GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG steps out of league play Tuesday welcoming former Southern Conference rival Elon to Greensboro for the completion of the team's home and home season series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Phoenix won the first meeting back on Feb. 25 by a 7-3 score at Latham Park.
The Spartans enter the contest with a 17-18 overall record after taking two of three from The Citadel over the weekend in Greensboro. Elon is 18-19 following a conference series win at Towson. The Blue and Gold is 11-5 at home this season while the Phoenix is 6-9 on the road.
Senior outfielder Tyler Long leads a Spartan offense that is hitting .288 collectively with his .326 batting average. He is one of six UNCG regulars hitting .301 or better. Opponents are batting .287 against a Spartan pitching staff that owns a 5.83 earned run average. The Blue and Gold has hit 37 home runs this season – good for 19th nationally.
Elon is paced offensively by Ryan Cooper's .380 batting average while the Phoenix is hitting .273 as a team. Elon's pitching staff sports a 6.16 earned run average and opponents are hitting .290 against the group. Chris King leads the squad with 10 home runs.
Elon owns a healthy 33-15 advantage in the all-time series but UNCG has won three of the last four encounters including a three-game SoCon sweep of the Phoenix in 2014.
Bits and Pieces: The Spartans have hit a home run in 15 of their last 16 games ... Woody has hit safely in seven-straight games and has reached base safely in 14-straight contests while Kalbfleisch has reached base safely in his last 11 appearances ... Long was credited with both game-winning RBI in UNCG's two walkoff wins against Wake Forest and Furman ... 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 12-5 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 37 so far this campaign ... 10 different players have a home run to their credit this season with King leading the way with eight bombs ... In 16 home games this season, the Spartans are 11-5 and are hitting .329 with a slugging mark of .525 and 21 home runs. ... The Spartan pitching staff has struck out 10 or more batters in 12 games including two of three against The Citadel 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. He is 1-1 overall with a 0.90 ERA and nine strikeouts. In his most recent outing, Povse worked five scoreless innings, struck out two and earned the win.
Pitching Matchup:
Elon – RHP Mike Krill (1-1, 4.62)
UNCG – RHP Chad Sykes (0-0, 11.32)
Up Next: UNCG hits the road for a three-game Southern Conference series at Mercer this weekend. The Spartans and Bears will play at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
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.
