Troy Closes Road Trip at No. 5 Georgia

Tuesday, April 28

Athens, Ga.

2 p.m.

Troy University

Georgia

4/27/2026 5:29:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

ATHENS, Ga. - Troy wraps up its four-game road trip on Tuesday in its second matchup of the season with No. 5 Georgia.

The Trojans topped the then-ranked No. 8 Bulldogs at Foley Field 6-5 in 12 innings on February 25, which was Troy's first top-ten win since defeating No. 5 Auburn in 2017. In the marquee victory, first baseman Blake Cavill and two-way star Drew Nelson both launched solo homers while shortstop Nolan Book delivered a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning.

Houston Markham, pinch-running for Cavill, scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the 12th while freshman Matt Dill tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in extra to secure the win. Senior lefty Brock Tapper, who went 3.2 innings with two runs in the first meeting, is slated to start once again for the Trojans on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, Troy won its fourth consecutive series at Marshall, taking the final two games after dropping the series opener. Freshman Caden Reeves homered twice in Saturday's 8-2 win while the Trojan pitching staff earned its first shutout of the season in Sunday's 1-0 victory. Hayden Smith tossed six scoreless frames with three strikeouts, giving him 11 scoreless innings on the week after keeping Jacksonville State hitless for five innings on Tuesday.

Georgia enters the week in first place in the SEC standings, boasting one of college baseball's most prolific offenses. Georgia's 120 homers on the season lead the country, and are 22 more than Oklahoma State in second place. Catcher Daniel Jackson, who homered in Troy's previous trip to Athens, leads the SEC wth 21 home runs.

On the mound, the Bulldogs will turn to right-hander Jordan Stephens, who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief against the Trojans in the previous meeting. On the season, Stephens has made 12 appearances and one start, carrying a 10.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 10 walks in 12.0 innings of work.

Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (22-22, 12-9 Sun Belt) at No. 5 Georgia (34-11, 15-6 SEC)
Gametime: Tuesday, April 28 - 2 p.m. CT
Location: Athens, Ga. - Foley Field
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyTrojans.com/LiveStats

On the Mound
Troy: Sr. LHP Brock Tapper (1-1, 20.1 IP, 5.75 ERA)
UGA: Jr. RHP Jordan Stephens (0-0, 12.0 IP, 10.50 ERA)

The Hot Hand
Sophomore Catcher Jimmy Janicki enters midweek action on a team-high ten-game hitting streak. During that stretch, he's batting .467 with 21 hits, five doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs.
On the season, Janicki leads the Sun Belt with 59 RBIs while his 13 home runs rank third. Janicki's RBI total also ranks ninth nationally, and the only catcher with more RBIs is Georgia's Daniel Jackson with 62.

On Base Machine
Senior first baseman Blake Cavill holds the longest active reached base streak in the Sun Belt at 33 games. On the season, Cavill's 45 free passes (32 walks, 13 HBPs) are the second-most in the Sun Belt.

Cavill entered that 33-game stretch hitting .154 with his on-base percentage at .298. He's since raised his season totals to a .250 average and .419 on-base percentage, hitting .284 with a .463 on-base percentage during his streak.

Series History
Troy's 6-5 win back on February 25 evened the all-time series with Georgia at 1-1. The Trojans had previously only played the Bulldogs in the 2018 Athens Regional, with Georgia coming out on top 11-7.