BRACKET | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — James Madison and Georgia State proved victorious in a pair of in-state rivalry games in First Round action at the 2023 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Ala. 
 
By virtue of their victories in Tuesday’s single-elimination games, the No. 7-seeded Dukes and No. 8-seeded Panthers advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket. 
 
Four games will be on tap on Wednesday—No. 6-seeded App State vs. No. 3-seeded Troy at 9:00 a.m. CT, No. 7-seeded James Madison vs. No. 2-seeded Southern Miss at 12:30 p.m. CT, No. 8-seeded Georgia State vs. No. 1-seeded Coastal Carolina at 4:00 p.m. CT and No. 5-seeded Texas State vs. No. 4-seeded Louisiana in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. CT. 
 
GAME 1 – No. 7 seed James Madison def. No. 10 seed Old Dominion, 2-1
Old Dominion opened the scoring in the top of the third with a solo shot from sophomore outfielder Kyle Edwards—the Monarchs 100th home run of the season, marking three-straight seasons with 100 homers for the team. 
 
James Madison answered in the bottom half of the fourth. With sophomore outfielder Fenwick Trimble and redshirt senior outfielder Trevon Dabney sitting in scoring position, redshirt senior first baseman Kyle Novak cleared the bases with a two-RBI double to right center to put the Dukes on top, 2-1. 
 
The duo of redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher T.R. Williams and junior right-handed pitcher Joe Vogatsky held the Monarchs hitless over the final five frames to preserve the one-run advantage and secure the Dukes first-ever win at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship over in-state Royal Rivalry foe Old Dominion. Williams earned the win—tossing 4.1 innings in relief, while Vogatsky picked up his fifth save of the season with 0.2 innings of work. 
 
The Dukes will take on No. 2 seed Southern Miss at 12:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 24. The Golden Eagles swept the regular-season series in Hattiesburg. 
 
GAME 2 – No. 8 seed Georgia State def. No. 9 seed Georgia Southern, 8-5
A three-run bomb down the left field line off the bat of sophomore outfielder JoJo Jackson in the bottom of the second—after a leadoff single by junior first baseman Luke Boynton and a double to center by junior shortstop Matt Ruiz—gave Georgia State the early advantage in the battle of in-state rivals. 
 
The Panthers chased Georgia Southern starter sophomore left-handed pitcher Mitchell Gross in the fourth and tacked on three runs on three hits. Georgia State’s rally was punctuated by a two-out, two-RBI single to left by sophomore second baseman Jesse Donohue.  
 
Georgia State starter senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Watson exited in the seventh after throwing 115 pitches and Georgia Southern jumped on the Panther bullpen in the eighth. The Eagles plated a pair on a double down the right field line by senior shortstop Blake Evans and added a third on a bases-loaded groundout by junior third baseman Jarrett Brown. 
 
Senior right-handed pitcher Joseph Brandon—the third Panther pitcher to appear in the eighth—gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Georgia Southern redshirt sophomore designated hitter Corey Dowdell and senior outfielder JP Tighe to allow the Eagles to pull within one, 6-5, but Tighe was thrown out digging for second to end the rally. 
 
Georgia State responded with two insurance runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to secure the final margin, 8-5. 

Senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Watson threw 6.2 innings of two-hit baseball for the Panthers, while striking out 13—the most by a Georgia State pitcher since 1997 and the third-most in program history—to earn the win. 
 
The Panthers will take on Sun Belt regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina at 4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 24. The Chanticleers swept the regular-season series in Atlanta. 
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 24
Game 3 – No. 6 seed App State vs. No. 3 seed Troy, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 4 – No. 7 seed James Madison vs. No. 2 seed Southern Miss, 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 5 – No. 8 seed Georgia State vs. No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina, 4:00 p.m. CT
Game 6 – No. 5 seed Texas State vs. No. 4 seed Louisiana, 7:30 p.m. CT 
 
Thursday, May 25
Game 7 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 8 – Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 9 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4:00 p.m. CT
Game 10 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Friday, May 26
Game 11 – Loser Game 9 vs. Winner Game 7, 3:00 p.m. CT 
Game 12 – Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6:30 p.m. CT
 
Saturday, May 27 
Game 13 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 14 – Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12, 12:30 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 4:00 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Sunday, May 28
Championship Game – 1:00 p.m. CT