allowed just two hits, no runs, and struck out six.
• The Bucs sit behind conference-leading Mercer at 15-2 in the SoCon standings, and the only two teams with a .800 winning percentage or better this season. 

ABOUT TENNESSEE TECH

• The Golden Eagles come to Johnson City 11-4 following a midweek loss at Lipscomb. The Golden Eagles started the season 10-0 and have lost four of their last five.
• Tennessee Tech’s offense is among the best in the country with nine games of double-digit runs, ranking 16^th in the nation in scoring (9.3), 17^th in slugging percentage (.536), 14^th in home runs (27), 12^th in hits (189), and 7^th in batting average (.332).
• Ed Johnson has been the catalyst for Tennessee Tech, leading the team with a .438 batting average, 24 runs, 32 hits, and a .699 slugging percentage. Johnson’s 32 hits on the season puts him T-2^nd in the country.
• The Golden Eagles’ pitching staff holds a combined ERA of 5.05, with Brock Myers leading the way with a 2.16 in six relief appearances and one save.
• Tennessee Tech was picked to finish seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference baseball preseason poll but is one of five teams in the OVC with double-digit wins thus far.

TICKET INFORMATION

Season tickets, single-game tickets, and flex pack ticket options are all currently available at ETSUtickets.comor by calling 423-439-3878. 

For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball page.