GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG baseball hosts the Furman Paladins this weekend in a three-game series to begin Friday night. The Spartans enter the weekend with an 18-10 overall record and have won four of their last five games. Furman comes in with an 11-16 record and are 1-5 in SoCon play.
Live stats and video will be available for all three games this weekend. Friday night's contest will be an ESPN3 broadcast. Saturday and Sunday will be streamed on the UNCG Sports YouTube channel. Links for these services will be on the UNCG baseball schedule page.
Other events happening around the ballpark include a blood drive, sponsored by Community Blood Center of the Carolinas. Fans can donate blood during Saturday's action, as the mobile blood unit will be located on the concourse of the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1 - UNCG | Bryce Hensley, Jr. - LHP (4-3, 4.23 ERA, 38.1 IP, 39 Ks) vs. Furman | Will Gaddis, Jr. - RHP (2-2, 2.03 ERA, 48.2 IP, 51 Ks)
Game 2 - UNCG | Matt Frisbee, So. - RHP (5-1, 3.43 ERA, 42.0 IP, 28 Ks) vs. Furman | Grant Schuermann, R-So. - LHP (3-4, 6.63 ERA, 38.0 IP, 19 Ks)
Game 3 - vs. UNCG | Dan Loats, Jr. - RHP (1-2, 5.46 ERA, 29.2 IP, 30 Ks) Furman | Matthew Quarles, Sr. - RHP (3-1, 4.76 ERA, 39.2 IP, 41 Ks)
A Little History -- Furman
The Spartans and Paladins have met 69 times on the baseball diamond, with Furman holding a 32-37 advantage. Last season, UNCG took two of three games from the Paladins at Latham Stadium. UNCG fell in the series opener, 9-7. Will Gaddis got the starting nod, going 6.0 innings, striking out three hitters and allowing eight hits. UNCG rallied back in the next two games, scoring an 18-11 victory on Saturday and run-ruled Furman 14-0 in the Sunday contest. Furman got the last laugh, defeating UNCG 15-10 in the SoCon tournament ending the Spartans season. Ben Spitznagel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) had Furman's number in 2016. In four games, Spitznagel went 14-for-20, scored 11 runs, drove in three, hit three doubles and was 3-for-3 in stolen bases.
Scouting the Spartans
UNCG enters having won four of its last five games and 11 of its last 13 games. Last time out, UNCG earned a 12-3 victory over the ETSU Buccaneers and took two of three games in Johnson City, Tenn. The Spartan offense ranks in the top 15 of several offensive categories. The team leads the country in triples with 23, and is third in the nation with a .338 team batting average. The Blue and Gold score 8.0 runs per game, having scored 224 runs in that time, ranking 13th in the country. UNCG has connected for 328 hits, ranking fourth-best in the country.
The Spartan offense is led by freshman standout Caleb Webster (Randleman, N.C./Randleman). Webster has hit for a .455 average in 22 games. That average ranks him second in country in individual batting average. He has driven in 22 runs and scored 18. He has a team-best .623 slugging percentage with nine doubles and a pair of triples while not recording an error in the field. Austin Embler (Southern Pines, N.C./Pinecrest) has hit for a .398 average in 27 games. The sophomore has scored 23 runs and driven in 25 on four doubles, a triple and three home runs. Cesar Trejo (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) leads the team with six homers, having hit three last weekend at ETSU. Michael Goss (Cartersville, Ga./Chattanooga State CC) has also hit three home runs, driving in 18 runs.
