CARROLLTON, Ga. — Jacksonville Baseball begins ASUN play with a three-game series against the West Georgia Wolves. First pitch is slated for Friday at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday start time of 3:00 p.m. and a noon first pitch for the series finale.

It marks the first edition of a home-and-home series scheduled between the two programs this season and the start of a seven-game road stretch for the Dolphins.

This season also marks just the second year the two programs have faced each other after West Georgia joined Division I competition last season. Jacksonville took five of six from the Wolves in 2025, including a three-game sweep at home and a 10-0 run-rule victory in the Sunday rubber match in Carrollton.

Scouting the Wolves

Entering conference play, the Wolves hold a 3-14 record and are 1-3 at home. Friday's game will mark the end of a 13-game road stretch for West Georgia.

During that stretch, the Wolves suffered three-game sweeps to Little Rock and South Alabama but also played a close game against No. 7 Auburn. They split a series at Wichita State and dropped midweek matchups to Kennesaw State and No. 4 Georgia Tech.

Pitching Matchups

Game One: Alex Walsh vs. Maverick Torres

Friday night's opener features UWG sophomore right-hander Maverick Torres against Jacksonville ace Alex Walsh.

Through 12.2 innings, Torres owns a 7.82 ERA with eight walks and nine strikeouts. In three starts, he is 0–3 but turned in a strong outing against No. 7 Auburn, tossing two scoreless frames.

Walsh suffered his first loss of the season against UNCW despite allowing just one earned run while striking out seven across 5.1 innings. The senior holds the lowest ERA in the ASUN (0.87) and has recorded 19 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched.

Game Two: Payton Waters vs. Lex Kenny

Game two will feature West Georgia senior Lex Kenny against Jacksonville's Payton Waters.

Kenny is in his first season with West Georgia after transferring from Georgia State. The right-hander has faced the most batters for the Wolves this season and holds the eighth-lowest ERA in the ASUN (3.52). In 23 innings, he has allowed just 20 hits while walking eight and striking out nine.

Redshirt junior Payton Waters is expected to toe the rubber for the Dolphins, marking his fifth start of the season. In 13 innings, he holds a 6.23 ERA with nine strikeouts. Waters has shown flashes of dominance throughout his appearances, and the Dolphins will look to lean on him as conference play begins.

Game Three: TBD vs. Luke Ridley

Luke Ridley enters the weekend with a 1-0 record and has started three games this season for the Wolves. He has struck out nine and walked nine across 12.1 innings of work.

The Gainesville native spent three years at Polk State College, the same junior college Jacksonville's Gavin Dicks transferred from.

Players to Watch for Jacksonville

Cade Walter has provided a spark at the top of Jacksonville's lineup, hitting seven home runs this season (2nd ASUN). The redshirt freshman also remarkably leads the ASUN in .OPS (1.283). He looks to make the switch to centerfield with the absence of junior leader, Jonah Shields. 

Roger Vergara continues to swing a hot bat for the Dolphins. The infielder is coming off a three-hit performance against UNCW and followed it up with another multi-hit outing versus South Florida that included a two-run home run.

Sam Grunberg has recently emerged at first base for Jacksonville, collecting a hit against South Florida and recording a three-hit performance against UNCW.

Sammy Mummau, meanwhile, anchors the Dolphins defensively at shortstop and was recently named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, given annually to the nation's top shortstop.

Players to Watch for West Georgia

Blake Bradford has emerged as one of the Wolves' most consistent bats this season. The senior outfielder ranks sixth in the ASUN with a .389 batting average and leads West Georgia starters with a .951 OPS.

Patrick McCullough has been one of the hottest bats in the Wolves' lineup. The senior third baseman enters the weekend riding an eight-game hitting streak and was recently named ASUN Player of the Week after an impressive series at Wichita State. McCullough leads West Georgia with 23 hits while batting .329, adding four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 10 RBIs on the season.

At the designated hitter spot, Andon Lewis has started every game and leads the team with 17 RBIs (10th ASUN) while also pacing the Wolves with four stolen bases. He is tied for the team lead with four home runs.

Jacob Bowman serves as West Georgia's everyday shortstop and has added three stolen bases this season.

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