Troy University Athletics
Saturday, March 23
Troy, Ala.
3:33 p.m.
Troy University
vs
South Alabama
Troy Returns Home to Face In-State Rival South Alabama
3/21/2024 1:27:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – A 12-game road trip that lasted 18 days ends with a three-game series against in-state rival South Alabama for Troy baseball from Friday to Sunday at Riddle-Pace Field.
In honor of rivalry week, Troy athletics is giving away its signature 'Beat South' shirts to the first 100 students on Friday and 500 on Saturday for the 'United in Cardinal' game – first 500 fans get cardinal and white shaker on Friday. Student guest tickets will also be on sale for $5 for general admission, while anyone can get two field-level tickets for $50 all weekend.
There's also a jam-packed first-pitch lineup with head football coach Gerad Parker (Friday), Big Mo (Saturday) and a Fort Novosel representative (Sunday). Finally, Sunday's series finale doubles as Military Sunday; all active, retired and reserve military members can receive a complimentary GA ticket with a military ID.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Riddle-Pace Field
The Matchup: Troy (15-7, 2-1 SBC) vs. South Alabama (12-9, 0-3 SBC)
Date: March 22 | March 23 | March 24
Time: 6 p.m. | 3:33 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network - 94.7 FM | TroyTrojans.com
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Projected Starters (Troy vs. South Alabama)
Game One – Luke Lyon vs. Cam Hill
Game Two – Garrett Gainous vs. Carson Swilling
Game Three – TBA vs. Leif Moore
Rivalry Weekend
After a 9-8 victory on Tuesday night at UAB, the Trojans (15-7, 2-1 SBC) are winners of two straight in time for their return to Riddle-Pace Field for the first time since Feb. 28. The last time Troy was home, it swept Kent State to win six straight at RPF.
Tuesday's game against UAB was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, with Troy opening the first 5.5 innings with a 4-0 lead. The Blazers roared back in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs before scoring six in the seventh to put Troy down 8-7. However, Kole Myers' sac fly tied the game in the top of the eighth before Tremayne Cobb Jr. hammered the game-winner in the ninth, 9-8.
Cobb Jr. led the Trojans with a 3-for-4 performance with four RBIs and one earned walk, including his second homer of 2024. Will Butcher also had a day, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and one walk, while Myers matched at 2-for-4, two runs and one RBI.
'The Ringer' Noah Manning also showed heroics when he entered at the bottom of the seventh, getting Troy out of the 6-run UAB inning and keeping the Blazers silent with just two hits in the final two to give Troy the late victory.
Troy looks to turn the tide in the rivalry against USA after winning only three of the last 10 matchups, including a 1-2 series loss last season in Mobile.
Troy split opening day in 2023 behind Grayson Stewart's 6.2 innings in game two, where he allowed just three hits while striking out 10 batters to finish with a 2.73 ERA. Meanwhile, Cobb Jr. went 3-for-4 with two hits and three RBIs, and Shane Lewis grabbed a pair of RBIs and runs, leading to an 8-1 victory.
South Alabama enters the weekend on a four-game losing streak, getting swept by Georgia State before falling to No. 17 Auburn 2-1. The Jaguars opened 2024 6-0 but have gone 6-9 since then with series wins over UNC-Wilmington and Jacksonville State.
Ethan Melton remains the guy for the Jaguars as he leads the team with a .328 batting average and .930 OPS while sitting second in slugging percentage at .522.
In-State Stats
• Troy has been successful getting a runner home from third with less than two outs 71.4 percent of the time (50-of-60) -- 4-for-4 at UAB while holding opponents to a 61.5 percentage ... Brooks Bryan is 10-for-11 scoring runners in this situation
• Troy has several players hurt by BABIP early this season (the mean is typically .300), with Mikey Bello (.214) and Peyton Watts (.148) below the average mark ... Brooks Bryan improved from .219 to .275 and Kyle Mock from .233 to .282 during the ULM series.
