Cleveland, Miss. - The Delta State University Statesmen Baseball Team (2-2, 0-0 GSC) will travel to Cleveland, Tenn., for the 2026 Gulf South Conference opener.  

The Statesmen will play the Flames of Lee University (6-0, 0-0 GSC). Game one is set for 3:00 P.M. on Friday. Games two and three will be played in a double header on Saturday starting at 1:00 P.M. 

Scouting the Statesmen: 

• Statesmen look to start the Gulf South Conference Play on a high note. The Statesmen are 6-9 on the road in Cleveland, Tenn., while they are 10-4 at home against the Flames in the history matchup between the two teams.  

• Austin Estes leads the Statesmen at the plate, posting a .462 batting average with six hits and seven runs scored. Estes has seven total bases and one stolen base. 

• Jacob Hill leads the team in total bases with 10 and RBIs with eight so far on the season. Hill has one homerun and one double so far this season. 

• Adrian Byrd and Blake King are coming off a great first weekend on the mound and look to build from it.  

• Byrd threw five innings, giving up two earned runs and totaling eight strikeouts. King threw 5.2 innings while giving up one earned run and three strikeouts. 

Scouting the Flames: 

• The Flames enter this weekend with an unblemished 6-0 record and are ranked No. 17 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association top 25.  

• Isaiah French and Cody Turner each have 10+ total bases and two home runs on the season. French has seven RBIs on the season, and Turner has six.  

• Luke Collier has had a good start to the season. He posts a .300 batting average on six hits including a triple and a home run, while driving in eight runs. 

• Evan Bloomer has the most innings on the mound for the Flames. In his two starts, he has thrown 11 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on eight hits, while striking out nine. He has posted a 2.45 ERA so far this season.