Complete Delta State Baseball GSC Tournament Notebook [PDF]

GSC Baseball Tournament Printable Bracket

CLEVELAND - The No. 18 ranked Statesmen (34-14-1, 13-7 GSCW) of Delta State University will make their 27th all-time appearance this week at the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Cleveland.  Due to torrential rain and flooding in Millington, Tenn., the tournament has been moved to Ferriss Field. 

Delta State has dominated the GSC Tournament over the years, claiming a conference record 11 league championships and a 61-35 mark all-time in tournament play. The Statesmen own GSC Tournament records for wins (61), semifinals appearances (24), finals appearances (14), and championships (11). No other school has more than five titles.

The Statesmen are led by senior third basemanJosh Gordon (Sr./Vicksburg). He enters the tournament leading the GSC in hits (81), while ranking second in batting (.431) and third in total bases (127). He also leads the Statesmen with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs.

Delta State also boasts a solid pitching rotation heading this week's tournament led by a trio of seniors - Cody Kelley (RHP/Louisville), Jason Coats (RHP/Starkville) and Trey Griffin (RHP/Houston).
The trio is a combined 20-4 for the Statesmen, including an oustanding 173 strikeouts to just 62 walks.

DELTA STATE GSC TOURNAMENT FAST FACTS *
Appearances: 27
Tournament Record: 61-35
Semifinals 24:
Championship Appearances: 14
GSC Championships: 11
*All GSC Records

STATESMEN SPORTS NETWORK
The Statesmen Sports Network will offer complete coverage of Delta State University's games this week at the Gulf South Conference Tournament from USA Stadium. The broadcast starts 15 minutes prior to first pitch with the SouthGroup Insurance Dugout Report. Matt Jones and Jimmy Smith will have the call. This week's action may be heard on WMJW 107.5 FM and 930 AM in Jackson.

DSU MAKING 27th GSC TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
The Statesmen are making their GSC-record 27th appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament this week at USA Stadium in Millington,Tenn. DSU's 26 Tournament appearances, are just tip the iceberg. The Statesmen are 61-35 all-time at the tournament and boast GSC Tournament records for wins (61), semifinals appearances (24), finals appearances (14), and championships (11). No other school has more than five titles.

Delta State's GSC Championship Teams
1978: 43-19 (14-4)
1979: 32-20 (12-6)
1985: 38-20 (7-5)
1988: 44-13 (13-1)
1991: 33-12 (11-2)
1994: 45-13 (19-4)
1996: 53-8 (15-1)
2000: 48-12 (13-3)
2003: 52-10 (28-4)
2004: 54-11 (19-3)
2008: 48-11 (17-1)

DELTA STATE VERSUS THE FIELD
Delta State will be quite familiar with the competition at this week's GSC Tournament in Millington, TN. In fact, the Statesmen have faced all but one of the teams at the event. In those games, DSU is 8-6.

GSC Field - 2010 Record/Overall Record
West Florida (E1) 1-2/17-17
Valdosta State(E3) 0-0/9-9
North Alabama (E3) 1-1/39-36
Alabama-Huntsville(E4) 2-0/27-12
Southern Arkansas (W2) 2-1/54-23
Arkansas Tech (W2) 0-3/45-8
Henderson State (W4) 3-0/52-4

MILLINGTON ON THE MIND
DSU has enjoyed a great deal of success at USA Stadium since the GSC Tournament moved there in 2002. The Statesmen claimed the 2003, 2004 and 2008 Gulf South Conference titles and owns an all-time mark of 20-12 at USA Stadium.

STATESMEN RANK NO.1 ALL-TIME IN WINS IN GSC
Delta State University Baseball holds the distinction of owning the most conference titles (11) in Gulf South Conference history. DSU also holds the honor of being the all-time winningest program in league history with 1,701 victories. Since 1933, the Statesmen are 1,701-848-11. The University of North Alabama and University of West Alabama are the only other schools with over 1,000 all-time wins.

STATESMEN IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Entering the weekend series versus Southern Arkansas, coach Mike Kinnison and the Statesmen are in unfamiliar territory - third place in the GSC West Division standings. Since moving to an East/West divisional format, the Statesmen have finished no lower than second in any season.

AGAINST RANKED COMPETITION
The Statesmen enter this weekend's series with No. 1 ranked Southern Arkansas boasting a 8-3-1 record against ranked competition this season. Delta State's eight wins, six versus NCAA DII competition, against the top 30 rank first among Gulf South Conference teams. Southern Arkansas also boasts six wins against the top 30.

GORDON LEADS GSC IN HITS
Senior 3B Josh Gordon enters the GSC Tournament on quite a roll. The Vicksburg native leads the GSC in hits (81), while ranking second overall in batting average (.431) and third in total bases (127). He also leads the Statesmen in home runs (10) and runs scored (62).  Gordon's also in the NCAA rankings for hits (17th), runs scored (28th) and batting average (48th).

