First-Place Smokies Welcome Star-Studded Montgomery Biscuits to Covenant Health Park 

Written by James Schmelzer

After a competitive split series against Rocket City, the Smokies continue their homestand at Covenant Health Park this week to take on the Montgomery Biscuits for a six-game set. Knoxville currently sits atop the Southern League North standings, leading the Chattanooga Lookouts by a half game, and will look to create some breathing room as they face a Montgomery squad that is loaded with talent.

Both of these squads came up short in the first half. The Smokies finished seven games back of first place in the Southern League North, while the Biscuits ended the half just four games back of first place Biloxi in the South. Montgomery, the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A affiliate, comes into the series with an overall record of 45-36; however, they’ve struggled on the road, having gone just 17-23 away from home. Knoxville, the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate, begins the series with an overall record of 38-42 and looks to stand strong on their home turf. This will be the first meeting of the season between the Smokies and Biscuits.

First pitch of the homestand is set for 7:00 PM ET at Covenant Health Park.

Loaded with a strong core of young prospects (12 top 30 Rays prospects in total), the Biscuits have star-studded talent all across their starting lineup as they look to wreak havoc against the Smokies' pitching staff this series. First baseman Xavier Isaac is currently ranked as the #71 prospect in all of Major League Baseball, just second in home runs (9) on the team behind Cooper Kinney (13). Also, Tatem Levins leads the Southern League in OBP (.447) while batting .276 and collecting 28 RBIs. Montgomery currently finds themselves in a tight second-half race in the Southern League South. At 7-5, the Biscuits are tied for second place with both Columbus and Biloxi, behind Pensacola.

Knoxville, meanwhile, heavily relies on strong pitching at home to keep games close. They are third in the Southern League in ERA (3.24) and have given up the least amount of home runs (17) this season at home. Offensively, the Smokies are still searching for team-wide production, but key players such as BJ Murray Jr and Pedro Ramirez have continued to step up. Over the last two weeks, four Smokies hitters have posted batting averages above .300 (Nwogu, Murray Jr, Garcia, Opitz) and two of them have sported an OPS over .900 (Murray Jr, Nwogu). BJ Murray Jr. and Pedro Ramirez continue to drive in runs, combining for 17 RBIs during that span. The Smokies are the only team in the Southern League North with a record of .500 or above. At 6-6, Knoxville holds a half-game lead in the North with the only positive run differential (+12).

With a tough stretch of games ahead against some of the league’s top contenders, Knoxville will look to take advantage of the Biscuits and create some momentum here in the second half.

Players to Watch

Jordan Nwogu has been arguably the best hitter in the Southern League over the last 10 games. He has the best average (.414) during that stretch while only striking out four times in 29 at-bats. Nwogu has been a staple of the middle of the order over the stretch, driving in 10 runs in those 10 games. RHP Chris Clarke joined the Smokies on June 24th and has been lights out at the Double-A level. The juggernaut right-hander is coming off his first start with Knoxville, in which he threw five scoreless innings. Clarke is slated to start on Friday against the Biscuits, which will be his first outing against Montgomery since 2022.

Colton Ledbetter has been one of the quietest names on the Biscuits roster this season. Sitting at #25 on the Rays' Top Prospects list, Ledbetter has been on a tear over his last 10 games. He is currently slugging .541 with a batting average of .378, while also leading the team in doubles (6). He is definitely a name to keep an eye on in this series, as his hot bat could be a game-changer for the Biscuits' lineup. RHP Ty Johnson has been Montgomery’s top starter across 2025, posting a 2.75 ERA over 10 starts with a 4-2 record. Johnson is #19 on the Rays' top prospect list and was originally drafted by the Cubs. He was sent to the Tampa Bay organization in a deal that brought Isaac Paredes to the Cubs in 2024. Johnson is slated to toss on Friday, and all eyes will be on the righty as he makes his first start against his former organization.

Probable Pitching Matchups

7/8 Tuesday, 7:00 PM ET

RHP Sam Armstrong (2-6, 4.67 ERA) vs RHP Brody Hopkins (4-5, 3.43 ERA)

7/9 Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

RHP Grant Kipp (5-2, 3.55 ERA) vs RHP Yoniel Curet (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

7/10 Thursday, 7:00 PM ET (Dueling Pianos)

RHP Tyler Schlaffer (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP Ty Cummings (3-2, 3.41 ERA)

7/11 Friday, 7:00 PM ET (Summer Fireworks/Feel Good Fridays)

RHP Chris Clarke (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Ty Johnson (4-2, 2.75 ERA)

7/12 Saturday, 7:00 PM ET (Marvel Super Hero Night)

RHP Antonio Santos (3-2, 1.90 ERA) vs RHP Owen Wild (4-5, 5.02 ERA)

7/13 Sunday, 2:00 PM ET (Pete the Cat Day)

RHP Sam Armstrong (2-6, 4.67 ERA) vs TBD

The Smokies will look to maintain their spot in first place as they search for a second-half postseason berth. The Biscuits, on the other hand, find themselves in a tie for last place with Columbus and Biloxi. Each team in the South has a winning record and will look to flip their place in the Southern League South standings, all just trailing the Blue Wahoos by a half game.

Make sure to visit Covenant Health Park this week as the homestand continues with the Montgomery Biscuits. Friday features post-game fireworks, with more fireworks following Saturday's Marvel Super Hero Night. Come see some of your favorite cartoon heroes at the ballpark. The Smokies players will also be wearing Black Panther specialty jerseys that fans can bid on to win and take home. It is going to be a series you aren’t going to want to miss. For more information on the Knoxville Smokies—including game highlights, upcoming promotions, ticket info, and the latest news—visit smokiesbaseball.com or follow @Smokiesbaseball on IG, X, Facebook, and TikTok!

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