GREENSBORO, N.C. – After playing its last four games on the road the Spartan baseball team returns home this weekend to host The Citadel in a two-day, three-game series that begins on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG baseball stadium.
The series, originally set for a three-day stretch, was moved to a Saturday doubleheader in order to accommodate The Citadel's final exam schedule. The first two games will now take place on Saturday, April 27th, with first pitch of game one set for 1 p.m. The second game will follow approximately 45 minutes after conclusion of the first.
UNCG (23-15, 5-7 SoCon) comes into the game on four days rest after posting a 9-8 come-from-behind win over Elon on Tuesday evening. The Spartans are 19-5 this season at home, outscoring their opponents 150-118 at UNCG Baseball Stadium while limiting the opposition to a .242 batting average.
Meanwhile, The Citadel comes into the game at 10-29 overall, 3-9 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs are 0-18 on the road in 2019 and the three SoCon wins have come against VMI (twice) and Mercer in succession.
The opening game of the series will pit UNCG's Phillip Sanderson (4-3, 5.86 ERA) on the mound against The Citadel's Jordan Merritt (3-5, 3.60 ERA). Game two will feature the pitching duel of the Spartans' Austin Koehn (2-1, 2.81 ERA) and Shane Connolly (3-4, 3.67 ERA), who will toe the rubber for the Bulldogs.
The two pitchers for Sunday's game have not been announced by either coach at this time.
UNCG vs. The Citadel Quick Notes
-In Tuesday's come-from-behind victory over Elon, the Spartans had five batters finish with multiple hits in the game. They included Greg Hardison (2-for-4), Caleb Webster (2-for-5), Ryan Caveness (2-for-5), Zach Kuchmaner (3-for-3) and Jacquez Koonce (2-for-4).
That marks the fifth time this season that UNCG has had at least five sluggers finishing with multiple hits in a game. The others came against Quinnipiac (Feb. 15), Quinnipiac (Feb. 16), Wake Forest (March 26) and Furman (April 6).
-UNCG and The Citadel have met 70 times in program history heading into this weekend with the Bulldogs holding a slim 36-34 edge in the all-time series.
UNCG has made a significant dent in the all-time series gap since the arrival of Spartan head coach Link Jarrett, who is 11-8 when facing The Citadel in his seven years at the helm. That includes an ongoing five-game winning streak by the Spartans that began on May 13, 2017, when they downed The Citadel at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
-UNCG freshman hurler Austin Koehn has found his rhythm in his last four starts, recording at least five strikeouts each against Western Carolina (March 31, five), Furman (April 7, six), George Mason (April 14, six) and Samford (April 20, six) in succession.
Koehn, who has a 1.38 ERA and a 1-0 mark in his last four outings, has logged a total of 26 innings, surrendered 20 hits, allowed four runs (four earned runs), walked five opposing hitters and recorded 23 strikeouts. Of those 20 hits by opposing hitters, only three have gone for extra-bases, including a double and two home runs, resulting in a .215 batting average against the right-handed freshman.
-UNCG now has six hitters on the roster with at least 10 multi-hit games on the season after having five Spartan sluggers posting multiple hits in the triumph over Elon on Tuesday evening. They include Josh Madole (13 games), Caleb Webster (13), Jacquez Koonce (11), Austin Embler (10), Ryan Caveness (10) and Zach Kuchmaner (10).
-Reliever Chad Sykes has tossed at least two innings in seven of his last nine appearances, toeing the rubber for at least three innings in four of those games. Additionally, Sykes has recorded at least one strikeout in his last 56 appearances on the mound for the Spartans, a streak which dates back to the 2016 season.
-Slugger Zach Kuchmaner leads the way for the Spartan lineup in triples with four, which has him ranked 27th nationally and second in the Southern Conference in that category.
ON DECK FOR UNCG
The Spartans begin a seven-game road stretch on Tuesday, April 30th when they head to Charlotte for a 6 p.m. game against the 49ers. That will be followed by a three-game series at East Tennessee State (May 3-5) and a three game series the following weekend against VMI (May 10-12).
