Troy Opens Final Homestand with App State, Series Opener Moved up to 1 p.m.

Friday, May 1

Troy, Ala.

1 p.m.

Troy University

App State

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Troy Opens Final Homestand with App State, Series Opener Moved up to 1 p.m.

4/30/2026 11:30:00 AM | Baseball

Live Stats ESPN+ (Game 1)ESPN+ (Game 2)ESPN+ (Game 3)Listen Live

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - Troy opens a seven-game homestand at Riddle-Pace Field this weekend with a three-game series against App State Friday through Sunday. Friday's series opener, originally scheduled for 6 p.m., has been moved up to 1 p.m. due to weather.

The Trojans enter the weekend in fourth place in the Sun Belt standings at 12-9 with three conference weekends remaining and a chance to climb. The Mountaineers sit one game ahead of Troy at 13-8 and are tied with No. 12 Southern Miss for second place.

Troy won all four of its Sun Belt series in April against Arkansas State, Texas State, Louisiana and, most recently, Marshall, and enters the weekend coming off an 11-1 midweek loss at No. 5 Georgia on Tuesday.

Troy will keep its same rotation as its weekend series victory over Marshall. Lefty Benjamin Stubbs has been a workhorse on Fridays, with the Trojans boasting a 7-4 record with Stubbs on the mound. Game two starter Tommy Egan enters the weekend with 71 strikeouts, the fourth-most in the Sun Belt, while game three starter Hayden Smith is coming off six shutout innings in his first career start on Sunday in a 1-0 victory.

For the Mountainers, righty Nick DiRito enters the weekend with a 4.05 ERA through 12 appearances and eight starts. Game two starter Gage Peterson, who leads the Sun Belt with 82 strikeouts, holds a 3.54 ERA in his 11 starters while left-hander Tanner Nolan owns a 6.44 ERA through 11 starts.

Offensively, App State leads the Sun Belt with a .321 team batting average and 8.6 runs per game. Charlie Evans (.397 AVG, 2 HR) and Steven Smith (.396 AVG, 6 HR) have been the top producers while Kameron Miller, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, is hitting .306 with a team-high eight homers.

Series Information
The Matchup: Troy (22-23, 12-9 Sun Belt) vs. App State (26-17, 13-8 Sun Belt)
Game Times: Friday - 1 p.m. | Saturday - 3:33 p.m. | Sunday - 12 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala. - Riddle-Pace Field
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyTrojans.com/LiveStats

On the Mound
Game 1
App State: R-Jr. RHP Nick DiRito (4-1, 60.0 IP, 4.05 ERA)
Troy: Sr. LHP Benjamin Stubbs (3-1, 58.1 IP, 4.32 ERA)

Game 2
App State: Jr. RHP Gage Peterson (6-0, 61.0 IP, 3.54 ERA)
Troy: Sr. RHP Tommy Egan (5-2, 58.0 IP, 4.50 ERA)

Game 3
App State: Jr. LHP Tanner Nolan (4-0, 43.1 IP, 6.44 ERA)
Troy: Jr. LHP Hayden Smith (2-0, 26.1 IP, 2.39 ERA)

Smith Named Sun Belt, National Pitcher of the Week
Hayden Smith was named both the Sun Belt & National Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after tossing 11 scoreless innings across two appearances with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

The left-hander pitched five hitless innings in midweek relief against Jax State last Tuesday, allowing one walk in the fifth inning before retiring 13 consecutive hitters through the ninth. Smith then made his first career start against Marshall on Sunday with six scoreless innings in the 1-0 victory, limiting the Thundering Herd to three hits while striking out three without a walk.

Jimmy Does it All
Jimmy Janicki enters the weekend on a career-high 11-game hitting streak. During that stretch, the sophomore catcher is hitting .458 with six doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs.

On the season, Janicki is among the Sun Belt leaders in average (9th - .352), OPS (4th - 1.094), hits (3rd - 63), doubles (6th - 16), homers (3rd - 13) and RBIs (1st - 59). His 59 RBIs rank 10th nationally, while the only catcher with more RBIs is Georgia's Daniel Jackson with 67.

Series History
Troy leads the all-time series against App State, 22-9, and has won all nine regular-season series since the teams began playing in 2015. Most recently, the Trojans took two of three from the Mountaineers on the road during the 2024 season, then split a pair of games in that year's Sun Belt Tournament.