• OVC Baseball Report – May 8 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, May 9
Middle Tennessee
at Southeast Missouri, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Alabama A&M
at UT Martin, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
SIUE at Southern Illinois, 5:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at #15 Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Little Rock at Arkansas State, 6:00 p.m.
Lindenwood at Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 10
Marshall
at Morehead State, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, May 12
*Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois, 3:00 p.m.
*Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at SIUE, 5:00 p.m.
*Tennessee Tech at Little Rock, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southern Indiana at #16 Oral Roberts, 6:00 p.m. (ORU-SN)
Saturday, May 13
*Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois, 1:00 p.m.
*Morehead State at SIUE, 1:00 p.m.
Southern Indiana at #16 Oral Roberts, 2:00 p.m. (ORU-SN)
*Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Tennessee Tech at Little Rock, 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 14
*Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois, 1:00 p.m.
*Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
*Morehead State at SIUE, 1:00 p.m.
*Tennessee Tech at Little Rock, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Southern Indiana at #16 Oral Roberts, 1:00 p.m. (ORU-SN)
OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Mac Danford, UTIL • 5-11, 195, Jr. • Grand Ridge, Fla. • UT Martin
Danford earned his second OVC Player of the Week honor of the year after hitting .533 (8-for-15) with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs (both of which were go-ahead blasts), nine RBI, a stolen bases, a .533 on-base percentage and 1.067 slugging percentage as UT Martin won two of three games at Lindenwood to remain in fourth place in the OVC standings. The junior had a trio of multi-hit games during the week, including going 4-for-6 with a double, run scored and stolen base in the opener which went 12 innings and stretch over two days. In the middle game of the series Danford was 2-for-4 with three RBI, including cranking the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh, as UTM would go on to win 7-5. The following day, he belted a three-run blast in the top of the first to set the tone for the game, finishing 2-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored. Among OVC players Danford ranks fourth in the league in doubles (0.31/game) and fifth in batting (.348) and hits (1.36/game).
Others Nominated: Ryan Ignoffo, Eastern Illinois; Luke Pectol, Little Rock; Avery Owusu-Asiedu, SIUE; Hayden Gilliland, Tennessee Tech.
PITCHER
Jacob Morin, RHP • 5-11, 150, R-Jr. • New Braunfels, Texas • Tennessee Tech
Morin helped close the door on SIUE over the weekend, recording two saves as Tennessee Tech swept the series to improve to move into fifth place in the league standings (winners of six of its last nine Conference matchups). The junior worked four innings, allowing one hit, one unearned run and striking out four without walking a batter. In the series opener the right-hander worked three full innings, entering the contest in the seventh with the bases loaded, no one out, and a run already across. He worked out of the jam without further damage and proceeded to allow just the unearned run in the eighth before locking down the save in the ninth. He came back to close the second game of the weekend, working a perfect ninth with a punch out for his second save. Morin is now tied for fourth in the OVC in saves (4).
Others Nominated: Ryan Ignoffo, Eastern Illinois; Jackson Wells, Little Rock; Eric Steensma, UT Martin.
Notes From Around the League
Highlights From Around the League: With two weekends of Conference play remaining, Southeast Missouri holds a 1.5 game advantage of Little Rock and a 2.0 game lead over Morehead State ... Seven of the nine league teams have six Conference games remaining, while Southern Indiana (who has a bye this weekend) and UT Martin (who has a bye the final weekend) have three games remaining ... Little Rock's
Nico Baumbach has the longest hitting streak in the OVC this season at 21 games; he has also reached base safely in 42 games, also the longest streak in the league this year ... TTU's
John Dyer is currently on a 16-game hitting streak, tallying 12 home runs over that span; teammate
Troy Baunsgard has reached base safely in all 41 games he has played this season, the third-longest, single-season streak in program history ... UT Martin set three school records on Sunday in an 18-1 at Lindenwood: highest margin of victory against a NCAA Division I opponent (also winning 17-0 against Morehead State on March 14, 1998); individual single-game hits (
Caleb Hobson tied the record by going 6-for-6); and most hits in an inning (11 in an 8-run seventh) ... Hobson has 32 stolen bases this season, which broke the previous UTM single-season record of 30 (set by Trey Karlen in 2010); Hobson ranks seventh nationally in stolen bases ... SIUE now has three players with at least 10 home runs, including
Brennan Orf who has a team-best 18 home runs, the school's second-most in a single-season at the Division I level ... Orf ranks sixth nationally in runs (1.4/game) ... Little Rock's
Jackson Wells is second nationally in E.R.A. (1.51) while teammate
Tyler Williams is seventh in triples (6) ... Morehead State ranks 11th nationally in double plays (44) while SIUE is 13th in fielding percentage (.980).
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 26 wins over nationally-ranked non-conference opponents.
Feb. 26 - Eastern Illinois 12, #3 Arkansas 3
Apr. 12 - Little Rock 11, #5 Arkansas 4
Apr. 18 - Tennessee Tech 12, #19 Tennessee 5
Dyer Named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball (May 1): Tennessee Tech senior 1B
John Dyer was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on May 1 after he smashed five home runs with nine RBI in 14 plate appearances against EIU. The senior hit .462 (6-for-13) while slugging 1.615 and scoring five runs while making plenty of history. He became the 29th member of the OVC's 40-home run club for a career and tied the Tech program record for consecutive games with a home run (5).
