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GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team begins the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) portion of its 2021 slate when it welcomes UNCW to campus for a three-game series starting on Friday, March 4 with a doubleheader. The series concludes with a single contest on Saturday, March 5. Both days begin at 1 p.m. and all three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
This will be the first of 11 consecutive games against CAA competition. The Spartans added a road game at Elon on Wednesday, March 10. They will host the College of Charleston next weekend and see Elon again for doubleheaders, one at home and on the road, the following weekend.
Maybe, the Spartans should be included in the SoCon and CAA statistical reports or paint a CAA logo on its field over the next few weeks.
UNCG enters this weekend having won four straight games. Its offense clicked last Saturday during an 11-2 victory over North Carolina A&T. The Spartans hit five home runs.
Jasmine Palmer led the long ball barrage with a pair.
Kayleigh Willis,
Brooklynn Maxwell, and
Jordan Gontram also added homers in the win.
The five homers were the most the Spartans hit in a game since they slugged six in a game against Appalachian State in 2014.
Gontram leads the SoCon with four homers and 12 RBIs through eight games.
Delaney Cumbie is second in the conference with nine RBIs. Palmer is tied for second in the SoCon with three home runs.
Kayleigh Willis' four doubles is tied for second in the SoCon.
Makenna Matthijs is tied for the conference lead with eight runs scored.
UNCG's league-leading batting average of .308 has been fueled by five players with averages over .300: Willis (.417), Batten (.400), Maxwell (.391), Matthijs (.346), and Palmer (.300).
The Spartans are 4-3 against in-state opponents.
The Seahawks are entering the weekend fresh off a doubleheader split against Appalachian State. In UNCW's 5-2 victory over the Mountaineers, junior catcher
Jada Santiago and junior utility player
Janel Gamache each registered three hits.
Santiago, who hit her first home run of the season, has a four-game hitting streak. Gamache enters with a six-game hitting streak. She also threw 2.2 scoreless inning of relief in the first game victory, posting two strikeouts while allowing just one walk.
UNCW has played six games, two against Georgia Southern and four against Appalachian State.
The top hitters for the Seahawks are Gamache (.444), Tayler Vitola (.421), Santiago (.333), and Skylar Stockton (.333).
