UNCG (10-6, 1-2 SoCon) at Georgia Southern (7-10, 0-3 SoCon)
J.I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, Ga.
March 16-18, 2012 • Games 17-19 • 6 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m.
LiveStats: UNCGSpartans.com
Storylines:
• UNCG will hit the road for the first time in the 2012 campaign as it travels to Georgia Southern for a Southern Conference three-game series beginning on Friday. The two teams will meet at 6 p.m. on Friday at J.I. Clements Stadium and at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale starts at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
• On Tuesday, UNCG fell to No. 5 North Carolina, 5-1. With 2,726 fans in attendance, the Tar Heels jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after a TJ Spina error led to an unearned run. The Tar Heels would score runs in the third and fifth before putting up a two-spot in the seventh to lead 5-0. The Spartans got on the board after a Lloyd Enzor double to left center plated Kris Richards in the seventh.
• Redshirt junior Trevor Edwards has been leading the Spartans at the plate in the early part of the season. He is currently second in the Southern Conference in home runs (seven) and sits third in the league in slugging percentage (.717). He is also tied for sixth in total bases (43), to go along with his .300 batting average.
• Last weekend, the Spartans dropped two of three games in the Southern Conference opener to Samford. UNCG rallied to take game one, 4-3, but the Bulldogs took the next two games, 8-2 and 10-1, respectively.
• Last year, UNCG swept Georgia Southern as part of a 15-1 stretch late last season. The first two games were decided by one run each. The Spartans took the finale, 8-3. However, Georgia Southern leads the all-time series, 22-25, and has not lost to UNCG at home since April 4, 2004.
• Eric Phillips leads the Eagles in batting average (.466), doubles (eight), hits (34), stolen bases (10), and RBI (34). Phillips is riding an 18-game hitting streak and hit .357 (5-14) last weekend as the Eagles were swept by Elon.
• Like last year, the Spartans are thriving on "small ball," leading the conference with 32 sacrifice bunts, which is nearly double the total of second-place Georgia Southern (17).
• On Feb. 24-26, UNCG hosted Big Ten foe Penn State for a three-game series. The Spartans took the first game on Friday 10-7 and then clinched the series with an 8-3 victory on Saturday. UNCG completed the weekend sweep on Sunday with a 6-0 win as four pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout.
• After the weekend sweep against Penn State, UNCG moved its overall record to a perfect 7-0. It marked the first time since 2003 that the Spartans had begun the season with seven wins. That year, the team began the year 12-0, which is the best start in school history.
• For his performance against UNC Asheville and Penn State, UNCG's Thomas Troelstrup was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 27. He hit .500 (9-18) for the week as he hit three doubles and one home run. He also added seven RBI and five runs scored.
• Through the first month of the season, the Spartans have already hit 19 home runs; which is second-best in the Southern Conference. Trevor Edwards leads the way with seven home runs. UNCG is well on its way to surpass the 23 home runs that the team hit during the 2011 season.
• Prior to the season, UNCG was picked to finish fifth in the SoCon this season by the media and seventh by the head coaches in the league in the annual preseason poll. Trevor Edwards, who earned first-team All-SoCon accolades as a sophomore in 2011, was named to the SoCon preseason All-SoCon squad this season as a catcher, as well.
• Head coach Mike Gaski was honored as the 2011 Southern Conference Coach of the Year after leading UNCG to a second place finish in the regular season. It was the fourth time in his career that Gaski has been named coach of the year. Also in 2011, Gaski won his 600th career game after a 10-9 win over Delaware on Feb. 19.
• UNCG has made admission free for all home games this season at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the Spartans all season long on campus.
- UNCG -
