Baseball Hosts Harvard in Three-Game Set

TROY, Ala. – The nation's top offensive team will be on display this weekend as Troy plays host to Harvard in a three-game series at Riddle-Pace Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, 3:33 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.

What: Troy (4-1) vs. Harvard (0-0)
Date: February 23 | February 24 | February 25
Time: 6 p.m. | 3:33 p.m. | 12 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala.
Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network 94.7 FM (G1, G3) | 96.3 FM (G3)
TV: ESPN+

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – RHP Grayson Stewart (0-0, 10.38) vs. RHP Sean Matson (3-5, 5.02)
Saturday – LHP Logan Ross (1-0, 6.75) vs. RHP Tanner Smith (2-0, 5.50)
Sunday – RHP Clete Hartzog (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Callan Fang (2-3, 4.66)

Troy (4-1) enters the weekend leading the country in runs scored (63) and doubles (18) through the first week of the college baseball season, while the Trojans are second in hits (62), third in slugging percentage (.699), fourth in batting average (.380) and eighth in home runs (10).

On the individual side of things, reigning DI Baseball National Player of the Week Will Butcher is the nation's leader in doubles (6) and RBIs (17), while leadoff hitter Kole Myers paces the country with 12 runs scored and Ethan Kavanagh is fourth with 11 runs scored from the two-hole in the batting order.

The Trojans have run-ruled their opponent in three of their four victories this season and enter the series against Harvard (0-0) with an OPS of 1.208 as a team, with Myers and Butcher both slugging over 1.000 and seven of Troy's regular starters pushing individual OPS clips of over 1.000.

On the bump, Grayson Stewart will look to bounce back from a short outing to open the season, where he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings of work when he gets the ball in the opener. Logan Ross, who picked up the win in the shortened second game of the series with SIU-Edwardsville after tossing four innings, will get the call in game two.

Clete Hartzog earned the ball for the series finale after five dominant innings in his Troy debut last Sunday. The Florida transfer struck out seven, walked one and allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings.

Harvard takes the field for the first time in 2024 after posting a 20-24 overall mark last season, including a 15-6 record in the Ivy League. The three-game set starts a run of 17 straight games on the road for the Crimson, who won't play a home game until March 30. Harvard was picked to finish in the top half of the Ivy League, checking in third in the preseason poll out of eight teams.

Two of Harvard's three scheduled starters on the mound carry some pedigree, with Friday's starter Sean Matson earning Most Outstanding Relief Pitcher honors in the Cape Cod League over the summer, while Sunday starter Callen Fang was the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Troy University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Will Butcher

Clete Hartzog

Ethan Kavanagh

Kole Myers

Logan Ross

Grayson Stewart

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