ETSU baseball faces another 2022 NCAA Regional host

STATESBORO, Ga. (Feb. 23, 2023) – A challenging week for the ETSU baseball team continues on Friday, as the Bucs head to Statesboro, Ga. to face a former traditional rival and 2022 NCAA Regional qualifier — Georgia Southern — with a three-game series starting Friday, Feb. 24.

A meeting between former Southern Conference rivals, this weekend’s series will mark the first meeting between ETSU and Georgia Southern since 2005.

GAMEDAY INFO

February 24-26 — ETSU at Georgia Southern

Location: Statesboro, Ga.

Venue: J.I. Clements Stadium

Tickets: Click Here

Live Video: ESPN+ (All three games)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast (All three games)

ETSU’s Non-Conference Road Game Sponsor: Jersey Mike’s Subs

FOLLOW ALONG

Game 1: LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Game 2: LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Game 3: LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Follow on Twitter: @ETSU_Baseball

PROBABLE STARTERS

Game 1 — Friday at 4 p.m.

ETSU: #2 Nathanial Tate — 0-0, 1.80 ERA

Ga. Southern: LHP #27 Ty Fisher — 0-0, 4.50 ERA

Game 2 — Saturday at 2 p.m.

ETSU: #12 Andrew Ronne — 0-0, 4.50 ERA

Ga. Southern: RHP #30 Ben Johnson — 1-0, 1.80 ERA

Game 3 — Sunday at 1 p.m.

ETSU: #26 Landon Smiddy — 1-1, 10.50 ERA

Ga. Southern: RHP #16 Zachary Harris — 0-1, 15.43 ERA

ABOUT THE BUCS

• Following a series win last weekend over Toledo and a setback against No. 14 Virginia Tech, ETSU enters with an even 2-2 record on the season.

• In a 15-2 win over Toledo in the season opener, 10 players — including all nine starters — recorded at least one hit. ETSU had 15 runs and 17 hits for the highest opening day run total since 2015 and the highest opening day hit total since at least 2009.

• In the Toledo series, junior transfer Austin Emener (Macon, Ga.) made his ETSU debut in relief with 4.0 scoreless and hitless innings, while totaling eight strikeouts with seven consecutive. Four of the eight came in a rare four-strikeout inning as one of the strikeout victims reached on a wild pitch. He is the first player to accomplish this feat in D1 baseball this season and no other known players have done so yet.

• True freshman Andrew Cotten (Lexington, S.C.) earned his first collegiate win in a thrilling 3-2 win over Toledo in the series finale. Cotten entered in a tight spot with the bases loaded and two outs with the game tied. Cotten fanned the final batter and after a go-ahead RBI from Ashton King (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the eighth, Cotten returned for the ninth and sat down the side for his first collegiate win.

• This season ETSU will face four teams that qualified for last season’s NCAA D1 Baseball Championship, including three that hosted regionals — Virginia Tech, Georgia Southern and Oklahoma State.

• ETSU has won its last three road-opening series dating back to a series win at Georgia State in 2019. After COVID-19 shortened the 2020 season before the Bucs could play a road series, ETSU won the next two in 2021 at North Carolina Central and in 2022 at Winthrop.

• Last season, ETSU finished 30-21 overall and has enjoyed four winning seasons under sixth year head coach Joe Pennucci. The Bucs have a 130-97 record under Pennucci so far.

• The Bucs have 24 returners and 15 newcomers on this year’s roster, including six returning starters.

• ETSU had three preseason all-conference selections last year in first team catcher Noah Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.) and first team outfielder Tommy Barth (Brecksville, Ohio), as well as second team designated hitter Garett Wallace (Sanford, Fla.).

• Barth leads the Bucs with eight hits so far, riding a seven-game hit streak dating back to last season. He has also reached base safely in 48 of his 51 career games so far. He batted .369 last season to rank third among the SoCon leaders and currently sits at .444 through four games this season.

