Cleveland, Miss. - The Delta State University baseball team (27-19, 20-13 GSC) will enter the Gulf South Conference tournament as the #5 seed. The Statesmen will play the #8 seed Chargers of UAH (21-23, 16-17 GSC) in the first round of the tournament starting at 11:00 a.m., Friday morning in Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.

The first round of the tournament consists of two single-elimination games where no. 5 Delta State plays no. 8 UAH, and no. 6 Trevecca Nazarene plays no. 7 Montevallo. After these two games, there will be a six-team double-elimination tournament from Saturday – Tuesday.

The Voice of the Statesmen Michael Gross will be on the call for the Statesmen throughout the weekend on the Statesmen Sports Radio Network. Fans can also catch every game on the FloCollege network.
Scouting the Statesmen:

• For the 41^st time in program history, the Delta State University baseball team will be making an appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament marking the most of any program in the Gulf South Conference.
• Delta State leads the Gulf South Conference with a 100-58 record in GSC Championship history with 21 appearances in the championship game and 15 titles.
• The last time the Statesmen won the GSC Championship was in 2019 when they defeated West Florida 6-0 in Choccolocco Park.
• Delta State enters the GSC tournament one of seven teams ranked in the South Region rankings. The Statesmen are ranked fifth in the South Region Poll released yesterday.  
• First Team All-GSC outfielder Tucker Jones leads the Statesmen at the plate this year. He is hitting .360 with 20 extra-base hits and 57 RBIs. He is leading the GSC in stolen bases with 29.
• GSC Pitcher of the Year Adrian Byrd looks to continue his season-long success into the post-season. This season he has thrown 77 innings, accumulated 91 strikeouts and posted a 1.64 ERA.
• In 17 appearances this season, Dawson Muenzenmay posted a 3.86 ERA and a 5-2 record with 5 saves. He totals 20 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched.

Scouting the Chargers:

• The Statesmen went to Huntsville a few weeks ago and swept UAH. Since then, the Chargers went on an 8-5 run to clinch a spot in the tournament, including a series win over MC and a sweep over Trevecca Nazarene.
• Taylor Bush has led the Chargers this season at the plate. He posts a .346 batting average with 14 doubles and six home runs, driving in 37 runs this season.
• In 13 starts, Cole Loftis posts a 6.06 ERA and a 2-3 record. He has 63 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched.