LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Trojans will play their final, and fiercest, in-state rival of the season Tuesday night at Gary Hogan Field. Former Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State makes the short trek south for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Max Coltrane on the call. Little Rock has already played in-state opponents Central Arkansas, UAPB and Arkansas twice. A third game with UCA is slated for May 6. Little Rock and ASU were supposed to have played earlier in the season in Jonesboro, but the contest was canceled due to inclement weather.
The Trojans (18-25, 7-10 OVC) and Red Wolves had been Sun Belt Conference foes for over 20 years until Little Rock joined the Ohio Valley Conference two years ago. The teams first met on the diamond in 1975 and ASU (22-21, 11-10 Sun Belt) leads the series 84-49. This the 134th meeting in teh series, and ASU is Littler Rock's longest-running series.
The Trojans snapped a six-game losing streak last season with a convincing 12-2 win in seven innings at Gary Hogan Field.
The Red Wolves are led by skipper Mike Silva. Silva came to Jonesboro from Nicholls State where he was 98-71 in three seasons. Before he became a head coach, Silva was an assistant at different stops, including at Little Rock for two seasons where he handled pitchers for Trojans head coach
Chris Curry. Silva was also a head coach in the junior college ranks for four seasons and a pro scout for one season for the San Diego Padres.
Silva's club has competed well in the rugged Sun Belt after dropping all three games of the conference-opening series against Marshall. ASU, who has won four straight games, swept SBC foe Georgia State in Jonesboro last weekend.
ASU hits .262 as a team and is led by redshirt freshman Ashton Quiller, who hits .322 with five triples, which also is good for the team lead. Senior Will French, a Jonesboro native, is No. 2 in batting average with a .310 clip.
Little Rock is hoping to get back in the win column after losing at Arkansas twice last week and dropping three tough games to OVC foe SIUE over the weekend.
The Trojans get back into league play Friday at Eastern Illinois. EIU sits in third place with an 11-6 record.
