GEORGIA STATE (24-13, 10-5) vs. LOUISIANA (20-16, 9-6)
April 22-24 | GSU Baseball Complex
THE SERIES:
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
LEADING OFF
> Featuring the top three home run hitters in the Sun Belt Conference, Georgia State hosts Louisiana in a key conference series that opens Friday at 6 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
> The Panthers are coming off a walk-off win over Kennesaw State (a Top 20 team in the RPI) in which Cameron Jones scored from second base on a wild pitch with two outs in the ninth to give GSU the 6-5 walk-off win.
> Georgia State sits in third place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 10-5 record, including sweeps of preseason favorite South Alabama, Coastal Carolina and Little Rock. Louisiana is one game back at 9-6, in a three-way tie for fourth place with Troy and South Alabama
> Georgia State leads the Sun Belt with 54 home runs, the team's highest season total since hitting 60 in 2014.
> The Panthers have the top three home run hitters in the league in Max Ryerson (13), Griffin Cheney (12) and Luke Boynton (9).
> Georgia State features three Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week and two National Players of the Week this season: 1B-LHP Cameron Jones (March 14, Sun Belt & National), Luke Boynton (March 21, Sun Belt) and Max Ryerson (April 4, Sun Belt & National).
> Junior outfielder Max Ryerson was the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game as well as Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on April 4 after hitting .563 (9-for-16) with four homers and 10 RBI in four games.
> Max Ryerson leads the Sun Belt with 13 home runs (No. 22 in DI) and also leads the league in doubles (13) and total bases (104). He is second in hits (52) and fourth in RBI (35).
> Super senior Griffin Cheney is second in the Sun Belt in batting average (.376), homers (12), on-base pct (.483), walks (25) and runs per game (1.06) while leading in slugging (.735). Five of his homers have come vs. the ACC: 3 vs. Clemson, 2 vs. Georgia Tech.
> Infielder/DH Luke Boynton is the Sun Belt's leading hitter at .391 while ranking third with nine homers.
> The GSU bullpen has an 18-5 record with 15 saves. That's the program's second-best season total for saves, four behind the school record of 19, set in 2009.
> The bullpen trio of Cameron Jones, Ryan Watson and Chad Treadway have combined for a 7-2 record, 14 saves and a 1.94 ERA in 38 appearances.
> Junior Ryan Watson saved two wins in each of Georgia State's Sun Belt sweeps vs. Little Rock, South Alabama and Coastal Carolina. He is tied for the Sun Belt lead with seven saves on the season. The right-hander is the Panthers' active leader with 10 career saves (tied for fourth in GSU history) and 13 career victories (T-11th).
> Georgia State earned a 6-1 win at No. 15 Clemson on March 15 for the Panthers' fifth victory over a Top 15-ranked opponent in the last two seasons. Griffin Cheney tied the school record with three home runs, and GSU pitchers Camren Landry, Chad Treadway and Joseph Brandon combined for 14 strikeouts.
