Troy Stays Hot in Win at Alabama State

Tuesday, March 17

Montgomery, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

9-11

Alabama State

9-10

Troy

Alabama St.

3/17/2026 10:43:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Troy's offensive hot streak continued on Tuesday with an 11-2 win over Alabama State at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

The Trojans (9-11) outhit the Hornets (9-10) 10-7, scoring eight of their 11 runs off ASU starter Jaxon Bishop in his 4-plus innings. Among the Trojans' key hits were a two-run homer by Steven Meier in the third and a two-RBI triple by Sun Belt Player of the Week Jimmy Janicki in the fifth.

Josh Pyne and Sean Darnell each added a pair of singles, while Houston Markham, whose grandfather, Houston Markham Jr., was the head football coach at ASU from 1987-99, doubled twice while also adding an HBP.

On the mound, Troy's pitching staff recorded 12 strikeouts while issuing just four walks, and at the plate, the offense showed strong discipline with only four strikeouts while drawing eight free passes - four walks and four hit-by-pitches.

Freshman right-hander Matt Dill set the tone for the Trojans in his first career start. The Dayton, Tenn., native pitched four innings with one run on four hits, striking out three Hornets without a walk. Dill was scoreless through his first three innings of work before a trio of singles scored ASU's first run in the fourth.

The Troy bullpen allowed just one run in five innings in relief. Two-way player Drew Nelson made his first appearance on the mound this season, striking the first two hitters he faced before an HBP, a single and a wild pitch led to an ASU run. Noah Thigpen tossed two hitless innings with three strikeouts, while lefty Hayden Smith and righty Brady Richardson held the Hornets scoreless in the eighth and ninth.

Notables

Troy moves to 35-5 all-time against Alabama State. The Trojans have won 18 straight over the Hornets, including eight straight under head coach Skylar Meade.
Troy's pitching staff struck out 12 hitters, one shy of its season high.
Freshman RHP Matt Dill made his first career start, going a career-long 4.0 innings.
Two-way player Drew Nelson made his first appearance on the mound this season. He pitched one inning, striking out two, while allowing one run, one hit and one HBP.
Hayden Smith's two strikeouts matched his season high.
Steven Meier's two-run homer in the third inning was his second home run of the season. It traveled 390 feet with an exit velocity of 101 MPH.
Josh Pyne extended his hitting streak to seven games, going 2-for-5. He's batting .367 during that stretch.
Jimmy Janicki went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. His 11 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games both lead the team.
Janicki extended his hitting streak to five games. He's hitting .455 during that stretch.
Houston Markham went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an HBP, recording his first multi-hit game of the season.

Quotables
Head Coach Skylar Meade
"You've got to be aggressive on the mound, and we did that. We're going to continue to push the competitive nature of our arms because I think that's going to be their honey hole, their sweet spot to be their very best. We will turn over every leaf to find how we can do that, and I think you're starting to see some guys turn that into the direction we need as Trojans."

RHP Matt Dill
"I was really excited to go and get my first start. I've been working towards that. Having those longer bullpen outings has been pretty helpful and boosted my confidence to get out there and start."

Next Up
Troy returns to Sun Belt action at No. 12 Southern Miss for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.