Panthers at South Alabama for Key Series vs. Sun Belt East Leader

Watch All Three Games on ESPN+

GEORGIA STATE (10-29, 6-6) at SOUTH ALABAMA (21-13, 8-4)

THE SERIES (at Stanky Field, Mobile, Ala.)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+

LEADING OFF
> After dramatic Sunday comeback wins on the last two Sun Belt Sundays, Georgia State travels to Sun Belt East Division leader South Alabama for a three-game series opening Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. All three games will air on ESPN+. The Jaguars lead the East with an 8-4 mark, but GSU is just two games behind at 6-6.

> Second baseman Griffin Cheney is the Panthers' hottest hitter, going 10-for-16 with two homers, four RBI and seven runs scored in the last four games, including back-to-back wins over Troy. Over the last 16 games, he is hitting .417 with a .507 on-base percentage and a perfect fielding percentage.

> Cheney has started Georgia State's last 109 games at 2B, SS or 3B. In those 109 games, he has failed to reach base only 12 times.

> Also hot are left fielder Josh Smith (Last 4: .400 with 2 HR, 8 RBI) and first baseman Elian Merejo (Last 4: .364, 2 HR, 8 RBI).

> Georgia State won its Sun Belt Conference series against Troy last weekend with its second straight improbable Sunday comeback. Trailing 15-10, the Panthers tied the game with five runs in the eighth inning, capped by Kalen Puckett's pinch hit, two-run double, and then Kyle Riesselmann hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the 10th inning for the 17-15, series-clinching victory. Chandler Dawson finished the game with two scoreless innings to earn the win.

> The previous Sunday at Appalachian State, GSU trailed 12-6 before scoring nine runs in the ninth inning, capped by Josh Smith's go-ahead grand slam, and won 15-13. Ryan Glass started the scoring with an RBI-single, and then Cameron Jones' three-run homer, the first of his career, made it 12-10. After Dalton Pearson's RBI-single brought GSU within one, the Panthers were down to their last strike when Griffin Cheney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then Smith hit the 1-2 pitch over the center field fence.

> Sundays are for Slams: Josh Smith has hit grand slams each of the last two Sundays. First he hit the go-ahead grand slam in the Panthers' nine-run, ninth-inning rally at Appalachian State, and then he hit another slam in the 17-15 win over Troy. His slam at App State earned him Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors (April 17). He is the first Panther with two grand slams in a season since Ryan Blanton in 2017.

> In Georgia State's last four victories, the Panthers have trailed after six innings:
Georgia Southern, 3-2: Trailing 2-1, scored 2 in 7th, including go-ahead, RBI-double by Will Mize
App State, 15-13: Trailed 12-6 in 9th, scored 9 runs, capped by Josh Smith grand slam
Troy, 7-5: Trailing 5-3, scored 4 in 7th, including go-ahead 3-run HR by Elian Merejo.
Troy, 17-15: Trailing 15-10, scored 5 in 8th, including Kalen Puckett 2-run double to tie. Walk-off 2-run homer by Kyle Riesselmann in 10th.

> Friday starter Cameron Jones is a two-way player who also sees time at first base and is hitting .325 in limited action. He hit a three-run homer in the nine-run ninth inning at App State, and then followed with three hits Tuesday at Georgia. He added four hits in the back-to-back wins over Troy.

> Georgia State won its Sun Belt series against rival Georgia Southern (April 1-3). After a tough loss in Game 1, the Panthers bounced back with a 7-6, 10-inning victory on Blaine Marchman's walk-off single. In Game 3, Georgia State scored two runs in the seventh inning, including Will Mize's go-ahead, RBI-double, to clinch the series with a 3-2 victory.

> Georgia State played its first 14 games against ranked foes, including four victories:
No. 14 West Virginia twice, 7-6 (10) and 20-4 (home)
No. 2 Vanderbilt, 4-2 (away)
No. 10 Georgia Tech, 10-1 (away)

> The Panthers earned a Friday night, 4-2 victory at No. 2 Vanderbilt (Feb. 26), the highest-ranked team GSU has ever beaten. Previously, the highest ranked team GSU had ever defeated was No. 3 Georgia Tech in 2010, 10-1.

> In the win over Vandy, starting pitcher Ryan Watson threw five strong innings (1 run, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts) and Elian Merejo provided key insurance runs with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. Vandy put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Chad Treadway recorded the final two outs for the save.

> Georgia State opened the season with a four-game series split against No. 14 West Virginia. After falling 5-3 in 10 innings on Opening Day, Georgia State swept the Saturday doubleheader with a 7-6 walk-off win on Elian Merejo's two-out single in the 10th, and then a 20-4 victory in the nightcap. GSU then held WVU to just three hits in the series finale, but the Mountaineers managed a 3-2 victory.

> The Panthers' 20-4 win in Game 3 of the WVU series represents the most runs GSU has ever scored against a ranked foe. Georgia State jumped on the Mountaineers with an 11-run first inning and never looked back.

> Second-year head coach Brad Stromdahl took over the Georgia State program in 2020 after seven seasons as the head coach at Georgia Gwinnett, where he started the program from scratch in 2013 and compiled a record of 328-104. He led the Grizzlies to the Avista-NAIA World Series three times, including his last two years (2018-19). Before going to Georgia Gwinnett in November 2011, Stromdahl spent five seasons (2007-11) as an assistant coach at Georgia State.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Griffin Cheney: INF; 5' 11"; Junior; R/R

#34 Chandler Dawson: RHP; 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R

#31 Ryan Glass: INF; 6' 4"; Junior; R/R

#27 Cameron Jones: LHP/OF; 6' 1"; Freshman; R/L

#15 Blaine Marchman: C; 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R

#18 Elian Merejo: C; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#14 Will Mize: INF; 6' 2"; Freshman; R/R

#6 Kalen Puckett: INF; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#3 Kyle Riesselmann: OF; 6' 3"; Freshman; R/L

#44 Josh Smith: OF; 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#20 Chad Treadway: RHP; 6' 1"; Freshman; L/R

#25 Ryan Watson: RHP; 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#21 Griffin Cheney
: 5' 11"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#34 Chandler Dawson
: 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R
: RHP

#31 Ryan Glass
: 6' 4"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#27 Cameron Jones
: 6' 1"; Freshman; R/L
: LHP/OF

#15 Blaine Marchman
: 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R
: C

#18 Elian Merejo
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: C

#14 Will Mize
: 6' 2"; Freshman; R/R
: INF

#6 Kalen Puckett
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#3 Kyle Riesselmann
: 6' 3"; Freshman; R/L
: OF

#44 Josh Smith
: 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#20 Chad Treadway
: 6' 1"; Freshman; L/R
: RHP

#25 Ryan Watson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP