Purple and gold host Lindenwood in final OVC home series of season
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team hosts its final weekend series of the regular season with a visit from Ohio Valley Conference Lindenwood, kicking off the competition at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. CT.
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By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team hosts its final weekend series of the regular season with a visit from Ohio Valley Conference Lindenwood, kicking off the competition at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Game two of the weekend will feature a 2:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday afternoon, while the series finale will open on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's contests are slated to be streamed on ESPN+, with Dylan Vazzano on the call. Admission to all Tech home baseball games is free of charge.
Prior to Friday's contest, Tech head coach Matt Bragga will be briefly honored for breaking the program's all-time wins record last Tuesday at Lipscomb. Achieving the 555th victory of his Golden Eagle tenure, the longtime skipper also moved into fifth on the OVC's all-time wins chart.
Sunday's ball game will represent Senior Day for the Cookeville crew, with 12 members of the Golden Eagle program set to be recognized prior to first pitch at the Quill. Among those slated to be honored are Riley Black, Jackson Green, Jared Herzog, Houston High, Nicho Jordan, Ryan Lee, Kevin Matos, Preston Steele, Nick Vaccaro, Lucas Vega, Carter Vrabel, and Emery Wright.
THE SERIES
Friday's opener represents just the seventh match-up all time between the two programs, with the series squared at three wins apiece. The first time the Lions visited Cookeville, back in 2023, they claimed victory in the first two contests. Tech was blanked in the first meeting behind Lindenwood's complete-game shutout from Preston Salazar, an eventual 6-0 decision.
The Lion bats led the way in game two, racking up 17 hits in a 19-12 barn burner. The Golden Eagles salvaged a win in the series finale, edging the visitors 4-3 behind a strong pitching performance from eventual MLB Draft Pick of the Colorado Rockies, Hunter Mann. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings with three total runs allowed and 11 strikeouts in the win.
Last season, in St. Charles, Mo., the Golden Eagles answered back to basically duplicate the Lions' effort the previous season on their home turf. Tech hurler Landon Smiddy twirled a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 win in the series opener with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Peyton Calitri took the baton and kept the masterful showing rolling, tossing six more scoreless frames against the Lions before yielding just a solo run in the seventh. He finished seven innings with six strikeouts in a 3-1 victory. Lindenwood avoided the sweep with a 5-3 win in the finale.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Eagles enter Friday's series opener behind a pivotal series sweep at Southeast Missouri, taking all three games from the Redhawks in a weekend slate for the first time since 2013. The purple and gold mounted a heroic rally to top the league's previously top-ranked squad in 11 innings in the opener, with a special defensive play sealing the deal.
Trailing 6-1 heading into the seventh, the Cookeville crew dropped four runs in the top half of the inning and two more in the eighth to take its first lead of the ball game. SEMO squared the affair with a single run in the ninth, but the Tech bullpen kept the home squad off the scoreboard the rest of the way. After scoring in the 11th on a clutch RBI single from Preston Steele, left fielder Landon Smelser saved the game in the bottom of the frame, throwing out the Redhawks' Carson Schrack at the plate to end the contest.
In game two, a brilliant pitching effort from starter and eventual OVC Pitcher of the Week Jared Herzog was backed by a strong offensive presence, with the Golden Eagles taking the series with a 7-1 win. The senior southpaw struck out four while holding the SEMO offense to one run on seven hits.
Five Tech arms combined for another spectacular showing in the finale, holding up an early 3-1 lead for a 3-2 victory. The purple and gold used a bend don't break approach in the contest, scattering 16 Redhawk baserunners throughout the game.
THE OPPONENT
The Lions dropped a midweek game to SLU on Tuesday by a score of 7-4. Bryson Arnette smacked his fifth home run of the season, while Filip Sarota went 2-3 at the plate. On the mound, Dillon Haftorson had his best outing of the season, going four scoreless innings out of the pen while giving up just two hits.
In its last OVC series, Lindenwood took all three from Morehead State. The first two contests were one-run ball games before the bats erupted for 12 runs in the series finale.
Sam Grunberg hit two home runs in Sunday's doubleheader, giving him a team-high 11 on the season. Grunberg now leads the team in home runs with 11 and RBI's with 42. Jake Radosevich also had a solid weekend at the dish, driving in five and putting him just behind Grunberg with 41 RBI on the season.
