RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (15-11, 4-2 CUSA) are back on the home diamond to resume Conference USA play, hosting Jacksonville State (21-5, 6-0 CUSA) at the Love Shack for a three-game series. The series opener is set for Friday, March 27 at 6 p.m. CT.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Mar. 27-29 (6 p.m. CT; 2 p.m. CT; 1 p.m. CT)
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 97.7 FM / LA Tech Athletics app / Varsity Network app
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Series History: LA Tech leads 4-2
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 1-3 four-game road trip after dropping their previous weekend series at New Mexico State and concluding the stretch by falling to LSU, 15-5, in eight innings in Baton Rouge.
 
Despite the struggles, Trey Hawsey was on a tear this weekend. The sophomore first baseman picked up three three-hit performances—the first time a Bulldog has recorded as many three-hit games in a conference weekend since LA Tech joined CUSA.
 
The West Monroe native had back-to-back games with a homer on Saturday and Sunday, marking the fifth time in his career to have consecutive games with a home run. He also was one hit shy of the cycle in the series opener and Game 2 of the weekend.
 
The Bulldogs dropped a weekend series to Jacksonville State on the road in 2025, falling in the first two games before avoiding the sweep with an 11-8 Sunday victory. Tech swept the Gamecocks in their inaugural meeting as CUSA opponents, outscoring Jax State 26-13 in three games at the Love Shack in 2024.
 
The Gamecocks enter the weekend as the only CUSA team with a perfect 6-0 record in league play, coming in with sweeps over Sam Houston on the road to begin league play and Western Kentucky for their first CUSA home series.
 
Jacksonville State saw a four-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, falling to in-state opponent UAB on the road, 16-11.
 
Jaxon Pate enters with a .418 average, currently leading the conference and is among the top 30 in Division I. The Gamecocks have also been efficient on the basepath, having stolen 60 bases thus far for the second-most in CUSA and the 25th-most in the country.
 
Cooper Blauser is a perfect 13-13 on stolen base attempts, while Ace Williamson (10-11) and Caleb Johnson (10-10) are also among the double-digit base stealers for Jacksonville State.
 
Eli Pillsbury, the Gamecocks' projected starter for Friday, has been one of the nation's elite starters up to this point in the season. The senior southpaw ranks among the top 20 in Division I with a 1.04 ERA and a WHIP of 0.83. He is 4-0 through six starts, having allowed just four earned runs across 33 2/3 innings.
 
The Newburgh, Indiana native has scattered 22 hits and six walks while striking out 36 hitters, keeping his opponents at a minimal .191 average at the plate.
 
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