MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo baseball is set to travel to Cleveland, Miss. for a three-game series against the Delta State Statesmen on March 1-2 at Harvey Stadium at Ferriss Field on the campus of Delta State.
 
The Falcons and Statesmen take the diamond at 5 p.m. on Friday, Mach 1 before heading out for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
 
Montevallo enters the second series of the conference schedule with a 10-5 record on the heels of the 10-2 loss to No.16 Georgia Southwestern in a midweek clash on Feb. 27.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1
WHO: Montevallo 10-5 (2-1 GSC) | Delta State 10-5 (3-0 GSC)
WHEN: Friday, March 1, 5 p.m.
WHERE: Cleveland, Miss. | Harvey Stadium at Ferris Field
Game 2
WHO: Montevallo 10-5 (2-1 GSC) | Delta State 10-5 (3-0 GSC)
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Cleveland, Miss. | Harvey Stadium at Ferris Field
Game 3
WHO: Montevallo 10-5 (2-1 GSC) | Delta State 10-5 (3-0 GSC)
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, 4 p.m.
WHERE: Cleveland, Miss. | Harvey Stadium at Ferris Field
 
So Far This Season…
The Falcons had a rocky start to the season with a three-game losing streak to start the 2024 campaign. Montevallo rebounded with an eight-game winning streak sparked by a 14-12 extra-inning win over Spring Hill. Montevallo then swept UVA Wise and home and then traveled to West Alabama for a 12-0 victory before taking a series sweep over No. 22/23 Northwood. The Falcons streak came to an end in the opening game of the conference schedule with a 16-4 loss to Christian Brothers. Montevallo then took the doubleheader against the Bucs to move to 10-4 on the season. Most recently, the Falcons fell to No. 16 Georgia Southwestern on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
 
In the Falcons' doubleheader against CBU, Montevallo's starters shined with Gino Cozzi notching his third win of the season in game one before Logan Samuels picked up his second win of the season.
 
Montevallo's sweep over a ranked Northwood squad marked the first sweep over a ranked opponent in seven seasons when the Falcons swept Columbus State back in 2017.
 
With 15 games gone in the 2024 season, Montevallo is one of the top offenses in the Gulf South Conference with a .314 batting average (fourth), 119 runs (sixth), and 159 hits (sixth) with 50 extra base hits and 18 home runs.
 
The Falcons' pitching staff ranks third in the conference with 130 strikeouts on the season with a total of 30 strikeouts looking. Montevallo's opponents bat just .267 against the Falcons for the league's third lowest opponent batting average.
 
Scouting Delta State:
The Statesmen equal Montevallo's record with a 10-5 mark on the season with an unbeaten 3-0 mark in league play after taking down Union in a three-game series from Feb. 23-24. DSU opened the season with a 1-2 record against Harding before taking a series win over Spring Hill the following weekend. The Statesmen are 2-1 in midweek matchups with wins over Henderson and Ouachita Baptist and a loss to Southern Arkansas.
 
Delta State ranks second in the GSC with a .325 batting average and a league-high 205 hits through 15 games. The Statesmen are also tied at the top of the GSC with 32 doubles while notching 15 homeruns and three triples. DSU's .429 on-base percentage also is one of the highest in the conference.
 
The Statesmen's pitching staff ranks in the bottom half of the league with a 5.88 ERA (eighth) and a total of 161 hits allowed (tenth). DSU's pitchers have allowed the fifth most doubles in the conference with 28 allowed while its seven triples allowed rank second-highest in the GSC.
 
DSU's offense is highlighted by a .426 batting average from Brett Burrell who has tallied 26 hits on the season with 14 RBI and a .475 slugging percentage. On the mound, Delta State is led by Cade Whitley with a 1.38 WHIP and a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched. In his time on the mound, Whitley has given up just nine hits and seven runs, all of which were earned.
 
Series History Against Delta State:
Since 2018, Montevallo is just 2-12 against Delta State with Montevallo's only wins coming in a doubleheader sweep a season ago. The 2023 series between the two sides saw Delta State take game one 7-3 on April 14, 2023. On April 15, 2023, Montevallo took the first game 9-8 before adding a 10-1 win in the second game. Montevallo's 10-1 win in the most recent meeting is the largest margin of victory by either side since Delta State took a 14-3 win on May 5, 2019.
 
Player Highlights:
Junior lefthander Adiel Melendez is set to start game one for Montevallo with a 1-1 record on the season. Melendez heads to Cleveland, Miss. with 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitch in his four appearances this season. Game two will feature Gino Cozzi as the Falcons' starter with a 3-1 record heading into the weekend series. In his four appearances, Cozzi has thrown 21.2 innings with just 10 hits allowed and 24 strikeouts. Senior righthander Logan Samuels will start game three for the Falcons with a 2-0 record on the season. In 19.1 innings, Samuels has retired 28 batters on strikeouts with just six walks in four appearances.
 
The Falcons' bullpen features Connor Phelan who has thrown 11.1 innings for Montevallo with an ERA of 0.79 with a .97 WHIP and a total of 10 strikeouts.
 
With a .344 batting average and appearances in all 15 games for Montevallo, Evan Liddie leads the Falcons with 21 hits on the year while 15 RBI from Connor Crowson and Ethan Huddleston highlight the Falcons' run production. Huddleston and Christian Kallaher lead the Falcons with the long ball after both recording four homeruns so far this season. Mitchell Walker's .510 on-base percentage leads all Falcons through the first 15 games.