HALLMARK AND GORDON CHASING RECORDS
Delta State's Brent Hallmark (RHP) and Josh Gordon (3B) are chasing Statesmen records as we enter GSC Tournament play this week. Both stand in excellent position to write their names into the record book with a solid tournament.

Hallmark, a redshirt sophomore reliever from Columbus, has posted a 0.95 ERA in 15 appearances this season to rank fifth on the single season list.

Gordon, who leads DSU in several offensive categories this season, is not only chasing the single season batting record, but the all-time batting average record as well. His .431 average heading into the tournament is third all-time behind Dee Haynes (.444) and Brian Rea (.439) on the single season charts, while his .401 career average ranks second, tied with Rick Collier, and ranking second to Dee Haynes' .405 average.

LIGHTS OUT BULLPEN
Delta State head coach Mike Kinnison has had the pleasure of calling on one of the nation's top bullpens this season. In fact, the Statesmen are 28-2 when leading after six innings this season. The “Four Horsemen” of the Statesmen pen have been solid all year, including redshirt sophomore closer Brent Hallmark, who is 1-1 in 15 appearances with a 0.95 ERA and four saves.

DEFENSE KEY TO STATESMEN SUCCESS
It's not hard to see what makes the Statesmen click. Fans usually look to big offense or starting pitching, but it usually boils down to solid defense. With a 34-14-1 overall record and a .958 team fielding percentage, the Statesmen can attribute their on field success to defense. DSU is 11-0 when they do not commit an error and 12-6 when they commit one error; however, the Statesmen are just 11-8-1 when committing two or more errors in a game.

ENOUGH'S ENOUGH
Junior catcher Patrick Taylor would like to make the most out of each of his at-bats. Unfortunately, the Arab, Ala. native knows all too well what it's like to have the bat taken out of his hand, ranking third in the NCAA in hit-by-pitches with 21.

Taylor has been hit multiple times in a game on five separate occassions, including a season-high three times versus Nova Southeastern (Feb. 6) and Montevallo (April 13).

STATESMEN ENTERING TOURNAMENT SECOND IN ERA
While the Statesmen have experienced ups and downs in the W-L column, the pitching staff has been solid all season. Entering the GSC Tournament, the Statesmen boast the second best ERA (3.86) in the Gulf South Conference and the 19th overall in NCAA DII. Only West Florida's 3.70 ERA is better.

STARTING ROTATION POWERS STATESMEN
Delta State's starting rotation has played a big role in leading the Statesmen to the GSC tournament and their current No. 12 ranking. The big three for the Statesmen – seniors Jason Coats, Cody Kelley and Trey Griffin – have a combined record of 20-4 with a 3.93 ERA.

Coats (6'1, 200, Starkville, Miss.) is the statistical leader of the starting rotation, having compiled a perfect 7-0 record with a sterling 3.11 ERA, good for third in the GSC. He has struck out 37 batters in 63 2/3 innings of work, and has two complete games to his credit this season.

Kelley (5'10, 197, Louisville, Miss.) has matched his teammate with seven wins, compiling a 7-1 record with a 4.26 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings.

Griffin (6'1, 200, Houston, Miss.) enters the GSC Tournament with a 6-3 record and an ERA of 4.30 in 11 starts this season. He has struck out 62 batters in 69 innings pitched, and opponents are hitting .253 against him, which leads all DSU starters.

DEPTH BEHIND THE PLATE
While some teams would be considered lucky to have one quality catcher on the roster, the Statesmen are fortunate to have two capable players platooning behind home plate. Patrick Taylor (6'0, 212, Arab, Ala.) has started 32 games at catcher and has .307 with 26 RBIs. The junior transfer from Berry College has been a particularly tough out for opposing pitchers, as Taylor has registered a .475 on-base percentage.

Meanwhile, sophomore Ricky Ware (6'3, 226, Houston, Miss.) has also proven himself to be a capable backstop. With only two errors this season and a .983 fielding percentage, he has also gotten the job done at the plate, hitting .304 with a .473 on-base percentage.

NINE, TEN…BIG, BIG WINS!
Being able to light up the scoreboard often produces several wins over the course of the season, and the Statesmen are no exception. Delta State is a perfect 22-0 when scoring at least nine runs in a game. Additionally, the Statesmen have reached double-digits 18 times this season, and have yet to lose a contest when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.

The Statesmen are 4-1 in games where they score eight runs, with their only setback coming in a 9-8 loss at home to Ouachita Baptist in the first game of a doubleheader on March 13.

BASEBALL MAGNETS
The Statesmen might feel like baseball magnets this season, ranking first in the NCAA in hit-by-pitches with 111. Southern Arkansas is clipping on their heels with 110.

In a19-3 rout at CBU on March 21, the Statesmen were hit nine times by Buccaneer pitching, establishing a new school record for the Statesmen and were just one off the GSC's single-game record. The previous record for HBPs in a game was eight versus St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Feb. 23, 2008 at Ferriss Field.

Through 49 games, the Statesmen have been hit by a pitch 111 times. The school record for single season HBPs is 152.