• Three Trojans enter the series against South Alabama with OPS marks over 1.000 -- Will Butcher (1.316), Ethan Kavanagh (1.046) and Kole Myers (1.178).
• Troy has attacked opponents starting pitching, with 14 HR and 19 doubles against the starters, forcing them to an 8.10 ERA. That's 39 percent of the total HR output and 40 percent of the doubles ... 10 of Troy's 36 home runs this season have been hit in the first two innings of the game.
• Troy's first inning OBP of .487 is its highest mark of any inning ... the Trojans are batting .296 in the first inning (not the highest - .318 in the 3rd) and have drawn 25 walks and been hit by seven pitches.
• Troy is 1-3 when it is not hit by a pitch and 5-7 when hit by one or fewer pitches; the Trojans are 10-0 when hit by two or more pitches.
• Will Butcher leads the Trojans with 11 2-out RBIs this season, while Brooks Bryan is close behind with nine; Butcher is hitting .357 with two outs and Bryan is batting .158 (4-for-26) with two outs.
• Troy has scored 10-plus runs 10 times through the first 22 games of the season; the Trojans reached double-digit runs 18 times in 62 games last season.
• Troy has hit 7-plus home runs in three of its five weekend series; the Trojans won all three series.
• Troy's bullpen has not allowed an earned run in nine games this season; the pen has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 games.
• Individually, Will Butcher ranks second the country with 36 RBIs through the first 22 games of the season and ninth with 11 doubles; he already has a 9-RBI game and a 6-RBI game. Luke Lyon is third with a 0.62 ERA and eighth with a 0.72 WHIP.
• Kole Myers entered the week ranked 37th in the country with a 1.57 (Wins Above Replacement); fifth-ranked center fielder. He is 18th with 1.56 offensive wins above replacement.
• Ethan Kavanagh entered the week ranked ninth nationally among second basemen with a 1.38 WAR, while Will Butcher ranked ninth among first basemen with a 1.53 WAR.
• Shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr. ranked 13th nationally among shortstops, with 3.51 defensive runs saved, entering the week.
• Troy returns home for the first time since Feb. 28, the 12-game road swing (6-6) was the longest in-season road stretch since a 13-game run in 1992 (only two of those games were true road games, with 11 at neutral sites).
In honor of rivalry week, Troy athletics is giving away its signature 'Beat South' shirts to the first 100 students on Friday and 500 on Saturday for the 'United in Cardinal' game – first 500 fans get cardinal and white shaker on Friday. Student guest tickets will also be on sale for $5 for general admission, while anyone can get two field-level tickets for $50 all weekend.
There's also a jam-packed first-pitch lineup with head football coach Gerad Parker (Friday), Big Mo (Saturday) and a Fort Novosel representative (Sunday). Finally, Sunday's series finale doubles as Military Sunday; all active, retired and reserve military members can receive a complimentary GA ticket with a military ID.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. – Riddle-Pace Field
The Matchup: Troy (15-7, 2-1 SBC) vs. South Alabama (12-9, 0-3 SBC)
Date: March 22 | March 23 | March 24
Time: 6 p.m. | 3:33 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network - 94.7 FM | TroyTrojans.com
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Projected Starters (Troy vs. South Alabama)
Game One – Luke Lyon vs. Cam Hill
Game Two – Garrett Gainous vs. Carson Swilling
Game Three – TBA vs. Leif Moore
Rivalry Weekend
After a 9-8 victory on Tuesday night at UAB, the Trojans (15-7, 2-1 SBC) are winners of two straight in time for their return to Riddle-Pace Field for the first time since Feb. 28. The last time Troy was home, it swept Kent State to win six straight at RPF.
Tuesday's game against UAB was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, with Troy opening the first 5.5 innings with a 4-0 lead. The Blazers roared back in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs before scoring six in the seventh to put Troy down 8-7. However, Kole Myers' sac fly tied the game in the top of the eighth before Tremayne Cobb Jr. hammered the game-winner in the ninth, 9-8.
