MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin and IPFW baseball game scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. has been postponed, Skyhawk head coach Bubba Cates has announced.
The weekend format will now be a single game played at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, followed by a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. The doubleheader will consist of a nine-inning game, followed by a seven-inning contest.
This series marks the third time in the last seven seasons that UT Martin (0-5) has hosted the Mastodons for a three-game weekend series. The Skyhawks boast a 5-1 all-time record against IPFW, outscoring the Mastodons 33-17 in the process.
So far this season, UT Martin’s offense has been paced by senior veterans. Wade Collins and Grant Glasser share the team lead with six hits, while Collins and Matt Haynes pace the team with three RBI apiece. Byron Johann has also hit well in limited duty, hitting .429 in a pair of starts.
On the hill, the Skyhawk bullpen has been reliable all season and is coming off a performance in which a trio of UT Martin hurlers conceded just three earned runs spread out over six frames against No. 8 Ole Miss on Wednesday. Juniors Chris Ross (1.93 ERA in 4.2 innings) and Stu Jones (2.70 ERA, zero hits allowed in 3.1 innings) have established themselves as trusted setup men.
Against IPFW, the Skyhawks will start senior right-hander Dan Tobik (0-0, 6.75 ERA) in Game 1, followed by sophomore southpaw Taylor Cox (0-0, 1.93) and senior righty Alex Boshers (0-1, 6.75) in Games 2 and 3, respectively. That trio also made a start in last weekend’s season-opening series at Southeastern Louisiana, combining to fan 13 batters in 12.2 innings.
IPFW (2-2) is coming off its season-opening weekend at the Alabama A&M Invitational.The Mastodons split a doubleheader with Alabama A&M (7-6 in both games), knocked off Indiana State (2-0) and fell to Ohio Valley Conference member Morehead State (11-6).
Markus Kalber hit .500 in 16 at-bats (including five doubles) to lead IPFW, while Clay Hathaway and Evan VanSumeren shared the team lead with four RBI’s.
IPFW has announced Jason Kalber (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Chuck Weaver (0-1, 15.75) and Brandon Pease (0-0, 4.76) as its probable starting pitchers.
Fans can follow along all weekend through live stats at the link above.