GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG baseball prepares for its long-awaited return to the spring season after seeing its 2020 campaign shortened to just 17 games the previous year. It will have been 346 days come Alex Hoppe's first pitch on Friday, since the Spartans last played a competitive game on the diamond. They'll be facing nearby Elon for a three-game home series in UNCG Baseball Stadium Friday through Sunday, where a sweep would give the Spartans five unanswered wins against the Phoenix.
UNCG has a heightened connection to their triad rival through the current coaching staff, with Assistant Coach Greg Starbuck spending 17 years with the program and leading it to its first-ever appearance in an NCAA Regional.
Who: Elon University
Where: UNCG Baseball Stadium | Greensboro, N.C.
Gm 1: Friday, February 19 | 4 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Probables: UNCG; RHP Alex Hoppe (2-1, 4.82) v Elon; LHP Jared Wetherbee (1-1,3.54)
Gm 2: Saturday, February 20 | 2 p.m. | Live Stats
Probables: UNCG; RHP Austin Koehn (1-0, 1.04) v Elon; RHP Ben Simon (0-0, 0.00)
Gm 3: Sunday, February 21 | 1 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Probables: UNCG; TBD (0-0, 0.00) v Elon; RHP Brian Edgington (0-0, 5.14)
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
-- The Spartans had a 12-5 record before the 2020 season was ended because of COVID protocols. Hogan Windish earned Coastal Plains Hitter of the Year this summer, while Pres Cavenaugh received Southern Collegiate Baseball League Player of the Year honors
-- The Phoenix were just 7-10 in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, however five of those losses came against top-25 or power-five opponents
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
-- The Spartans were picked to finish third in the Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll, with Zack Budzik, Greg Hardison and Austin Koehn all earning preseason All-SoCon honors
-- UNCG was one of the better base stealing teams in the SoCon at the start of 2020. Budzik's 12 stolen bases ranked fifth in the nation, while Cavenaugh's seven stolen bags on seven attempts were sixth in the conference
-- The 2020 Spartans etched their names in the program record books in a short amount of time. Current Spartan Austin Parsley combined with graduated Jake Lewis for the first no-hitter in UNCG history last February against Fairfield, while the Spartans' walk-off 15-inning victory over App State was the longest game in program history in both time (5 hours, 37 minutes) and innings played. Meanwhile UNCG's team ERA (3.24) and batting average against (.245) were both school records
SCOUTING ELON
-- Elon tossed a pair of shutouts in the shortened 2020 season, grabbing 8-0 and 10-0 wins over Delaware State and UMass Lowell respectively
-- The Phoenix were picked to finish third in the CAA South Division, with Friday's starter Jared Wetherbee earning 2021 Preseason All-CAA honors
SERIES HISTORY
-- UNCG holds a 21-36 record against Elon overall, but have won the pair's last two meetings in 2019
-- The Spartans are 6-2 against the Phoenix since the 2016 campaign, and 4-1 when those games have been played inside UNCG Baseball Stadium
#letsgoG
