DBU (29-23, 17-10 CUSA) vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE (41-11, 22-5 CUSA)
May 14-16 | Dallas, TX | Joan and Andy Horner Ballpark

GAME NOTES
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Instagram: @dbu_baseball
Twitter/X: @DBU_Baseball
Facebook: DBU Baseball
 
DBU BASEBALL ON THE AIR
In their 15th season on the air, Reagan Ratcliff and Brendan Smith deliver all the action from Joan and Andy Horner Ballpark. Every DBU home game is streamed live on ESPN+, with an additional audio broadcast for all home and road games available on the Patriot Broadcasting Network.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday 
DBU: LHP Liam Watt (6-2 W-L, 4.42 ERA, 71.1 IP, 54 SO, 14 BB)
vs.
JSU: LHP Eli Pillsbury (6-1 W-L, 2.86 ERA, 69.1 IP, 81 SO, 22 BB)

Friday
DBU: RHP Ryan Borberg (1-1 W-L, 6.89 ERA, 49.2 IP, 37 SO, 22 BB) 
vs.
JSU: LHP Beau Bryans (7-0 W-L, 2.38 ERA, 56.2 IP, 65 SO, 35 BB)

Saturday
DBU: TBA
vs.
JSU: LHP Steven Cash (6-2 W-L, 2.61 ERA, 69.0 IP, 79 SO, 25 BB)

LEADING OFF
WRAPPED UP THE ROAD STRETCH: DBU completed its road schedule for the 2026 season last weekend at WKU. The Patriots dropped two of the three games to the Hilltoppers.
BENNETT'S STREAK FINALLY SNAPPED: With a 0-4 game on Saturday, Jake Bennett's 43-game on-base streak was finally ended. Dating back to April 13, 2025, Bennett reached base in his first 35 games of the 2026 season, plus his last nine games of 2025.
KRAUSS CRUSHING: Chayton Krauss homered in the first two games against WKU. He has hit a home run in five of the last seven games and leads Conference USA with 18 home runs.
 
TOP STORYLINES
CUSA STANDINGS: Entering the last weekend of the regular season, DBU is tied with Louisiana Tech for fourth place in the Conference USA standings. With a 17-10 league record, the Patriots are five games behind first-place Jacksonville State (41-11, 22-5), two games behind second-place Liberty (36-17, 19-8), and one game behind third-place Missouri State (30-17, 18-9).
FIGHTING FOR A TOP SEED: With Jax State five games ahead of DBU, the Patriots can climb as high as second place in the CUSA standings in the last week of the regular season. By winning its series against Liberty, Louisiana Tech, and Missouri State, DBU owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over each team for CUSA Tournament seeding. The top three teams in CUSA, after tiebreakers, will be the top seeds in the tournament's three pool-play groups.
CHAYTON CHASING HISTORY: Already just the 4th Patriot ever with 200 career hits and 40 home runs, Chayton Krauss continues to climb the charts in DBU's record book. His 49 home runs are third all-time, and his 199 RBI are second. If he reaches 200 RBI, he would join Jason Krizan as the only players in DBU history with 200 hits, 200 RBI, and 40 home runs. If he hits the 50th homer of his career, he would become the only Patriot ever to record 200 hits, 200 RBI, and 50 home runs.
SLUGGING OFFENSE: Averaging 8.2 runs per game (30th in the nation), the Patriots boast one of the most powerful offenses in the country, belting 104 home runs (8th) and slugging .5326 (13th).
HOME RUN BARRAGE: DBU's 104 home runs are the third-most by a team in program history. The 2026 squad is the 4th straight team to reach the century mark and the 6th all-time.
RECORD-PACE HOME RUN RATE: DBU's average of 2.00 home runs per game ranks as the best pace in school history. The program record of 1.92 home runs per contest was set in 2024.
HOME RUN THREATS: Four Patriots are in the top 10 among all CUSA hitters in home runs: Chayton Krauss (18, 1st), Jake Bennett (17, 2nd), Luke Pettitte (13, 6th), and Ryan Martin (12, 9th). With Dylan Schlaegel also registering 11 home runs, DBU is the only team in the conference with at least four players with 10 or more home runs.
EXTRA-BASE MACHINES: Dylan Schlaegel and Chayton Krauss are two of the best power bats in CUSA. Schlaegel is first in the league with a .613 slugging percentage, and Krauss is seventh at .592.
POWER FROM PETTITTE: Luke Pettitte has been a sparkplug for the Patriots since settling in as the everyday designated hitter. Since his first start at DH on March 14, he leads the team in slugging percentage (.679) and OPS (1.089) and is second in home runs (13) and RBI (40). He is also second in CUSA with 11 home runs in conference games, behind Chayton Krauss' 12 long balls.
GETTING ON BASE: Jake Bennett's 43-game on-base streak dating back to last season was finally snapped on Saturday against WKU. He was the first Patriot to get on base in 40 consecutive games since Grant Jay made it on base in 55 straight between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Meanwhile, Ben Tryon has reached base in 15 straight games.
FRESH RELIEF FROM THE BULLPEN: Freshman Max Luzarraga has developed into one of the most reliable arms out of the DBU bullpen. Luzarraga leads all Patriot relievers with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Over his last nine appearances (13.2 innings), he has posted a 0.66 ERA.
PHENOMENAL FIELDING: The Patriots' defense is 18th in the nation in fielding percentage with a .980 rate. At its current rate, DBU has the 2nd-best fielding percentage in school history behind the record of .982 set in 2024.
 
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
BIG WIN ON WEDNESDAY: The Gamecocks took down No. 5 Auburn on Wednesday to wrap up their midweek schedule. They took down the Tigers 4-1 in front of Jax State's second-largest home crowd in program history.
TITLE CLINCHED: With a series win against Kennesaw State over the weekend, Jax State has clinched a minimum share of the Conference USA Regular Season. They clinch the outright title and the top seed of the CUSA Tournament with a win or a Liberty loss.
HISTORIC SEASON: In his third season at the helm, Head Coach Steve Bieser has guided the Gamecocks to their first 40-win season since Jax State became a Division I member, beginning with the 1996 season.
ELITE PITCHING: The Gamecocks boast one of the best pitching staffs in the country, sitting in the top 10 nationally with a 3.36 ERA (third), a 1.25 WHIP (eighth), and 6.93 hits allowed per nine innings (second).
STACKED ROTATION: All three of Jax State's starting pitchers in the rotation own a sub-3.00 ERA. Beau Bryans is first in CUSA with a 2.38 ERA. Steven Cash is second in the league with a 2.61 mark, and Eli Pillsbury is fourth at 2.86.
HITTING FOR AVERAGE: The Gamecocks hit .293 as a team, good for second in CUSA. Six players are hitting .299 or better: Jaxon Pate (.356), Trey King (.339), Grayson Ashe (.315), Cooper Blauser (.305), Brady Thomas (.304), and Caleb Johnson (.299).
PLAYING SMALL BALL: Jax State frequently elects to play small ball. The Gamecocks have laid down 60 sacrifice bunts (third-most in the nation) and have swiped 96 bags (second in CUSA).
 
SERIES HISTORY
DBU is 8-4 all-time versus Jax State in a series that dates back to 2017. In 2025, the Patriots swept the regular-season series with the Gamecocks and won their first meeting in the CUSA Tournament. Jax State later took both games of a doubleheader with DBU for a spot in the CUSA Championship game.
 
ON DECK
DBU competes in the Conference USA Tournament beginning on Wednesday, May 20, at Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Patriots' first game of the tournament will be determined by their seeding at the conclusion of the regular season.