JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 25, 2024) – After five straight non-conference games, the ETSU baseball team will return to SoCon play this weekend when it welcomes The Citadel to Johnson City for a three-game series. The series, which is presented by Porter's Tire Store, is slated to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday from Thomas Stadium.
Probable Pitching Matchups
RHP Sam Swygert (CIT) vs. RHP Carter Fink (ETSU) – Friday @ 5 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
RHP Landon Slemp (CIT) vs. TBA (ETSU) – Saturday @ 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
RHP Ben Hutchins (CIT) vs. RHP Michael Harpster (ETSU) – Sunday @ 1 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Last Time Out – The Bucs battled back from being down seven runs at one point in their game last Tuesday at Appalachian State to tie the score at 11-11 but the Mountaineers ultimately came away with the 12-11 victory. With Tuesday's loss, the Bucs move to 24-14.
Buccaneer Bats Continue to Stay Hot – After totaling 14 hits as a team on Tuesday, ETSU still ranks seventh in the country with a team batting average of .325. A few Buc hitters have been especially good recently.
Cameron Sisneros notched his sixth three-hit game of the season against the Mountaineers and will bring a 15-game hitting streak into this weekend's series.
Noah Gent also has a 15-game hitting streak and he has driven in 24 runs during that stretch as well. Finally,
Blake Jacklin has homered in three of his last four games and has pushed his season batting average above the .300 mark.
Kudos to Kovacs –
Owen Kovacs was recently named to the midseason watch list for National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year award. Kovacs, who is in his fifth season with the Bucs, was one of 59 players to be named to this list. Kovacs has had a career year for ETSU so far in 2024 posting a 2-0 record with a 3.12 ERA and six saves. His six saves are the sixth-most in the nation this season, while his .242 batting average against leads all Buccaneer pitchers in 2024.
Fine Outings by a Pair of Freshmen – Arguably the two best outings from Buccaneer pitchers last weekend came from a pair of freshmen.
Jace Hyde tossed 5.1 innings and allowed two runs (not earned) on one hit to help ETSU knock off Purdue, 9-7 on Friday. In Sunday's series finale,
Michael Harpster tossed a seven-inning complete game against the Boilermakers and allowed two runs on six hits to go with a career-high eight strikeouts. Harpster collected his sixth win of the season, which moved him into a tie for the most wins by a freshman this season in Division I baseball.
SoCon Standings Update – With about a month to go in the regular season, the SoCon standings does not have a ton of separation. ETSU is currently tied for fourth with VMI and Western Carolina with 6-6 conference records. However, the Bucs are just a game and a half behind Wofford (7-4) for second place and those two teams still play each other this spring.
Home Cooking for ETSU – ETSU has won 17 of its 22 home games in 2024. The 17 wins already surpassed the team's win total at home last season (16). With seven home games to go, the Bucs have a chance to break the single season record for home victories since moving into Thomas Stadium in 2012. The current record is 22 victories by the 2019, 2022 Buccaneer squads.
About The Citadel – The Bulldogs come to Johnson City this weekend with a 17-22 overall record and a 1-11 mark in SoCon play. A strength this season for the Bulldogs has been in the field. The Citadel ranks second in the SoCon in fielding percentage (.977) and in double plays turned (32).
Series History vs. The Citadel – ETSU and The Citadel have matched up 109 times over the years. While the Bulldogs hold the edge overall, 65-44, the Bucs have won five of the last seven games between these two programs including three of four last season.
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