Jacksonville State Baseball's Strategic Pitching Choice Backfires in NCAA Tournament

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — In their second game of the NCAA Tournament, Jacksonville State baseball opted for Ryan Geraghty on the mound, despite having two weekend starters ready to pitch. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, this decision proved detrimental as Geraghty struggled early, giving up four consecutive singles after a quick first out. His outing concluded with a walk, leaving Jacksonville State down 2-0 before the inning wrapped up, which ultimately contributed to their 8-6 defeat against Little Rock.

The loss pushed the Gamecocks, now with a record of 47-14, into the elimination bracket of the Hattiesburg Regional. To stay in the tournament, they will need to secure three victories within a tight two-day timeframe.

Following the game, head coach Steve Bieser stood by the choice to start Geraghty, even with Friday's starter Eli Pillsbury and Sunday’s starter Steven Cash available. “We sat down and we looked at it. If you look at what they do on paper, they dominate left-handed pitching. It's a big split between how they handle right-handed versus left-handed pitching. Ryan Geraghty has been throwing the ball great for us down the stretch and he was the right matchup,” Bieser explained.

Before the tournament, Geraghty had made three starts this season, posting an ERA of 4.83 with 45 strikeouts, while allowing 34 hits and 25 walks over 41 innings. In comparison, Cash led the team with a 2.94 ERA across 16 starts, while Pillsbury had a 4.07 ERA in 15 starts. Bieser noted Geraghty’s past successes, including two wins against Auburn, asserting that the decision was well thought out.

Looking ahead, the Gamecocks are set to face Virginia in an elimination game on Sunday at 3 p.m., which will be broadcast on ESPN+. The winner of this contest will advance to play Little Rock later that night, needing to secure two victories to continue in the tournament.