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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will conclude its OVC regular season slate with a critical home series against Jacksonville State this weekend at Turkey Hughes Field. The Colonels (23-22, 8-10 OVC) enter the weekend in sixth place in the conference. The top six teams in the league advance to the OVC Tournament at the end of the month.

First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 1:00 p.m. The final game of the series is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

EKU is the only team in the OVC to finish its conference schedule this weekend. Therefore, the Colonels will not know their postseason fate until all league teams finish up on the weekend of May 22-23.

The Colonels were swept at first-place Murray State last weekend but defeated Dayton, 7-5, on the road in the their only midweek game this week.

The Gamecocks (24-22, 10-7) arrive in Richmond in fourth place in the OVC and just 1.5 games out of first place. JSU took two of three from Eastern Illinois last weekend and then split a home-and-home series with UAB this week.

EKU will send freshman right-hander Anthony Bazzani (2-3, 6.83 ERA in 55.1 innings of work) to the mound in game one. Bazzani has not started a conference game since April 3 against Southeast Missouri State. Junior southpaw Paul Duncan (4-3, 7.09 ERA in 39.1 innings of work) is scheduled to pitch game two while junior right-hander Stephen Hefler (3-4, 7.50 ERA in 54 innings of work) will throw in game three.

JSU will counter with Jordan Beistline (2-3, 7.24 ERA in 46 innings of work) in game one and Austin Lucas (3-0, 5.72 ERA in 39.1 innings of work) in game two. The Gamecocks’ game three starter has yet to be determined.

EKU enters this weekend fifth in the OVC with a .312 team batting average while JSU is sixth with a .308 team batting average.

Sophomore lead-off man Richie Rodriguez leads the Colonels with a .377 batting average and 14 stolen bases. He is also the fourth toughest batter in the league to strike out (0.31 strikeouts per game). Senior clean-up hitter Anthony Ottrando now leads EKU with 15 home runs and is third in the OVC with 64 RBI. Junior Jayson Langfels is batting .375 on the year and leads the Colonels with 58 runs scored.

Preseason All-American Todd Cunningham leads JSU with a .357 batting average. Bert Smith, meanwhile, is batting .353 and leads the OVC with 30 stolen bases.

The Gamecocks took two of three from EKU last year at Rudy Abbot Field. Duncan pitched seven strong innings and allowed just three runs on five hits in the Colonels’ lone win of the series.

JSU leads the all-time series between the two schools, 11-5. The Gamecocks joined the OVC in 2004.