The No. 25-ranked Troy Trojans (3-0) got the 2025 baseball season off to a bang this weekend with a three-game sweep over the Bellarmine Knights (0-3) at home. 

Troy exploded to dominate Bellarmine 23-6 on opening day on Feb. 14, scoring 18 runs between the fourth and sixth innings. Troy earned 17 hits as a team and belted three home runs.

Sean Darnell had a career day, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs, while freshman Houston Markham went 4-for-5 with his first career home run, four RBIs and four runs. Blake Cavill also went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs. 

Brooks Bryan also went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and one run, while Steven Meier scored five runs and hit two doubles. Troy native Drew Nelson also earned his first career hit at the college level, a two-RBI single into right field. 

Luke Lyon got the win on the mound, striking out four batters and giving up three hits and two earned runs in two innings pitched. Garrett Gainous also pitched three innings and fanned three batters, while giving up six hits and two earned runs. Cavill tallied seven putouts, one double play and one assist on defense.

Troy followed that up with a 7-3 win on Saturday that saw the Trojans score six runs between the sixth and seventh innings. The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Shane Lewis hit a three-run home run in the win, while Darnell went 2-for-2 with two runs and Peyton Watts scored three runs. 

Noah Edders got the win on the mound, striking out six batters and giving up just two hits and one earned run in six innings pitched. Jay Dill also struck out five batters and gave up two hits and no earned runs in one and 2/3 innings pitched. Blake Cavill earned seven putouts and two assists on defense. 

The Trojans closed out the weekend with a 7-3 win over Bellarmine on Sunday to finish off the sweep. With Troy hanging on to a 4-3 lead going into the eighth, the Trojans exploded to score three more runs including Lewis’ second homer of the day. 

Lewis had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, two RBIs and two runs. Cavill went 2-for-4 with two doubles, four RBIs and one run. 

Nelson made his debut on the mound for the Trojans, striking out four batters and giving up six hits and one earned run in four innings pitched. Grayson Stewart got the win, striking out three and giving up no hits or runs in three innings of work. Cavill earned eight putouts and one assist on defense. 

“Well, any time you win each game you play you have to feel good, and I love that we were challenged,” Troy Coach Skylar Meade said at the end of the series. “Friday night was an anomaly in terms of runs scored and the things that went on in that game were kind of a weird opening night deal. These last two games were somewhat mirror images in a sense. I’m glad we had to have guys come in during some pressure situations. We got to see different guys perform and compete, and a lot of guys are certainly going to have opportunities as we move forward too.”

For the weekend, Lewis earned a .571 batting average with three homers, one double, five RBIs and five runs. Darnell also earned a .556 batting average with two home runs, five RBIs and five runs. Cavill earned 22 putouts, four assists and one double play with a perfect fielding percentage on defense. 

Troy is on the road on Feb. 18 against Auburn.