• OVC Baseball Report – April 19 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, April 20
Morehead State at Eastern Kentucky, 12:00 p.m.
Murray State at Bellarmine, 2:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at #5 Tennessee, 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Troy
at Jacksonville State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Austin Peay at #2 Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Wednesday, April 21
Jacksonville State at Auburn, 6:00 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Belmont at Lipscomb, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 23
*UT Martin at Eastern Illinois, 3:00 p.m.
*Eastern Kentucky at Murray State, 5:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Austin Peay, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at Jacksonville State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Belmont at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 24
*UT Martin at Eastern Illinois (2), 12:00 p.m.
*Morehead State at Jacksonville State (2), 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Belmont at Tennessee Tech (2), 1:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Missouri State (2), 1:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Austin Peay (2), 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Eastern Kentucky at Murray State (2), 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 25
Southeast Missouri at Missouri State, 1:00 p.m.
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Logan Jarvis, INF • 6-3, 230, Jr. • Franklin, Tenn. • Belmont
In four games last week Jarvis hit .500 (8-for-16) with five runs scored, a double, triple, home run, 10 RBI, .875 slugging percentage and .579 on-base percentage. He opened the week with a career-high six RBI in a 10-8 win at North Alabama. Jarvis was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run and stolen base. He walked three times in the opening game of the Murray State series and followed that by going 2-for-5 with a three-run triple in an 8-5 win on Saturday. That three-run triple was part of a five-run sixth inning as the Bruins came from behind to win. He closed the week with a pair of hits on Sunday. Jarvis ranks second in the OVC in triples (0.12/game) and on-base percentage (.497), third in RBI (1.21/game), fourth in slugging (.651), fifth in hitting (.376), ninth in hits (1.24/game) and 10th in total bases (2.15/game).
Others Nominated: Logan Jarvis, Belmont; Daniel Harris IV, Eastern Kentucky; Jackson Feltner, Morehead State; Andrew Keck, Southeast Missouri; Connor Kiffer, SIUE; Gavin Johns, Tennessee Tech; Will LaFollette, UT Martin.
PITCHER
Sam Gardner, RHP • 6-1, 190, Grad. • Shelbyville, Tenn. • Murray State
Gardner threw the first nine-inning complete game shutout for Murray State since 2013 in a 2-0 victory over Belmont Sunday. The graduate student scattered five hits and struck out nine without walking a batter in picking up his second win of the season. He threw 115 total pitches, allowing four singles and a double, with the hits coming in the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He only allowed one base runner to reach second base on the day as Belmont went down in order in six of the nine innings. Gardner retired eight of the final nine batters of the game, four of which came by strikeout.
Others Nominated: Luke Brown, Austin Peay; Darren Williams, Eastern Kentucky; Dylan Dodd, Southeast Missouri; Brant Glidewell, SIUE; Ty Fisher, Tennessee Tech; Sam Folks, UT Martin.
Notes From Around the League
Ranked Wins: Here is a look at OVC teams with wins over nationally-ranked teams this season. From 2018 to the present OVC teams have 19 wins over nationally-ranked non-conference opponents.
Feb. 20 - Eastern Kentucky 9 at #15 Georgia Tech 6
Feb. 24 - UT Martin 9, #22 Alabama 4
March 2 - Morehead State 5, #1 Louisville 2
March 16 - Eastern Kentucky 6, #7 Louisville 3
Wins Over No. 1 Ranked Teams: Morehead State knocked off No. 1 Louisville on March 2, marking its first-ever win over a Top 10 opponent. It marks the third win by an OVC team over a No. 1 ranked foe since 2009.
Morehead State 5, #1 Louisville 2 (March 2, 2021)
Austin Peay 7, #1 Vanderbilt 6 (February 27, 2019)
Jacksonville State 9, #1 Georgia 7 (April 22, 2009)
No-Hitter: A trio of Jacksonville State pitchers in junior
Colin Casey, junior
Jackson Tavel and senior
Corley Woods combined for a no-hitter against Tennessee Tech on March 27. Casey went 7 innings, Tavel pitched 0.2 innings and Woods went the final 1.1 innings. It was the first no-hitter by an OVC team since 2018, when a trio of JSU players (Colton Pate, Grant Chandler and Trent Simpson) had one against Radford. It was the first no-hitter Conference play since April 5, 2014 when Belmont's James Buckelew (8.2 innings) and Greg Brody (0.1) combined for one against UT Martin. There have now been seven no-hitters in Division I baseball and this season and JSU's was just the third nine inning one, joining Vanderbilt (3/20 - vs. South Carolina) and Mississippi State (3/7 vs. Kent State).
Conference Schedule Looks Different: In a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OVC schedule looks different this year. OVC teams will still play a three-game series, but do so over two days, with a doubleheader scheduled for one of those games. The games are scheduled for Friday/Saturday, but can be moved due to weather prior to the series beginning. All the games will be nine innings and there is a 10-run rule in effect (after 7 innings) for the final game of the series.
2021 OVC Championship: The 2021 OVC Baseball Championship will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee. The event was previously held there from 2010 through 2016. The event will be held May 27-29 and feature the top four teams in the final regular season standings. The event was reduced from eight to four teams in a one-year only cost savings measure across all OVC bracketed team sports.
