Troy University Athletics
Trojans Return Home to Face Gamecocks
3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Troy Trojans (6-3)
vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2-4)
Riddle-Pace Field (2,000) • Troy, Ala.
Wednesday, March 2 • 6 p.m.
The Trojans are coming off an outstanding, although rain-shortened, weekend of play in the Screentech Wiregrass Baseball Classic in Dothan, Ala. The Trojans took hard-fought victories over both Iowa and Ohio State before Sunday's schedule game with Middle Tennessee was cancelled by rain.
Troy's two senior starting pitchers, Landon Brazell and Brent Adcock, turned in spectacular performances in the two wins. Brazell went into the ninth inning against the Buckeyes before a pair of fielding miscues cost him a complete game. Adcock went seven impressive innings against Iowa, allowing only a bunt single and striking out a career-high 13 Hawkeyes.
Adcock was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance against Iowa. He is the first Trojan to earn that honor since Mal Winters won the honor on May 17, 2004.
Trojans freshman left-hander Steven Morelock (1-1, 7.15) will make his third start of the season in the game against Jacksonville State. Morelock had been the scheduled starter last Sunday against Middle Tennessee.
Senior catcher Henry Gutierrez comes into the game with a seven-game hit streak for the Trojans. He has recorded nine hits in 14 at bats when leading off an inning this year.
The All-Time Series
The Trojans are 65-46 against JSU in 111 meetings since 1970, which is as far back as baseball records go for either school. Troy has played Jacksonville State in baseball more than any other school. West Alabama is a distant second with 71 games. In games played at Troy since 1970 the Trojans hold a 36-21 advantage over the Gamecocks.
The Coaches
Troy
- Bobby Pierce (Alabama, ?˜82) is in his third season at Troy and has a 69-52 record after guiding the Trojans to a 36-22 record a year ago. In Pierce's second season, Troy finished fifth in the A-Sun regular season race and then advanced to the championship round of the conference tournament. In his career as a head coach, Pierce has won 604 games in his 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 259 at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. His record at four-year schools stands at 345-160 and he is in his 10th season.Jacksonville State - Jim Case (Louisiana Tech, 1983) is in his fourth season at JSU and has an 88-90 overall record. He spent 19 seasons as an assistant coach (11 at UAB and, seven at Miss. State and one at La. Tech) before getting his first head coaching job.
On the Air
The Troy Network will not broadcast the game with Jacksonville State because of the Atlantic Sun Basketball Tournament. Depending on how the Trojans hoops team fares in the tournament, the weekend series against Saint Louis could be broadcast. The Troy Network, with Barry McKnight providing play-by-play, will be on Sunday, March 6 against Saint Louis. The broadcast can also be picked up at www.TroyTrojans.com.
Trojans Baseball Notebook
The Wiregrass Baseball Classic (Feb. 25-27)
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The Trojans saw their streak of consecutive games with at least two extra-base hits come to an end in the 6-1 victory over Iowa on Friday night. The Trojans' only extra-base hit in that game was a seventh inning leadoff double by Henry Gutierrez. Troy had posted at least two extra base hits in the first seven games of the season.t
Senior right-hander Brent Adcock was named Atlantic Sun Conference pitcher of the week for his performance against the Hawkeyes. Adcock worked seven innings, allowing just one unearned run on one bunt single while striking out a career-high 13 Iowa hitters.t
The Trojans did all of the little things in the win over Iowa. Two was credited with two sacrifice flies to plate runs in the game and had two other sacrifice bunts, both of which eventually produced runs. Four different Trojans accounted for the four sacrifices.t
Junior outfielder Blake Green picked a great time to get his first hit of the season with runners in scoring position. Green blasted a three-run homer, his first of the year, in the sixth inning against Ohio State to give the Trojans a 5-2 lead. Green had gone hitless in his first seven at bats with runners in scoring position.t
Senior catcher Henry Gutierrez had his best day at the plate in the win over Ohio State. Gutierrez was three-for-three with a walk and he scored three runs. The three hits ran his hitting streak to a team season-best seven games.t
Senior right-hander Landon Brazell fell just short of his second complete game in the 6-4 win over the Buckeyes. Brazell took a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning, but a pair of defensive mistakes and a walk loaded the bases with no one out for the Buckeyes, forcing an end to the Dothan native's day. Brazell scattered nine hits and struck out six in earning his second win of the year.t
Sophomore Ryan Ramsey earned his first save for the Trojans by getting Troy out of that ninth inning jam against the Buckeyes. Ramsey got three consecutive ground ball outs to preserve the victory and pick up his first save since the 2003 season when he played at UCF.The Auburn Game (Feb. 22)
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Troy ran its streak of consecutive games with at least two extra-base hits to seven to start the season. Henry Gutierrez and Jared Keel delivered second inning doubles off Tigers starter Cliff Mullins to account for the Trojans only runs on the afternoon.t
Junior left-hander Jon Gianquitti pitched very well in his first significant outing of the season, but was the victim of some bad luck. The North Palm Beach, Fla., native worked 3.2 innings and should have gotten away unscathed. In his first inning of work, he twice picked runners off first base, only to have throws to second go off line, allowing the runners to be credited with stolen bases. He then retired nine of the next 10 hitters before a double and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Senior Landon Brazell came on in relief and surrendered a three-run double on his first pitch.t
Junior right-hander Tony Falls made his first start of the year, but he allowed five runs on five hits in two innings of work.Looking Aheadt
Following the single game with Jacksonville State, the Trojans will host the Billikens of Saint Louis University for a three-game series this weekend. The Billikens enter play this week with a 1-3 record after dropping a pair of games at Creighton last weekend. SLU split a pair of games opening weekend at Western Kentucky.The Billikens are scheduled to play a single game at Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday before travelling to Troy.
