GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG Baseball team is set to host the Georgetown Hoyas of the Big East Conference for a three-game series beginning on Thursday. The Spartans and Hoyas will play at the UNCG Baseball Stadium Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m., respectively.
This weekend's games will feature one video broadcast on Thursday evening, with audio only broadcasts on Friday and Saturday.
UNCG is 15-6 on the season, with Georgetown earning an 11-10 record. The Spartans have won six of the last eight games. Georgetown enters having lost three of its last four games.
The Spartans and Hoyas have met a total of three times on the baseball diamond. UNCG holds a 3-0 advantage, having swept the only previous series, played in 2014. During that series, UNCG used 7-1, 14-3 and 10-9 victories to earn the sweep. UNCG only has three players on their current roster that participated in that series. Jake Kusz made an appearance off the bench, singling in his lone at bat of the series. L.J. Kalawaia started one game, and went 2-for-5 with a triple, scored a run and picked up one RBI. Dillon Stewart also appeared in the series, starting two games and appearing all three. Stewart picked up an RBI hit in his seven at-bats.
UNCG suffered a 9-8 ten-inning loss on Tuesday evening to the North Carolina A&T Aggies at NewBridge Bank Park. The Spartans went down early, giving up two runs in the top of the first before taking the lead in the bottom of the frame. The game went back and forth over the next seven innings, with UNCG tying it up in the bottom of the seventh inning. A&T was able to score a run in the top of the 10th inning to take the lead and UNCG was unable to mount another comeback.
The Spartans have put together the best team-batting average in all of Division I. UNCG has a .364 team batting average, with three starters hitting above the .400 mark with at least 40 at bats. The Spartan offense is also tops in many other offensive categories. UNCG is the top team in hits, doubles, doubles per game, slugging and on-base percentage. The Navy and Gold is also second in the nation in scoring and total runs.
Ben Spitznagel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) has seen his name on the top of the lineup card for the last 15 games. The junior utility player has started every game at second base and has hit for a .422 average in his 21 starts. Spitznagel has scored 20 runs to go with seven extra-base hits. He has also swiped seven bases while recording a .500 on-base percentage. L.J. Kalawaia (Wailuku, Hawai'i/Ohlone College) has earned a .400 batting average through 19 games. Kalawaia has one home run this season to go with three doubles and 25 runs scored. Kalawaia also leads the team with nine stolen bases.
Collin Woody (Tampa, Fla./College of Central Florida) has provided the power in the offense, belting five home runs this season. Woody has hit eight doubles and driven in a team-high 27 runs. Woody is tied with Kalawaia for the most runs scored on the team, with each scoring 25 runs this year. Tripp Shelton (Winston-Salem, N.C./West Forsyth) is tied with Woody for the most extra-base hits on the year, at 12. Shelton hit his first home run of the year against NC A&T, a two-run shot. Only two Spartans have yet to hit a home run this season. Over the last week, Andrew Moritz (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) has raised his average about 60 points since the Coastal Carolina Invitational, including going for multiple hits in the last six games.
UNCG will use the same rotation this weekend that they have since opening weekend. Hunter Smith (Whiteville, N.C./Whiteville) will get the ball in the opener on Thursday. In Smith's last outing, the junior went the full 9.0 innings, setting a new career-high with nine strikeouts. Bryce Hensley (Asheville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) is looking to rebound from a bit of a rough outing in his last start. Hensley worked an inning in the Saturday matchup with Marist, allowing four runs. Hensley also made his first relief appearance of the season against A&T on Tuesday, going 1.1 innings and striking out one hitter. Matt Frisbee will get the ball on Saturday (Candler, N.C./Enka) Frisbee tied a career-long start, going 5.0 innings his last time out against Marist. Frisbee struck out a career-high seven hitters while allowing three earned runs en route to his first career win. C
Chad Sykes (Creedmoor, N.C./Voyager Academy) and Andrew Wantz (Holly Springs, N.C./Holly Springs) have each worked in 11 games this season. Sykes has earned two saves in his 16.0 innings while earning a win in the process while holding opponents to a .135 average against him. Wantz has also earned a save on the season, while posting a 1.53 ERA through 29.1 innings. Wantz has earned a 2-0 average while striking out a team-high 38 hitters in the process. Wantz's 42nd in the nation with an 11.66 strike outs per nine innings pitched ratio. Woody has worked as a true two-way threat on the mound. In his five appearances, the senior has worked 9.1 innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out 11 hitters while holding opponents to a .103 average against him.
Georgetown enters the weekend with an 11-10 record but have lost three of their last four. The Hoyas fell in three of four games to Princeton at home, before defeating George Washington 3-2 in Arlington, Va. in their midweek game. Georgetown has been a bit streaky as of late, winning five in a row, including sweeping Penn, taking a midweek from Yale and taking the first game of the Princeton series. Georgetown's offense scored 13 runs in a victory over Florida Atlantic, in Bacon Raton, Fla.
The Hoya offense has been led by Michael DeRenzi. The sophomore outfielder has hit for a .351 average, five RBI and has scored 11 runs. Jake Kuzbel has been the primary run producer for Georgetown. Kuzbel has hit for a .256 average in his 20 starts. He has driven in the most runs on the team, plating 16 to go with his five doubles and one more run. Joseph Bialkowski and Ryan Weisenberg lead the team with two home runs apiece. Bialkowski has driven in 12 runs on the year while scoring nine. Chase Bushor has continued to produce in the Hoya lineup as well. Bushor has hit for a .329 average in 19 games. He has also driven in 10 runs and scored five while tying Kuzbel and DeRenzi for the team-lead with five doubles on the year. The Hoyas have a .259 team batting average with 17 players getting at least one at bat, with no starter having played in every game this year.
Georgetown is set to send a trio of righties to the hill. Matt Smith will get the ball on Friday. Smith has started five games this season, going 27.1 innings and striking out 20 hitters. Smith was a 2015 All-Big East First team. Threw two complete games last season, and in his last time out went 8.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run to the Princeton Tigers. Simon Mathews has been a dominant starter through five games this year. Mathews has earned a 1.82 ERA and a 2-2 record while working in a team-high 34.2 innings. Mathews has also struck out 24 hitters, best on the Hoyas staff. Kevin Superko rounds out the starting rotation Superko has also made five starts and has throwing in 24.0 innings this season allowing 18 earned runs. Tim Davis has logged the most appearances out of the bullpen making 10 appearances. He has logged 13.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, seven runs and struck out 16 hitters. David Ellingson has earned five saves on the season. Ellingson has made seven total appearances, going 1-0 in his 7.2 innings. Ellingson has surrendered only two earned runs while holding opponents to a .115 average against. As a staff, Georgetown has earned a 4.04 ERA through 21 games.
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday, Mar. 29th at the UNCG Baseball Stadium as they take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies at 6:00. UNCG and A&T met last week, with the Aggies escaping with a 9-8 victory in 10 innings at NewBridge Bank Park.
-UNCG-
