GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG baseball hopes to continue its current win streak this weekend, riding five straight victories into a three-game series against visiting Western Carolina. The Spartans and Catamounts are two of the hottest hitting teams in the SoCon at the moment as the two sides faceoff in a pivotal conference series. UNCG currently sits just two games back of ETSU for second in the Blue Division and four games back of Mercer for a spot in the SoCon tournament. Western Carolina meanwhile leads the Red Division, but with a 9-4 record in conference play have played less SoCon games than anyone else in the league.
*The leadup to Saturday's doubleheader will be highlighted by the Spartans' annual Senior Day celebration, with 15 players on the current roster being honored for their UNCG careers. Five additional 2020 graduates will also be commemorated, as last year's class was forced to postpone their ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Game 1
Who: Western Carolina
Where: UNCG Baseball Stadium | Greensboro, N.C.
When: Friday, April 30 | 4:00 p.m.
Probables: UNCG; RHP Brendan Collins (3-2, 4.81) v WCU; RHP Zebby Mathews (6-1, 2.47)
Watch | Live Stats
Games 2 & 3
Who: Western Carolina
Where: UNCG Baseball Stadium | Greensboro, N.C.
When: Saturday, May 1 | 1:00 p.m.
Probables G1: UNCG; RHP Austin Koehn (3-2, 4.91) v WCU; RHP Ryan Mitschele (3-3, 5.91)
Gm 1: Watch | Live Stats
Probables G2: UNCG; RHP Alex Hoppe (1-2, 5.40) v WCU; RHP Tristen Campbell (2-0, 4.02)
Gm 2: Watch | Live Stats
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
-- UNCG is on a five-game winning streak, earning midweek victories over North Carolina A&T and High Point, along with a series sweep of The Citadel. The Spartans are hitting a SoCon-best .347 over that span of time, while averaging 11.8 hits and 9.4 runs per game
-- The Catamounts hold an impressive 21-12 record on the year and have gone 9-4 in SoCon play thus far, but have recently hit a rough patch, dropping three of their last four to Wake Forest, ETSU and Elon
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
-- Outfielder Greg Hardison has been a big contributor to the Spartans' recent offensive surge, and is currently on a five-game hitting streak. He's gone 12-for-20 (.600) at the plate over that span to bring his season average up 56 points (.319), while driving in 10 runs and scoring five
-- Corey Rosier is on a five-game hitting streak of his own, going 10-for-20 (.500) in that span with 12 runs scored. With 58 knocks on the year, Rosier ranks 10th in the country for total hits, while his 44 runs sit seventh
-- Right hander Austin Parsley is on a three game shutout streak, holding opponents without a run and just two hits over his last three relief appearances. With 44 strikeouts and just six walks allowed in 2021, Parsley leads the Spartan roster in Ks, and his 7.33 K/BB ratio ranks 25th in Division I baseball
-- Second baseman Hogan Windish delivered his third triple of the season in Tuesday's 12-3 win over High Point, tying with Rosier for a team, and SoCon, best. He's one of seven players on the UNCG roster to collect a triple this year, with the team's 12 overall sitting 17th in the nation
SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
-- The Catamounts have been one of the best offensive teams in the country this year. Their .427 OBP and 8.6 runs per game both rank fourth in Division I baseball, while their .307 batting average is eighth
-- Western Carolina has seven regular starters hitting over .300 this year, led by Will Prater, whose .436 average is sixth in the country. Senior Luke Robinson leads the Catamounts in power with 12 doubles, eight homers and a .603 slugging percentage, but is still hitting .338, third-best on the WCU roster
SERIES HISTORY
-- The Spartans hold a slim advantage in the all-time series against the Catamounts, going 38-36 against the side all-time
-- Western Carolina has gone 4-1 against the Spartans over their last five meetings, however two of those games were neutral site postseason matchups
#letsgoG
