MARTIN, Tenn.– For the second straight season, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team has punched their ticket to the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship and will begin their hunt for the tournament title on Wednesday, May 22 at 9 a.m. against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
The No. 8 seed Skyhawks (20-34, 12-15 OVC) will practice at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Ill. tomorrow from 11-11:45 a.m. to get set for their first round matchup.
UT Martin is making its sixth appearance in the tournament (1996, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024) while this marks the first time the Skyhawks have made it to NCAA Division I postseason play in back-to-back years.
The Skyhawks rank among the league’s best in doubles (114, second), hits (527, third), total bases (868, third), home runs (71, fourth), batting average (.281, fourth) and slugging percentage (.463, fourth).
The potent UT Martin lineup features four batters who hit above .300, including third baseman Mac Danford (sixth in OVC play with a .737 slugging percentage, team-high 55 RBI’s), infielder Andrew Fernandez (team-best .330 batting average, .417 on-base percentage), outfielder Will Smith (.321 batting average, 18 multi-hit games) and outfielder Zac Rice (team-highs of 55 runs scored and 15 doubles).
The Skyhawk pitching staff is led by Tristan Walton who holds the best ERA in the league among starting pitchers (3.08) while striking out 88 batters (second in OVC) over 84.2 innings pitched (third in OVC). Tucker Reed (4-1, three saves) has been a shutdown reliever, making a team-best 25 appearances with a 3.66 ERA. Eric Steensma has fanned 40 batters while only distributing 12 walks in 13 starts while Jeb Bartle has 40 punchouts in 16 appearances (11 starts).
All games during the 2024 OVC Baseball Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen along to each Skyhawk game on WUTM 90.3 FM “The Hawk” as Davis Gregory will have the play-by-play call. For more ways to follow along and learn more information on the OVC Championship, access the link above.
