Garrett Gainous finds his groove

Taylor Fraze Photo

Garrett Gainous winds up to throw a pitch against Marshall.

Riddle-Pace Field received a break from action over the weekend, but the Trojans were still at work.  Troy travelled to Norfolk, Virginia, to take on conference foe Old Dominion.

Game one of the series was all Trojans, as they defeated the Monarchs 7-0 – their first shutout victory since taking down Arkansas State 14-0 on April 5, 2024.

Responsible for leading Troy to their first nine-inning shutout of the season was senior Garrett Gainous. Through seven innings of shutout work, Gainous allowed just two hits and four walks – ringing up six. In the fourth, a baserunner reached third.

“[Garrett’s] been here a long time -- I thought this was one of his better outings I’ve gotten to be a part of,” said head coach Skylar Meade to Troy Athletics. “He’s such a winner, and it’s fun to watch him get after it.

“The players really enjoy being on the field with him.”

The righty etched his name in the history books in the sixth inning of his outing. On what was his sixth strikeout, he became the fourth pitcher in program history to strike out 250 batters. He finds himself in the company of Jason Fawcett, Shane McCain and Tyler Ray.

It’s noteworthy to mention that this is his deepest start since April 8, 2022. In that start against ULM, he saw seven innings of work and struck out 12, surrendering one run on two hits.

The Cairo, Georgia, native also tied his personal best for the fewest hits in an outing where he’s pitched at least five innings. This outing marks the fourth time in his collegiate career he worked through five innings giving up only two hits.

The historic win marks number 21 while donning the Power T, which ranks ninth in the program history books. He’s taken the mound eight times since Valentine’s Day, taking home wins in seven of those outings.

As Troy continues to roll through conference play, Gainous looks to continue mowing down the opposition. The road trip through Virginia continues Wednesday, as Troy takes on the No. 25 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. Gainous is likely to take the mound again in the weekend series when Troy moves back to conference play to take on the Dukes of James Madison.