Ignoffo on John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List: Eastern Illinois utility player
Ryan Ignoffo was named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List; he is one of 47 players nationally on the list. The award is given to the best player in the country that contributes both on the mound and in the batters box. Ignoffo, known for his play as a utility player, has excelled not only has a hitter but also on the mound. The semifinalists for the Olerud Award will be announced in mid-May, with the five finalists being announced before the beginning of the NCAA tournament. The winner will be announced on June 15.
Two OVC Shortstops Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List: Morehead State's
Colton Becker and SIUE's
Chase Bloomer were named to the initial 2023 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, the College Baseball Foundation announced Tuesday. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It 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.
Four OVC Players on Stopper of the Year Watch List: Four OVC baseball players were among the 81 players nationally named to the initial Watch List for the 18th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball. The OVC players included Morehead State's
John Bakke and
Jarrett Miller, Southeast Missouri's
Kyle Miller and Eastern Illinois'
Zane Robbins. Of the initial 81 members, 17 were featured on last year’s midseason watch list. In total, 21 conferences are represented on this list with at least two players coming from 15 different leagues.
Wright on Buster Posey Award Watch List: Little Rock senior catcher
Jake Wright is currently on the Buster Posey Award Watch List. The award is given to the top collegiate catcher. The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, who will be announced May 22, 2023. Ballots will be sent to the national voting committee at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2023. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced on June 29, 2023.
Becker Named National Hitter of the Week by NCBWA and D1Baseball (April 10): Morehead State junior shortstop
Colton Becker was named National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball after leading MSU to four wins. For the week he hit .625 (10-for-16) with nine runs scored, a double, two triples, four home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases, a .667 on-base percentage and 1.688 slugging percentage. He had four multi-hit and multi-RBI games during the week.
Mann Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball (April 10): Tennessee Tech pitcher
Hunter Mann was named one of the National Pitchers of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on April 10 following his outing against Lindenwood. Mann struck out 11 batters without issuing a walk over six innings in the 4-3 victory.
2023 OVC Tournament: The 2023 OVC Baseball Championship will be held May 24-27 at Mtn Dew Park (formerly Rent One Park) in Marion, Illinois. It marks the second time the event has been held at the venue (2019 being the other). For the second year in a row, the bracket which will include four single elimination games on Wednesday, with the winners advancing to the double elimination portion of the bracket which will include the No. 1 and 2 seeds (who receive a bye until Thursday games). Saturday’s Championship Game will be a one-game “Winner Take All” matchup. Mt Dew Park is home to the new Prospect League Team the Thrillville Thrillbillies. The venue opened in 2007 and has a Sportexe Turf synthetic surface and features 3,400 chairback seats and lawn seating for over 2,000. The venue includes a brand-new high-definition LED video board, 14 suites, a banquet facility, an entertainment plaza and kids’ play area. The stadium is located directly off Interstate 57. This year marks the 44th OVC Baseball Championship. The first elimination style OVC Baseball Tournament was held in 1980, most usually being played at the site of the regular season championship. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral site for the first time.
Recent NCAA Success: OVC teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in eight of the past 16 tournaments. OVC teams have reached the Regional Final round in four of the last 10 events. 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.
OVC Professional Success: Former OVC baseball players have found professional success at the Major League. 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, 2020. 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). In 2021, Eastern Illinois SS
Trey Sweeney was selected in the First Round by the New York Yankees (No. 20 overall), becoming just the third First Round pick in OVC history. SEMO pitcher
Dylan Dodd was then selected in the Third Round by the Atlanta Braves, marking the first time in OVC history two players were selected in the Top 3 rounds of the same draft.
Southeast Missouri Picked as 2023 OVC Preseason Favorite: Two-time defending OVC Tournament Champion Southeast Missouri has been picked as the 2023 OVC preseason baseball favorite in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and communications directors. The Redhawks picked up 16 of 18 first-place votes (schools could not vote for themselves) and 128 points to be a unanimous first-place pick. Morehead State received the other two first-place votes to tally 100 points and be picked second. Eastern Illinois was tabbed third (89 points) and followed by Little Rock (86), Tennessee Tech (78), SIUE (76), UT Martin (41), Southern Indiana (26) and Lindenwood (24).
Morehead State's Feltner and Bakke Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Morehead State junior first baseman
Jackson Feltner was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year while MSU graduate left-handed pitcher
John Bakke was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. In all 16 players were selected to the Preseason All-OVC team, seven of who were All-OVC picks a season ago. The 16 players represented eight of the nine teams who will compete for the OVC championship this season. Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and SIUE led the way with three selections apiece.
New Teams: The OVC welcomes three new teams this year in Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana. Little Rock moves over from the Sun Belt while Lindenwood and USI are reclassifying from Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The trio marks just the 22nd, 23rd and 24th full-time members in the 75-year history of the OVC.
All Teams Eligible for OVC Tournament: Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, are eligible to compete and win the OVC Tournament Championship this season. Should a transitioning school win an OVC Tournament Championship, the AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up. Should the tournament runner-up also be a transitioning school, the AQ representative shall be the third-place team (where the third-placed team cannot be determined, the AQ shall be the semifinal team that had the highest remaining seed going into the tournament).
ESPN+: This year marks the fifth of the OVC’s media rights deal with ESPN to air games on ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. This season over 200 men’s and women’s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($15.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices). More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.