• Last season, ETSU had two Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-Americans in Barth and rising sophomore pitcher Andrew Ronne (Athens, Tenn.). Ronne was also named to the Preseason NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List for this season.

• As a team, ETSU is ranked seventh in the nation and atop the SoCon in doubles with 14 – including four at Virginia Tech. Junior transfer Cameron Sisneros (Littleton, Colo.) leads the team and the conference with three of those doubles to rank 21th nationally. Four other Bucs have two doubles each.

• Fellow incoming transfer Noah Gent (Corryton, Tenn.) had seven walks in the Toledo series to rank third in the nation this past Monday. He now sits 18th with the same number of walks following midweek action.

• The Bucs are anchored by the veteran leadership of three five-year members of the program — left-handed pitcher Colby Stuart (Elon, N.C.) and right-handed pitchers Nathanial Tate (Manchester, Tenn.) and Joseph Acosta (Vineland, N.J.).

• Stuart and Tate both had strong outings this weekend against Toledo, with Stuart tossing 3.2 scoreless innings with just two hits allowed, no walks and a strikeout. Tate started the series finale and went 5.0 innings with just one run and one hit allowed, walking four but striking out eight.

• In the preseason polls, ETSU is picked to finish fifth in both the coaches and media polls. Last season, the Bucs finished fifth with an 11-10 record, but was only one game back of three other teams tied for second at 12-9.

ABOUT THE EAGLES

• Georgia Southern enters with a 2-2 record following a series win over West Virginia. The Eagles dropped the last game of that series and a midweek game to Georgia Tech this past Tuesday — all at home.

• The Eagles will play their first eight games at home, including one against ETSU’s SoCon counterpart Mercer next Tuesday.

• Last season, Georgia Southern finished with an impressive 41-20 overall record and a 23-7 mark in Sun Belt competition. The Eagles had the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and fell to Louisiana in the title game, but still went on to host an NCAA Regional as the No. 16 seed. In that tournament, Georgia Southern defeated UNCG but lost to Texas Tech and eventual representative Notre Dame.

• Georgia Southern is predicted to finish second in the Sun Belt Preseason Polls behind Southern Miss and tied with last year’s top overall seed Texas State.

• Senior second baseman Jesse Sherrill was last season’s team leader with a .361 batting average and was a first team all-conference selection last season. He’s currently batting .364 for the Eagles this season. He was a preseason all-conference selection again this season.

• Redshirt senior infielder/designated hitter Noah Ledford is the Preseason Player of the Year in the Sun Belt following a 2022 campaign that brought ABCA and NCAWA All-American honors and additional regional and conference awards. He had 79 hits last season, including 17 homers, 19 doubles and 70 RBI. His RBI total led the Sun Belt.

• Junior third baseman Jarrett Brown was also a preseason all-conference pick, and though struggling through 12 at-bats this season, he had 64 hits, four homers, nine doubles and 37 RBI last season.

• On the mound, junior pitcher Ben Johnson will be a player to watch as he went 5.0 IP in his last start against West Virginia with just one run on four hits allowed with four walks and seven strikeouts to earn the win. He will be the projected Saturday starter this weekend.

• Redshirt sophomore lefty Anthony DiMola and senior closer Jay Thompson have each made three appearances already this season with just three hits combined in 6.2 combined scoreless innings. Thompson earned a save last Saturday against WVU.

• The Eagles are led by long-time coach Rodney Hennon — who has ties to the SoCon as a two-time SoCon Coach of the Year winner in 2000 and 2001. He is in his 23rd season at the former SoCon member school, owning an 878-575-1 career record and a 797-537 record with Georgia Southern. In the late 1990s, he coached two successful seasons at his alma mater — Western Carolina.

SERIES HISTORY

• Tomorrow will be the 59th all-time meeting between ETSU and Georgia Southern.

• Georgia Southern has a 42-16 advantage in the all-time series.

• The last time ETSU faced Georgia Southern was in the 2005 Southern Conference tournament. 

• ETSU will look to snap an eight-game skid against Georgia Southern dating back to 2002.

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