Five OVC Shortstops Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List: Five OVC baseball players were among the initial players named to the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation. The OVC players on the list included Eastern Illinois sophomore
Trey Sweeney, Jacksonville State junior
Cole Frederick, Tennessee Tech sophomore
Ed Johnson, Southeast Missouri junior
Tyler Wilber and UT Martin junior
Casey Harford. The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation's top shortstop and is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27. The award rewards outstanding defensive play as much as it does production at the plate, which opens the watch list to all kinds of players at the position.
Sweeney Named Midseason All-American by Perfect Game: Eastern Illinois shortstop
Trey Sweeney was named a First-Team Midseason All-American by Perfect Game. At the midway point of the season Sweeney was hitting .406 with 8 home runs, 39 RBI and a .743 slugging percentage.
Knernschield Selected As A Senior CLASS Award Candidate: Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award®. Among the 30 individuals is Eastern Illinois catcher
Ryan Knernschield. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Knernschield, a five-year member of the program, is a leader for Eastern Illinois. He has gained the respect of his teammates and coaches through hard work and a steadfast personality. He was named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2019-20, and has been the definition of consistent for the Panthers on the field. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in May, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot.
Campbell Named to Buster Posey Award Watch List: Belmont catcher
Jackson Campbell has been named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The award is given annually to the top catcher in NCAA Division I Baseball, with Campbell being one of 69 catchers to be named to the list. Campbell is the only catcher representing the Ohio Valley Conference, marking the second time in his career being named to the watch list.
Four OVC Players Named to Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List: Four OVC Baseball players have been named to the 2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List Nationally they are among 48 players representing 17 conferences around the country on the list. The OVC picks were Belmont junior catcher
Jackson Campbell and junior infielder
Logan Jarvis, Eastern Kentucky junior second baseman
Daniel Harris IV and Tennessee Tech junior outfielder
Jason Hinchman. The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in the country. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
Brennan Named to Stopper of the Year Watch List: Belmont junior pitcher
Kyle Brennan was one of 45 players nationally named to the initial Watch List for the 16th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.
Case Moves Into Fourth Place on OVC Career Victories Chart: Jacksonville State head coach
Jim Case currently has 555 victories since the Gamecocks joined the OVC in 2004. That currently ranks him fourth in OVC history. Former Austin Peay coach Gary McClure is the OVC's all-time winningest coach (847 wins from 1988-2015).
Six OVC Players Named Preseason All-Americans: Six OVC players were named 2021 Preseason All-Americans. The selections were Belmont pitcher
Kyle Brennan, Eastern Illinois infielder
Trey Sweeney, Eastern Kentucky second baseman
Daniel Harris IV, Belmont catcher
Jackson Campbell, Murray State second baseman
Jordan Cozart and Tennessee Tech outfielder
Jason Hinchman.
OVC Professional Success: Former OVC baseball players found professional success at the Major League level in 2020. Former UT Martin pitcher
Alec Mills tossed the 16th no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history (and 305th in MLB history) against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 13. Former Belmont standout
Matt Beaty was a member of the 28-man playoff roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to two to win the World Series. Since the OVC was formed in 1948, he is the first former OVC player to be on the active roster of a World Series Champion (most recently former SIUE pitcher Spencer Patton was a member of the 2016 Chicago Cubs championship team, but was not active for the World Series). This season there were five former active OVC players on MLB Opening Day roster. The active players include Mills and Beaty, former Austin Peay pitchers
Tyler Rogers (San Francisco Giants) and
Ryne Harper (Washington Nationals) and former Southeast Missouri State pitcher
Joey Lucchesi (New York Mets).
Belmont Picked as 2021 OVC Preseason Favorite: For the first time since joining the league, Belmont was picked as the 2021 OVC preseason baseball favorite in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and communications directors. Belmont picked up 14 of the 22 first-place votes to tally 188 points. Jacksonville State received seven first-place votes and was tabbed second (176) and followed by Murray State (136) and Austin Peay (132). Southeast Missouri picked up the other first-place vote (and 131 total points) in being picked fifth. Eastern Kentucky (117) was tabbed sixth and followed by SIUE (78), Eastern Illinois (73), Morehead State (67), Tennessee Tech (66) and UT Martin (45).
Tennessee Tech's Hinchman and Belmont's South Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Tennessee Tech junior outfielder
Jason Hinchman was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year while Belmont junior pitcher
Joshua South was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season. In all 16 players were selected to the Preseason All-OVC team. The 16 players represented 10 of the 11 teams who will compete for the OVC championship this season. Murray State led the way with three selections apiece.
OVC Put Two Teams in NCAA Baseball Championship, Advances Team to Super Regional For First Time in 2018: In 2018, for the first time the OVC sent two teams to the NCAA Baseball Championship. In addition to Morehead State, who won the OVC Tournament and received the league's automatic bid, Tennessee Tech became the first OVC team to receive an at-large bid. After winning an OVC record 27 Conference games during the regular season, TTU had a RPI of 23 to secure the at-large bid and a No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional. The Golden Eagles were the second OVC team to earn a No. 2 seed, joining the 2013 Austin Peay team. TTU would win back-to-back games against No. 4 national seed Ole Miss to become the first team to advance to a Super Regional (which began in 1999). Tennessee Tech beat Texas in game one of the Super Regional before falling in the final two games.
ESPN+: The OVC is in year two with ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment, being the exclusive home of regular season and OVC Championship broadcasts. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($12.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App and (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.