GREENSBORO, N.C. – With only two Southern Conference series remaining on its schedule, the UNCG baseball team returns home this weekend hosting Wofford for three games at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The teams will kick off the series Friday at 6 p.m.
The Blue and Gold will also recognize the careers and accomplishments of its 11 seniors in an on-field recognition ceremony prior to Saturday's 2 p.m. first pitch.
Live stats are available for all three games and each contest will be broadcast in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network.
The Spartans and Terriers are in a virtual lock for third place in the league standings with both squads sitting just a game and a half back of Samford for the SoCon's top spot.
The Blue and Gold picked up a huge road victory Tuesday as UNCG went into Chapel Hill and took down No. 17 North Carolina, 5-3. That win came on the heels of an even more important series win at Mercer that tightened up the league standings at the top. Wofford did not play a midweek game but took two of three from Samford last weekend in Spartanburg.
The Terriers lead all Southern Conference teams with 30 wins but own just a 6-8 mark away from home. The Spartans are 11-6 at home this season and own series wins over Western Carolina and The Citadel inside the friendly confines. In fact, UNCG has won four of six league series it has played this year.
The series features the top two offensive teams in the SoCon as Wofford is hitting .303 and the Spartans are batting at a .297 clip.
Senior outfielder Tyler Long leads the Spartan offense with a .346 batting average and is one of five UNCG lineup regulars hitting at least .312. Opponents are batting .289 against a Spartan pitching staff that sports a 5.95 earned run average. Matt Ramsey paces the Terrier offensive efforts with a .379 hitting mark. Wofford opponents are batting .269 against its pitching staff who owns a Southern Conference best 4.35 ERA.
The Blue and Gold holds a commanding 40-16 lead in the all-time series but was swept by Wofford last season in Spartanburg. The Terriers have won five of the last six meetings with all six games taking place at Russell C. King Field on Wofford's campus.
Bits and Pieces: UNCG has captured four SoCon series wins in six tries this year, including road series victories at league newcomers ETSU and Mercer ... Ryan Clark's complete game shutout against The Citadel was the first for the Blue and Gold since 2013 ... The Spartans have hit a home run in 19 of their last 21 games ... Long has an 12-game hitting streak going while Kalbfleisch has reached base safely in 16-straight contests ... The Blue and Gold is 15-6 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 45 so far this campaign - the highest single-season total since 2008 ... 11 different players have a home run to their credit this season with Wright and King leading the way with eight bombs apiece ... The Spartan pitching staff has struck out 10 or more batters in 12 games ... 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 (6-4, 3.79) vs. RHP Matthew Milburn (8-1, 3.24)
Saturday – RHP Andrew Wantz (5-1, 4.66) vs. RHP Luke Leftwich (4-2, 4.74)
Sunday – RHP Chad Sykes (0-0, 9.35) vs. LHP Adam Scott (6-2, 3.28)
Up Next: UNCG plays its final SoCon series of the 2015 season next weekend at VMI.
Keep up with the UNCG baseball team all year long by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGBaseball/@uncgsports.
