GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG continues its Southern Conference schedule this weekend, heading to league newcomer ETSU for three games at Thomas Stadium. First pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 6:05 p.m. The teams will also square off Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Live stats are available for all three contests courtesy of the ETSU athletics department.
The Spartans have won three of their last four games, including a 10-0 victory over crosstown rival North Carolina A&T Tuesday in downtown Greensboro. The Blue and Gold is 10-12 overall and 2-1 in league action after winning a home series over SoCon preseason favorite Western Carolina last weekend. UNCG took the first contest 17-2, dropped the middle game 17-6 and captured the finale 7-4.
ETSU comes into the weekend at 11-12 and has dropped five-straight games. The Bucs suffered an 8-3 loss at Virginia Tech Wednesday evening after falling at Radford by a 7-4 score Tuesday. ETSU is 0-3 in league play, having been swept at Mercer last weekend.
The Spartan bats are heating up at the right time as UNCG has scored 10 or more runs in four of its last nine outings. This weekend's series will pit two of the better offensive clubs in the league as the Bucs are hitting .301 while the Spartans check in at .279.
Senior outfielder Zac MacAneney paces the Blue and Gold with a .387 batting average as UNCG has four players hitting .304 or better. Junior infielder Collin Woody is just off the pace at .299. Trey York leads ETSU with a league-best .427 batting average and also is first in the circuit with a .805 slugging mark and 30 runs batted in.
UNCG leads the all-time series by a 19-11 count and the teams have split the last six meetings. Friday's game will be the first in the series since the 2005 season.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday – RHP Ryan Clark (4-1, 2.72) vs. RHP Jimmy Nesselt (3-1, 2.31)
Saturday – RHP Brennen James (0-4, 5.47) vs. Lee Haeberle (2-3, 6.54)
Sunday – RHP Michael Bates (0-1, 5.74) vs. Griffin Krieg (1-2, 7.96)
Bits and Pieces: Last weekend, UNCG handed Western Carolina just its third series loss in Southern Conference action in three seasons ... The Blue and Gold is 8-2 when compiling double figures in the hit column ... The Spartans are more than halfway to matching their home run total from last season (25), hitting 20 so far this campaign ... 10 different players have a home run to their credit this season with Wright leading the way with four bombs ... MacAneney has a current team-long 12-game hitting streak ... In nine home games this season, the Spartans are 7-2 and are hitting .332 with a slugging mark of .586 and 14 home runs. ... The Spartan pitching staff has struck out 10 or more batters in seven games.
Up Next: UNCG returns to action next weekend with a three-game SoCon series at Samford. Due to the Easter holiday, the Spartans and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader Friday before wrapping things up with a single game Saturday.
Keep up with the UNCG baseball team all season by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGBaseball/@uncgsports.
