GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG baseball team begins the second half of its Southern Conference schedule this weekend, hosting The Citadel for a three-game series at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Friday's series opener is slated for national broadcast by ESPN3 (also available on the WatchESPN mobile app) at 6 p.m. while Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday's (1 p.m.) games will be available on the SoCon Digital Network.
The team is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this weekend as nearly 30 former players will be in attendance. The group will be recognized on the field before Saturday's game.
The Spartans were scheduled to play at Duke Wednesday evening but the contest was called off due to inclement weather.
Entering the weekend, UNCG is 15-17 overall and 6-6 in SoCon games - good for sole possession of fifth place in the league standings. The Bulldogs are 16-18 overall and 2-7 in SoCon contests following a series loss to Wofford last weekend.
Friday night's matchup features Southern Conference preseason Pitcher of the Year Ryan Clark against James Reeves who threw a no hitter against current league leader Mercer April 2.
Senior outfielder Zac MacAneney is one of three Spartans hitting .315 or better as he leads the team with a .345 batting average. As a team, UNCG is hitting .283 while opponents are batting at a .295 clip against a Spartan pitching staff that has a 6.01 earned run average.
The Citadel is hitting .270 collectively led by Connor Walsh's .354 batting average. Opponents are hitting .272 against the Bulldogs who own a 4.77 ERA.
The Citadel leads the all-time series between the schools 32-25 and swept UNCG in Charleston during the final weekend of the 2014 regular season. The Spartans won two of three from the Bulldogs in 2013 when the teams last played a series in Greensboro.
Bits and Pieces: The Spartans have hit a home run in 13 of their last 14 games ... Senior outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch is riding a team-long eight-game hitting streak ... Junior infielder Collin Woody and senior infielder Hunter King have reached base safely in 11 and 10-straight games respectively ... Senior outfielder Tyler Long was credited with both game-winning RBI in UNCG's two walkoff wins last week ... During the first weekend of league play, UNCG handed Western Carolina just its third series loss in Southern Conference action in three seasons ... The Blue and Gold is 11-4 when compiling double figures in the hit column and 6-0 when scoring 10 or more runs ... The Spartans have surpassed their home run total from last season (25), hitting 34 so far this campaign ... 10 different players have a home run to their credit this season with King leading the way with seven bombs ... In 13 home games this season, the Spartans are 9-4 and are hitting .327 with a slugging mark of .536 and 18 home runs. ... The Spartan pitching staff has struck out 10 or more batters in 10 games including two of three against Furman over the weekend ... Former UNCG pitching standout Max Povse made the Opening Night start for the Rome Braves April 9 allowing just one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Pitching Matchups:
Friday – RHP Ryan Clark (5-3, 4.18) vs. LHP James Reeves (5-2, 3.02)
Saturday – RHP Andrew Wantz (5-1, 4.61) vs. LHP JP Sears (4-3, 3.64)
Sunday – RHP Michael Bates (0-2, 8.61) vs. TBA
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.
