Starting off with a win key in tournament play

TROY — There’s one place no Sun Belt coach wants to be early in the conference tournament — the loser’s bracket.

Fall into that trap, and instead of having to win three games to win your bracket and four to win the whole tournament, which starts today at Riddle-Pace Field, you’ve got to win five or six games.

“For us, it’s very important to sell out to those first two games,” Troy head coach Bobby Pierce said. “Ask any coach, and I’m sure they’d say the same thing.”

The teams that win their first two games will have to be beaten twice by another team that has already played three games in order to get to the championship, which is Saturday. Troy will pitch senior Travis Burge today in order to get the Trojans off to a good start.

Burge is the only Trojan starter who could pitch today and bounce back on short rest if the Trojans make it to Saturday.

“We’re hoping he can go a solid five to six innings, turn it over to the bullpen and then start again Saturday and go five to six,” Pierce said.

The bullpen, which has had its ups and downs, has been solid lately, Pierce said. Junior Tim Wheeler, who has battled back from labrum surgery, is throwing
as well as he was before. Juniors Andrew Dickinson and Robby Loew, sophomore Drew Hull and senior Josh Storm are the top bullpen options leading in to closer Chris Sorce.

Loew, once an afterthought, has shown great improvement since coaches dropped him to a three-quarter arm slot.

He pitched four innings of one-run ball in a 13-6 loss to the Jaguars last Friday.

“It’s made him get better sink on his ball and better command,” Pierce said.

South Alabama is expected to start Miles Ethridge (4-3, 6.94 ERA) tonight.

Ray gets league honor: Tyler Ray, Troy’s normal Friday night starter, was named the league’s Freshman of the Year. He went 7-3 with a 4.37 ERA and was second in the league in wins.

Troy had one player named to the first team all-Sun Belt in Geneva’s Michael Precise (.320, 4 HR, 44 RBI), who was honored in the utility spot. Sorce and first baseman Ryan Ditthardt (.324, 7 HR, 53 RBI) were each named to the second team. Bryce Brentz of Middle Tennessee was named the league’s Player of the Year, and Western Kentucky pitcher Matt Hightower took home Pitcher of the Year honors. WKU coach Chris Finwood was named the Coach of the Year.