Preview: Tennessee Tech at SIU Edwardsville

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (Interstat) — The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and SIU Edwardsville Cougars open a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series Friday at Roy E. Lee Field at Simmons Baseball Complex.

First pitch is scheduled for a clear, 88-degree afternoon.

The Cougars (11-14) enter with a slight edge in overall record over the Golden Eagles (9-16). SIUE is coming off an 8-2 midweek loss at Saint Louis but swept its most recent OVC series, outscoring Morehead State 58-33 last weekend.

Tennessee Tech seeks to halt a four-game skid, including a 15-5 loss at Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles have lost eight of their last 10.

A key matchup will feature Tennessee Tech’s hot-hitting Manny Garza against an SIUE bullpen anchored by Gabriel Nutter. Garza, a catcher, is batting .500 (10 for 20) with two home runs and six RBIs over his last six games. He went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs in the loss at Vanderbilt.

For the Cougars, reliever Gabriel Nutter has been a bright spot, not allowing a hit over his last 6 1/3 innings across three appearances. He threw 3 2/3 hitless innings at Saint Louis on Tuesday, allowing one earned run and striking out three.

Projections are split. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 7-2 SIUE victory, while its ELO rating system gives Tennessee Tech a narrow 51.2% probability to win.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday in Edwardsville.