Midweek MatchUP
Tuesday, March 23 | 4:00 p.m. EST
USC Upstate (14-3, 7-3 BSC) vs. Presbyterian College (2-7, 1-2 BSC)
Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
PxP: Lenny Mathis
Color: Scott Netkovick

Projected Starting Pitchers
RHP Trey Miller [0-0, 2.45 ERA, 6K] vs. RHP Alex Flood [0-1, 12.27 ERA, 4K]

Series History
Tuesday marks the 24th meeting all-time between the Spartans and Blue Hose in Upstate's Division I era, dating back to March 26, 2008 when the Spartans defeated the Blue Hose 7-6 in Spartanburg. PC holds the advantage in the all-time series 13-10, and has won the last three matchups between the two programs. The most recent matchup between the Spartans and Blue Hose came on April 13, 2019, and the Blue Hose took home the victory 5-4 in walk-off fashion.

Last Time Out
The Spartans bounced back with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday to take the series against High Point. Upstate put up eight runs across innings two through four in game one behind a scoreless five-inning effort by Alex Garbrick on the mound to take an 8-1 win. In the second game of the day, Upstate put up four runs in the first inning and added three more in the fifth to cruise to a 7-2 win. Jeff Taylor led the Spartans at the plate on the day, batting 4-for-6 with a triple and three RBI. Noah Rabon hit 4-for-7 with three doubles, four runs scored, and two RBI. Devin Buckner also tallied four hits on the day with four runs scored, and he drove in a run.

The Blue Hose came out on the wrong end of a 12-5 decision on Saturday afternoon against Radford at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium despite homers from Kyle Merkle and Chris Veach. Ryan Ouzts and Veach paced the Blue Hose offense with a pair of hits apiece in the loss.

Ones to Watch
Upstate:

• Devin Buckner enters the midweek contest following a strong weekend series in which he went 5-for-10 at the plate with one RBI and four runs. Buckner currently leads the Spartans in batting average (.357), on-base percentage (.519), and walks (15). Buckner's numbers also stack up well within the conference, as he currently ranks 10th in the Big South in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, and second in walks.
• Noah Rabon is also coming off a good weekend series, having gone 4-for-7 at the plate with three doubles, two RBI, and four runs in Saturday's doubleheader against High Point.
• Jack Hennessy will look to build on a string of good performances over the past week during which he was a combined 6-for-13 at the plate across four games. Hennessy currently ranks fourth on the team in batting average (.310) and second on the team in on-base percentage at (.474). His on-base percentage is also good enough for ninth in the Big South.

Presbyterian College:

• Chris Veach stands atop the rankings for almost every batting statistic for the Blue Hose, and was just named Big South Freshman of the Week. He leads the team in batting average (.455), OPS (1.136), hits (15), and slugging percentage (.636). Veach enters the midweek matchup against the Spartans red-hot after going 5-8 at the plate this past weekend against Radford. Veach's .455 batting average currently leads all Big South hitters.
• Ryan Ouzts is another solid hitter for the Blue Hose, and he currently boasts a .375 batting average to go along with a .898 OPS and a .469 slugging percentage—all of which rank second on the team. Ouzts' .375 average is also good enough for seventh in the Big South.

Notes

• With the two wins this past Saturday against High Point, Upstate head coach Mike McGuire is just three wins shy of 400 career wins with a career record of 397-282. His overall record at Upstate is now 27-8.
• The Spartans currently lead the Big South standings with a 7-3 record in league play, 14-3 overall, and sit at No. 35 in the RPI rankings. They are still receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches' Poll as well as the NCWBA Top-30 Poll.
• Upstate continues to be the standard at the plate in the Big South Conference, as the Spartans still sit atop the conference rankings in team batting average at .291. The Spartans also lead the conference in runs (113), hits (164), RBI (101), and on-base percentage (0.396).
• The Spartans pitching staff also continues to dominate on the mound, and leads the Big South in team ERA (2.55) and opposing batting average (.218).
• National Rankings: Ninth in team ERA (2.55), T-sixth in HBP (37), 11^th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.81), 33^rd in batting average (.291), 35^th in on-base percentage (.396).

UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans travel to Winthrop this coming weekend for a three-game series against the Eagles. Game one is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 26 with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Home Game Attendance Information
Due to social distancing protocols for all outdoor venues at USC Upstate, attendance in the grandstands will be limited this spring. Fans are required to wear face coverings, and tailgate chairs are encouraged for fans to utilize the grass berms at Harley Baseball Park. Spectators will be asked not to congregate in groups of six or more and maintain at least six feet from others on the grass areas. Admission for these events is complimentary thanks to our on-going partnership with Ingles Markets. For more information, click here.

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