The back half of the bullpen was outstanding against the Eagles as Eastern Rakers through four innings across a pair of outings to lower his season ERA to 2.10, while also picking up a pair of saves. Bennett Stice also earned a save in game three and dropped his ERA to a team-best 2.03.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
Four-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year Matt Bragga is back for his 19th overall season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program and fourth after making his return to Cookeville in 2022. The Tech legend continues to climb the OVC's all-time coaching wins list, currently ranked fifth overall in league history with a Golden Eagle program-record 555 victories. This season, Bragga passed TTU Sports Hall of Famer David Mays on the all-time list, and the Tech duo represents the only pair of coaches from the same school to rank in the league's top eight of OVC wins.
| 1. | Gary McClure, Austin Peay (1988-15) | 847 | ||
| 2. | Johnny Reagan, Murray State (1958-93) | 776 | ||
| 3. | Jim Ward, Eastern Kentucky (1980-01) | 628 | ||
| 4. | Jim Case, Jacksonville State (2004-21) | 564 | ||
| 5. | Matt Bragga, Tennessee Tech (2004-18, 22-present) | 558 | ||
| 6. | David Mays, Tennessee Tech (1974-98) | 554 | ||
| 7. | Mark Hogan, Southeast Missouri (1995-12) | 526 | ||
| 8. | Jim Schmitz, Eastern Illinois (1997-15) | 480 | ||
| 9. | John Stanford, Middle Tennessee (1974-87) | 402 | ||
| 10. | Steve Peterson, Middle Tennessee (1988-00) | 401 |
PRESEASON OUTLOOK
The purple and gold were selected to finish third in the OVC in a preseason vote of league head baseball coaches and communications directors, falling behind only defending tournament champion Southeast Missouri and defending regular-season champ Little Rock.
During its 2025 OVC Season Preview, D1baseball.com selected southpaw Jared Herzog as the No. 1 prospect in the league for the 2025 MLB Draft while outfielder Jorsixt Jimenez was ranked 11th. The D1baseball crew listed catcher Mack Whitcomb as the No. 2 prospect from the OVC for the 2026 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Jack Brafa No. 7 and right-handed hurler Juan Vargas No. 9. Rookie righty Carter Casabella was selected as an Impact Freshman, sitting at No. 10.
OVC HONORS
On Monday, senior southpaw Jared Herzog claimed the first OVC Pitcher of the Week nod of his lone season in the purple and gold after a sensational showing at Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The Ottawa, Ill. native tossed the team's first complete game of the year, completing 9.0 innings while holding the Redhawks to just one run on seven hits while striking out four.
Last week, junior hurler Reece McDuffie was honored with his first career OVC Pitcher of the Week accolade, sharing the honor with Lindenwood's Josh Newell. The right-hander completed 6.1 innings out of the pen, allowing just three base runners while striking out four and picking up a pair of wins in three appearances.
Earlier this month, on Apr. 14, junior infielder Eddie Garza picked up the first OVC Player of the Week honor of his career after helping lead the Golden Eagles to a three-game sweep of Southern Indiana. The second baseman hit .667 with three home runs, four runs scored, and nine RBI during the week, slugging a ridiculous 1.417.
Back on Mar. 24, senior outfielder Nicho Jordan was recognized as the OVC Player of the Week for the first time in his career, slashing .583/.688/.1.417 over four games with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. After opening Tech's first OVC series at Little Rock 1-for-4, Jordan exploded in the second contest, tallying two home runs (including one of the inside-the-park variety) on a 4-for-4 day with five RBI, five runs, a walk, and a stolen base.
On Feb. 17, sophomore catcher Mack Whitcomb earned his first career OVC Player of the Week nod, batting .385 with five extra-base hits, six RBI, and five runs in a four-game sweep over Le Moyne on opening weekend. He slugged 1.154 while turning in an OPS of 1.625, smashing two long balls along the way.
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Current Week Schedule
Friday, May 9 | vs. Lindenwood | 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 10 | vs. Lindenwood | 2:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 11 | vs. Lindenwood | 1:00 p.m. CT
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2025 Record: 32-17
2025 OVC Record: 14-7
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 558-496-2 (19th Season)
Career: 609-572-3 (22nd Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Mack Whitcomb (.330)
2B: Whitcomb (12)
3B: Jackson Green (2)
HR: Whitcomb (10)
RBI: Whitcomb (40)
R: Whitcomb (41)
BB: Nicho Jordan (34)
SLG%: Whitcomb (.575)
OB%: Whitcomb (.458)
SB: Nicho Jordan (16)
ERA: Juan Vargas (2.75)
W: Jack Brafa (6)
APP: 3 players tied (18)
IP: Jaxson Pease (57.0)
K: Pease / Vargas (46)
BAA: Juan Vargas (.214)
SV: Vargas (7)
LINDENWOOD LIONS
2025 Record: 25-24
2025 OVC Record: 12-8
Head Coach: PJ Finigan
LIN: 41-62 (2nd Season)
Career: Same
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Kam Edwards (.345)
2B: Filip Sarota (13)
3B: Charlie Isom-McCall (5)
HR: Sam Grunberg (11)
RBI: Grunberg (43)
R: Edwards (42)
BB: Edwards (31)
SLG%: Jake Radosevich (.557)
OB%: Edwards (.455)
SB: Isom-McCall (14)
ERA: Bennett Stice (2.03)
W: Josh Newell (8)
APP: Easton Rakers (18)
IP: Newell (77.2)
K: Eli Brown (59)
BAA: Stice (.202)
SV: Rakers (4)
Photo by Jim Dillon
