trophy time

Game 1 of the Maloney Trophy Series, matching NCAA Division III neighbors Millsaps College and Belhaven University, is slated for tonight (6 p.m.) at Twenty Field and comes at a time when both schools may be finding their form. Belhaven, under new coach Kyle Palmer, is 5-7 but has won three straight. Millsaps, under longtime coach Jim Page, is 5-6 with three wins in its last four games. The Blazers swept the three-game series in 2019 and lead the all-time series 25-17. BU features several hot hitters, notably Hunter White (.433) and Justin Milam (.302 with five homers, matching his season total from 2019). For the Majors, Mark Petkovsek leads with a .406 mark. Jon Dale Dieckman is at .367 with 13 RBIs and Fritz Walker III at .355 with two of the team’s three homers. It’s unlikely either team will throw an ace tonight, so it could be a hitter’s kind of game. Belhaven’s staff ERA is 4.73, Millsaps’ 5.71.