South Alabama, Troy set to square off in rare Sun Belt baseball tournament meeting

A heated rivalry takes center stage in Montgomery on Wednesday night as South Alabama and Troy prepare for a rare clash in the Sun Belt baseball tournament. The No. 4 Trojans and No. 5 Jaguars are set to square off at DABOS Park in a matchup that carries significant postseason weight.

Tournament History

Encounters between these two programs in the conference tournament are few and far between. This marks only the fourth time the pair has faced off on this stage. Historically, the Jaguars hold a 2-1 edge, having notched victories in 2007 (4-1) and 2017 (9-1), while the Trojans secured a 10-4 win in 2009.

The Matchup

Both teams concluded their Sun Belt schedules with identical 17-13 conference records. However, the Trojans earned the No. 4 seed by virtue of their 2-1 series victory in Troy just two weekends ago. As the higher seed, Troy will serve as the home team for the 7:30 p.m. Central first pitch.

On the mound, Troy is expected to turn to senior right-hander Tommy Egan (5-4, 5.05 ERA), while South Alabama counters with junior righty Daniel Gonzalez (4-3, 4.05 ERA). The two pitchers squared off recently on May 10 and May 11, with Egan allowing two runs in 4.2 innings during a 10-5 win, while Gonzalez yielded four runs in 4.2 innings during an 8-1 loss.

Star Power and Postseason Stakes

Troy features a potent lineup led by 2026 Sun Belt Player of the Year Jimmy Janicki. The standout catcher currently leads the conference in home runs (17), RBIs (70), and total bases (152). Troy also placed center fielder Aaron Piasecki and outfielder/pitcher Drew Nelson on the All-Sun Belt first team, while the Jaguars secured second-team honors for Brennon Wright and Stewart Puckett.

With Troy looking for its second conference tournament title and South Alabama chasing a program-record 14th crown, both teams are fighting to improve their standing. Currently, D1 Baseball lists both programs among the “first four out” in their most-recent bracket projections, making a deep run in Montgomery crucial for their NCAA regional at-large hopes.

Tournament Schedule

Following Tuesday's action, the tournament bracket shifts into high gear. Here is the remaining schedule (all times Central, all games on ESPN+):

• Game 3: No. 3 Appalachian State vs. No. 6 Texas State, 9 a.m.
• Game 4: No. 2 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 7 Louisiana, 12:30 p.m.
• Game 5: No. 1 Southern Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia State, 4 p.m.
• Game 6: No. 4 Troy vs. No. 5 South Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
• Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 9 a.m. (Thursday)
• Game 8: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 12:30 p.m. (Thursday)
• Game 9: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m. (Thursday)
• Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:30 p.m. (Thursday)
• Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 9, 3 p.m. (Friday)
• Game 12: Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6:30 p.m. (Friday)
• Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 9 a.m. (Saturday)
• Game 14: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12, 12:30 p.m. (Saturday)
• Game 15: If necessary, 4 p.m. (Saturday)
• Game 16: If necessary, 7:30 p.m. (Saturday)
• Championship Game: 1 p.m. (Sunday)