The Spartan rotation will look a little different this weekend. Bryce Hensley (Asheville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) will be making his first Friday night start in the series opener. The junior has appeared in 24 games, with 18 starts in his career. This season he has pitched in seven games, all starts. Hensley has thrown in 38.1 innings, earning a 4-3 record and a 4.23 ERA. He has struck out 39 hitters this season and has allowed 18 earned runs. Matt Frisbee (Candler, N.C./Enka) returns to the Saturday role. Midway through the 2016 season, Frisbee made the jump from Sunday to Saturday. Frisbee earned a 2-1 record in five starts on Saturday's last season. This year, Frisbee has earned a 5-1 record in 42.0 innings, recording a 3.43 ERA. In his last outing, Frisbee logged a career-best 7.2 innings, earning the victory as UNCG took the series from ETSU. Dan Loats (Eden Prairie, Minn./NIACC) will be making his sixth start of the season and first on the weekend. The junior has earned a 5.46 ERA in 29.2 innings. In his last outing, UNCG tallied a 14-3 victory over UNC Asheville. Loats threw 4.2 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out a career-best eight hitters.
UNCG features three relievers with at least nine appearances. Andrew Wantz (Holly Springs, N.C./Holly Springs) and Chad Sykes (Creedmoor, N.C./Voyager Academy) lead the team with 13 appearances each. Wantz has thrown in 35.2 innings, striking out a team-best 41 hitters. He has earned a 5-2 record with a pair of saves. Sykes has earned seven saves in his appearances, and has struck out at least one hitter in 35-straight appearances. Alex Sova (Midland, Mich./Kellogg CC) has made nine appearances, throwing in 13.2 innings. Sova has earned a 1.98 ERA with 16 strikeouts.
Scouting the Paladins
Furman enters with an 11-16 overall record and are 1-5 in Southern Conference play. The Paladins have hit a bit of a rough patch, dropping their last give contests. After starting the season 8-3, Furman dropped four-straight games, including being swept by Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. They bounced back to take two of three from North Carolina A&T at Latham Stadium. In the first SoCon series against Wofford, Furman dropped the first game, 9-8 in 10 innings and the second game, 21-2. The Paladins rebounded to earn a 12-4 victory in the finale. Furman played league-leading Mercer tough last weekend, but dropped all three games.
The Paladins enter with a .287 team batting average though 27 games. Brandon Elmy leads the team with a .361 batting average and four home runs this season. The junior first baseman has driven in 20 RBI, tied with Carter Grote for the team lead. Jabari Richards and Jake Crawford were preseason All-Southern Conference selections. Richards hits at a .245 average with eight RBI. Crawford hits at a .265 average with 12 RBI in 25 games. Seven different players have recorded multiple home runs this season, and six players have double-digit RBI totals.
Furman will feature the same rotation as last weekend. The SoCon's preseason pitcher of the year, and 2016's SoCon Pitcher of the Year, Will Gaddis will get the start Friday night. So far this season, Gaddis has followed his award-winning sophomore season with even better numbers. Gaddis has made seven starts, earning a 2-2 record with a 2.03 ERA. Gaddis trails JP Sears of The Citadel by just .01 for the league's best ERA. He leads the team with a 48.2 innings pitched and has allowed 11 earned runs this season. He has struck out 51 hitters and walked just 10. Grant Schuermann will get the ball Saturday. Schuermann has earned a 3-4 record in seven starts. He has earned a 6.63 ERA in 38.0 innings. Schuermann has struck out 19 hitters and has given up 10 home runs this season. Matthew Quarles starts Sunday. The senior has earned a 3-1 record with a 4.76 ERA in 39.2 innings. He has struck out 41 hitters and holds opponents to a .234 average against.
Furman utilizes primarily three relievers. Billy Greenfield has been relied on the most out of the bullpen, appearing 15 games. Greenfield is a junior southpaw that has earned a 4.84 ERA in 22.1 innings this season. He has struck out 23 hitters while allowing just four free passes. Greenfield has earned an 0-1 record and has picked up one of Furman's four saves. Heath Hawkins has made 12 appearances, earning a 5.16 ERA. In 22.2 innings, Hawkins has struck out eight hitters. He has earned a 2-2 record and combined for a shutout. Jake Crawford has made 12 appearances, recording a team-best three saves. Crawford has thrown in 10.1 innings striking out eight hitters. He has earned a 7.84 ERA and an 0-2 record.
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