Cobb Jr. led the Trojans with a 3-for-4 performance with four RBIs and one earned walk, including his second homer of 2024. Will Butcher also had a day, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and one walk, while Myers matched at 2-for-4, two runs and one RBI.
'The Ringer' Noah Manning also showed heroics when he entered at the bottom of the seventh, getting Troy out of the 6-run UAB inning and keeping the Blazers silent with just two hits in the final two to give Troy the late victory.
Troy looks to turn the tide in the rivalry against USA after winning only three of the last 10 matchups, including a 1-2 series loss last season in Mobile.
Troy split opening day in 2023 behind Grayson Stewart's 6.2 innings in game two, where he allowed just three hits while striking out 10 batters to finish with a 2.73 ERA. Meanwhile, Cobb Jr. went 3-for-4 with two hits and three RBIs, and Shane Lewis grabbed a pair of RBIs and runs, leading to an 8-1 victory.
South Alabama enters the weekend on a four-game losing streak, getting swept by Georgia State before falling to No. 17 Auburn 2-1. The Jaguars opened 2024 6-0 but have gone 6-9 since then with series wins over UNC-Wilmington and Jacksonville State.
Ethan Melton remains the guy for the Jaguars as he leads the team with a .328 batting average and .930 OPS while sitting second in slugging percentage at .522.
In-State Stats
• Troy has been successful getting a runner home from third with less than two outs 71.4 percent of the time (50-of-60) -- 4-for-4 at UAB while holding opponents to a 61.5 percentage ... Brooks Bryan is 10-for-11 scoring runners in this situation
• Troy has several players hurt by BABIP early this season (the mean is typically .300), with Mikey Bello (.214) and Peyton Watts (.148) below the average mark ... Brooks Bryan improved from .219 to .275 and Kyle Mock from .233 to .282 during the ULM series.
• Three Trojans enter the series against South Alabama with OPS marks over 1.000 -- Will Butcher (1.316), Ethan Kavanagh (1.046) and Kole Myers (1.178).
• Troy has attacked opponents starting pitching, with 14 HR and 19 doubles against the starters, forcing them to an 8.10 ERA. That's 39 percent of the total HR output and 40 percent of the doubles ... 10 of Troy's 36 home runs this season have been hit in the first two innings of the game.
• Troy's first inning OBP of .487 is its highest mark of any inning ... the Trojans are batting .296 in the first inning (not the highest - .318 in the 3rd) and have drawn 25 walks and been hit by seven pitches.
• Troy is 1-3 when it is not hit by a pitch and 5-7 when hit by one or fewer pitches; the Trojans are 10-0 when hit by two or more pitches.
• Will Butcher leads the Trojans with 11 2-out RBIs this season, while Brooks Bryan is close behind with nine; Butcher is hitting .357 with two outs and Bryan is batting .158 (4-for-26) with two outs.
• Troy has scored 10-plus runs 10 times through the first 22 games of the season; the Trojans reached double-digit runs 18 times in 62 games last season.
• Troy has hit 7-plus home runs in three of its five weekend series; the Trojans won all three series.
• Troy's bullpen has not allowed an earned run in nine games this season; the pen has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 games.
• Individually, Will Butcher ranks second the country with 36 RBIs through the first 22 games of the season and ninth with 11 doubles; he already has a 9-RBI game and a 6-RBI game. Luke Lyon is third with a 0.62 ERA and eighth with a 0.72 WHIP.
• Kole Myers entered the week ranked 37th in the country with a 1.57 (Wins Above Replacement); fifth-ranked center fielder. He is 18th with 1.56 offensive wins above replacement.
• Ethan Kavanagh entered the week ranked ninth nationally among second basemen with a 1.38 WAR, while Will Butcher ranked ninth among first basemen with a 1.53 WAR.
• Shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr. ranked 13th nationally among shortstops, with 3.51 defensive runs saved, entering the week.
• Troy returns home for the first time since Feb. 28, the 12-game road swing (6-6) was the longest in-season road stretch since a 13-game run in 1992 (only two of those games were true road games, with 11 at neutral sites).
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