GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team is set to host Canisus this weekend for a three-game series at UNCG Baseball Stadium.  The series starts on Friday at 4:00 p.m. with game two slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and then the series will wrap up on Sunday at noon. 

  PRESEASON HONORS   

• The Spartans were voted to finish fifth in The Southern Conference (SoCon) Preseason Coaches' Poll.   

• Samford claimed the top spot with four first-place votes and 45 points. Mercer was picked to finish second with 44 points and three first-place votes.    

• Junior left-handed pitcher Noah Chapman was named to the Preseason All-SoCon Second Team ahead of the season after throwing 68.1 innings with a 5.14 ERA in 21 appearances in 2025.    

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS   

• The Spartans most recently captured their first win of the season taking down rival N.C. A&T, 4-3, on Wednesday.  

• UNCG is nationally ranked in: doubles plays (5th/6), stolen bases (21st/12) and sacrifice flies (36th/3). 

• Six freshmen made their collegiate debuts against No. 18 Kentucky on the opening weekend.   

• Jacob Dilley was UNCG's best hitter against No. 18 Kentucky. In three games played, he hit .444 with four base knocks, two RBIs and one home run.   

• Catcher JJ Parsons has been the offensive spark so far this season, batting .400 with an OPS of 1.684. He has scored six runs for the Spartans as well as mashing two home runs so far this season.  

• Freshman Thomas Hester recorded his first collegiate save against N.C. A&T on Wednesday with his one and two third innings pitched and four punch outs.  

• UNCG concluded the 2025 season with a 21-33 overall record and went 9-12 in SoCon play.    

• Entering the SoCon Tournament as the sixth seed, the Spartans ended the 2025 campaign with a play-in round loss to Wofford, 4-2, at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.   

• The Blue & Gold returns 20 players from last year's squad while adding 16 newcomers to the roster. Eleven of them are freshmen this year.   

• The Spartans boasted one of the better pitching staffs last season in the SoCon, if not in the nation, finishing 35th in shutouts (4), 52nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.27), 60th in strikeouts-per-nine innings (9.1) and 60th in walks allowed-per-nine innings (3.99).    

• A plethora of impactful pitchers return to the 2026 squad, including Grant Aycock and Hunter Shuey who have earned All-SoCon nods in previous seasons.   

• Head Coach Cody Ellis enters his third season at the helm of the Spartans, guiding them to a 55-58 record during his time.    

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS   

• Canisius opened the season at Appalachian State, dropping all three games of the opening series. 

• Junior Thomas Zwirecki leads the team offensively, batting .400 with four hits, three RBIs and one home run. 

• Last season, Canisius went 14-31 overall, while going 10-19 in MAAC action.  

• Matt Mazurek enters his ninth season as head coach of the Golden Griffins, going 169-192 in his time there.  
   

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS 
The Spartans lead the series 2-1, with the first and last meetings being a three-game series in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 2-3, 2024. 

  
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UP NEXT   
The Spartans will stay at home as they host #22 Wake Forest on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at UNCG Baseball Stadium. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.