GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG baseball will host the ETSU Buccaneers in a three-game series this weekend at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Spartans enter having won eight of their last ten games to earn a 24-8 record. The Spartans are currently first in the SoCon standings, taking two of three games from VMI to open the league schedule and sweeping Western Carolina last weekend for a 5-1 league mark. ETSU won its last series, taking two of three games from VMI before falling to Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. The Bucs are currently 17-12 and 4-5 in SoCon play.
There are live stats and a video stream available for all three contests this weekend. Live stats are available on UNCGStats.com. Launching today, all of UNCG's originally scheduled ESPN3 programming will be moved to ESPN+, a new platform for ESPN broadcasts. Fans wanting to watch games on ESPN+ need to subscribe to the streaming service that will cost $4.99 a month. For a complete release on the new ESPN+ service, click here. American Express is offering fans a free extended 30-day trial. Links for these services are on the UNCG baseball schedule page.
The weekend schedule is set up for a Friday game at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday marks the return of Food Truck Friday as the Wingz and Thingz truck will be open to fans during the game. Saturday's game is UNCG baseball's Cancer Awareness game. The first 400 fans will receive UNCG Baseball “Strikeout Cancer” wristbands. If inclement weather prompts any changes, check back to UNCGSpartans.com or UNCG Baseball on Twitter for updates.
UNCG holds a 27-13 advantage in the all-time series. In the Link Jarrett era, UNCG is 8-2 against the Bucs. Last season in Johnson City, UNCG was shutout for the first time since April 11th, 2015 in a Friday night loss. UNCG went on to win the series by taking the second and third games. The last time the two met in the Gate City, UNCG swept the three-game series. The teams met up in the second round of the SoCon Tournament that saw UNCG earn a 6-4 victory to put ETSU into the consolation bracket.
The Spartan offense ranks third in the nation with a .320 team batting average. Andrew Moritz leads the team with a .418 average and 31 runs scored this season. He's gone for seven doubles, three home runs and is tied with Cesar Trejo for the team-lead with four triples. Trejo hits at a .413 average with a team-high 12 doubles. He's connected on four home runs and driven in a team-best 35 runs and is a perfect 16-for-16 on stolen bases. Dillon Stewart leads the team with seven home runs and is hitting at a .339 average. Stewart has stolen nine bases, scored 30 runs and driven in 26.
The UNCG rotation will feature two familiar faces. Matt Frisbee is scheduled to make his 40th career start and ninth this season Friday night. Frisbee has a 6-0 record with a 2.36 ERA in 49.2 innings. He leads the team with 63 strikeouts and was walked just 16 hitters. Bryce Hensley is scheduled to start game two. Hensley will be making his 37th career start and ninth this season. He's logged 43.0 innings and struck out 47 hitters. He's earned a 3-1 record and has allowed just eight extra-base hits this season.
The bullpen is anchored by a trio of relievers who sport an ERA of 2.30 or lower. Andrew Wantz has served as UNCG's primary closer. He's earned a 4-0 record and seven saves in 31.1 innings of work. He's struck out 45 hitters and holds opponents to a .205 average against. Easton Welch has a 2.22 ERA in 28.1 innings. Welch has earned a 3-1 record with a save as he has stranded 82 percent of inherited runners this season. Jack Maynard has been a key component out of the bullpen. Maynard has a 1.91 ERA in 18 appearances. His 42.1 innings are third-most on the team as he's earned a 4-2 record with five saves. His 53 strikeouts are second on the team.
UNCG's 4.05 team ERA is second best in the SoCon, trailing Samford. UNCG has earned a league-best 13 saves and trail only Mercer for the most strikeouts in the league. The Spartans' .984 team fielding percentage ranks as the best in the league and fifth best in the nation. The Spartans trail Yale by just .002 in fielding percentage.
ETSU enters after taking the series from VMI last weekend before dropping the midweek contest to Eastern Kentucky. The Bucs currently sit in fifth place in the SoCon standings. Prior to taking the series from VMI, ETSU took two of three games at Samford but were swept at home by Mercer.
The Buccaneer offense hits at a .272 average, fifth-best in the league. Chris Cook leads the team with a .328 average. He was a preseason first team All-SoCon selection and has scored a team-high 24 runs, went for extra bases 10 times and driven in 17 runs. Aaron Maher and Caleb Longley lead the Bucs with five home runs each. Longley hits at a .320 clip with 11 doubles and 24 RBI. Maher has a .306 average with 23 RBI and has stolen four bases.
The ETSU pitching staff has been solid all season, earning a 4.88 ERA in 254.1 innings. Micah Kaczor will get the ball Friday night. Kaczor has a 5.17 ERA in 47.0 innings with 53 strikeouts. He's allowed a team-high 10 home runs but holds opponents to a .232 average against. Ryan Simpler tossed a complete game shutout in his last outing against UNCG. This season, Simpler has earned a 3-3 record with a 4.84 ERA. He's tossed a team-high 48.1 innings with 54 strikeouts. Opponents hit .299 against the senior who has allowed 14 extra-base hits. Russell Koesters will start the finale. Koesters has a 2-0 record and a 3.82 ERA in 35.1 innings. He's struck out 27 hitters and walked 11 batters.
The bullpen features four players who have earned a save. Drew Korzybski has made a team-high 13 appearances with a 3.16 ERA and a save. He's logged 25.2 innings and earned a 2-2 record. James Giambalvo has also made 13 appearances, earning a 3-2 record with four saves. His 2.01 ERA is best among relievers with at least five appearances. Maher works as a two-way player as he's earned four of ETSU's 10 saves. He's worked in seven games, tossing 9.2 innings and striking out 12 hitters.
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