James Madison University baseball defeated Georgia Southern 14-6 in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams on March 13 at Veterans Memorial Park.
The win brings James Madison’s overall record to 8-8 and gives them a 1-0 start in conference play, while Georgia Southern falls to 5-11 and 0-1 in the Sun Belt. The game featured strong offensive performances from the Dukes, who hit three home runs during the contest.
Senior Wyatt Campbell led James Madison at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. This marked his season-best for hits and his seventh career game with three or more hits. Senior Jaden Kinsler earned his third win of the season by pitching six innings of relief and allowing only two runs.
The Dukes took an early lead with a sacrifice fly from Reece Moody in the first inning and extended it to four runs by the second inning through hits from Campbell and Jack Anderson, as well as a squeeze bunt by Kyle Langley. Georgia Southern tied the game at four after a two-run homer by Nico Senese and a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. However, James Madison regained control with key plays including a squeeze bunt from Jack Guerrero, an RBI single from Clay Thompson, and a six-run sixth inning highlighted by home runs from Jack Cannizzaro—his first career long ball—and Campbell.
Ike Schmidly contributed significantly with a career-high four runs batted in, including a two-run homer that traveled 426 feet. The Dukes have now homered in eight consecutive games and have won back-to-back conference openers for the first time since the 2021-22 seasons. Their fourteen runs are their highest total in a regular-season conference game since May 16, 2024 against Troy. Although Ryan Gocio’s nine-game hitting streak ended, he extended his streak of reaching base to ten games.
James Madison will continue its series against Georgia Southern on March 14 with a scheduled first pitch at 4 p.m.
