Opening weekend proved successful for the Georgia Southern University Eagles men’s baseball team, winning all three games against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks, sweeping the series.

The weekend started with pristine baseball weather but ended with less than ideal weather. Friday was great baseball weather with clear skies and a decent temperature and Saturday was average. Sunday’s game required a lot of extra fieldwork due to rain, pushing the start time up to 2 p.m. Cloudy skies and rain threatened the playability of the field at J.I. Clements Stadium. But, as the first pitch was thrown, the sun peeked out and a lazy breeze took over for dark skies.

Friday, February 17th, 7-5 GSU. Win-Beck, Loss-Mills, Save-Stevenson

Opening night for GSU was a big one. The Eagles won their first opening day game in three years. A near sell-out crowd was on hand with 2,753 fans were in attendance. This is the fourth highest attendance total of all-time at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Friday’s contest saw all seven runs of the game being scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings by the Eagles, unanswered by the Skyhawks. Senior third baseman Eric Phillips was 2-4 from the plate with three RBIs. Preseason All-American junior starter Chris Beck picked up his first win on the season. Beck (1-0) finished the game with eight strikeouts, three hits and just one walk in six innings on 79 pitches.

“Beck is going to give us a great performance every time,” Phillips said.

GSU looked like it was going to run away with the game with a 7-1 lead in the seventh inning. But, a late surge by the Skyhawks gave the Eagles a scare. UT Martin already scored a run in the top of the ninth inning and had two runners on base. Junior closer Josh Stevenson (Social Circle, Ga.) composed himself and closed out the game on a fly out to junior centerfielder Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.), ending the game 7-5 in favor of the Eagles.

Saturday, February 18th, 10-1 GSU. Win-Hart, Loss-Lozupone

The NCAA homerun leader of the 2011 season and preseason All-American junior right fielder Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) began his 2012 homerun campaign on Saturday. In the first inning of the game, Roache hit a two-run long ball over the left field fence, giving the Eagles an early lead. After two innings the Eagles led the Skyhawks by a score of 4-0 and put up two more by the sixth, leading 6-0 before the Eagles gave up a run.

“I thought we did real well with pitching. It was something we were not sure about but they came through,” Phillips said of his pitching staff.

Freshman right handed pitcher Lucas Hart (1-0) (Atlanta, Ga.) got the win in the lopsided victory. Hart gave up one run on two hits in two innings out of the bullpen.

The Eagles had 12 hits in this game, and three players with multiple hits. Five-straight batters reached base to start off the eighth inning. This all but sealed the game for GSU as they went on to score four more by the time the inning was over.

Phillips had another great day at the dish, going 3-5 with two RBIs. Roache was 1-3 with two RBIs and junior college transfer T.D. Davis (Evans, Ga.) was 2-4, and he also had two RBIs. GSU’s offense completely outshone anything the Skyhawks had to offer, winning the game 10-1.

Sunday February 19, 11-2 GSU. Win-Rowe, Loss-Kelley

The final game of the three-game series between the Eagles and the Skyhawks kicked off with the first pitch from GSU junior starter Kyle Rowe. The 6 feet 1 inch, 185-pound right-hander from Valdosta, Ga., is a new face to the Eagle roster. A transfer from Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Fl., Rowe made his first start in the blue and white of GSU on Sunday.

Rowe (1-0) got his first win as an Eagle, allowed two earned runs on one hit and two walks in five innings on 72 pitches.

“It feels nice to get one under my belt and get the butterflies out,” Rowe said of his first win as an Eagle.

UT Martin got on the board first due to a triple by freshman shortstop Nico Zych (Monee, Ill.). Zych hit a long fly ball to dead center and Williams looked like he had it under his glove when he slipped on the wet grass. The play was ruled as a hit, scoring two and giving the Skyhawks a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

Back-to-back homeruns over the right field fence by Phillips and Roache got the Eagles out of the 2-2-tie game and gave GSU the lead, 6-2, in the fourth inning. GSU continued to do damage with Phillips’ double down the left field line. Burruss kept up with the hot bat, hitting his second home run in the game. The second was also a three-run towering shot down the right field line. Burruss finished the game going 3-4 with two HR and six RBIs. Yet again, the Eagle pitching was too dominating and the offense too powerful. GSU won the final game of the series, 11-2.

Phillips finished the series going 6-13 with 6 RBIs, Roache finished 4-10 with 3 RBIs and Burruss finished 7-14 with 8 RBIs.

The Eagles will face the Georgia Institute of Technology Yellow Jackets on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at home.