Weekend Series MatchUP
Game 1: Friday, April 30 | 6:00 p.m. EST
Game 2: Saturday, May 1 | 2:00 p.m. EST
Game 3: Saturday, May 1 | 5:30 p.m. EST
USC Upstate (27-9, 18-9 BSC) vs. Presbyterian College (12-14, 11-9 BSC)
Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Game two will also be broadcasted locally on WYCW-TV, a simulcast of the ESPN+ broadcast as part of Big South's new "Ingles Game of the Week."
PxP: Lenny Mathis (Game one & three), Pete Yanity (Game two)
Color: Scott Netkovick (Game one & three), Richmond Weaver (Game two)

Projected Starting Pitchers
Game 1: RHP Jordan Marks [7-1, 1.57 ERA, 80K] vs LHP Charlie McDaniel [3-0, 3.41 ERA, 13 K]
Game 2: RHP Alex Garbrick [5-2, 2.00 ERA, 52K] vs TBA
Game 3: TBA vs RHP Duncan Howard [1-1, 3.55 ERA, 18 K]

Series History
The Spartans and Blue Hose have met 24 times in Upstate's Division I history, including twice already this season, and PC currently leads the series 13-11 dating back to March 26, 2008 when the Spartans knocked off the Blue Hose 7-6 at home. Upstate has found recent success in the series, having won the most recent two meetings this year by scores of 13-0 and 11-8 on March 23 and April 20, respectively.

Last Time Out
The Spartans are coming off dominant three-game series sweep of Longwood at home this past weekend. Upstate swept Friday night's doubleheader by scores of 10-3 and 13-5 behind Jordan Marks and Sean Hupp who each had solid outings on the mound. Robby McGaha led the way offensively, batting 4-for-5 with a double and five RBI. Devin Buckner went 3-for-5 on the day with two doubles, four runs scored and a pair of RBI. Julian Rip and Jack Hennessy also had four hits apiece on the day.

Upstate completed the series sweep with a 13-3 win in the series finale on Saturday. Alex Garbrick got the start on the mound and gave a solid 6.0 innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. Kevin Davis entered to start off the bottom of the seventh and retired the side in order, and gave the Spartans 2.0 innings of relief before Austin Morgan closed it out in the ninth. It was another strong offensive effort as nine different Spartans scattered 14 hits across the game. Five Spartans tallied multi-hit performances, and Jason Matthews led the way with four RBI. Devin Buckner drove in a pair of runs while Noah Rabon, Damon Maynard, and Julian Rip each knocked in a run as well.

PC enters the weekend following a 6-2 loss at Big South Conference foe UNC Asheville this past Tuesday. The Blue Hose jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after three innings thanks to an RBI single from Eric Toth and a throwing error by the Asheville catcher. The PC pitching staff would keep the shutout in check until the bottom of the seventh when, with the bases loaded, Asheville's Kohl Abrams ripped a bases clearing, three-RBI double down the left field line to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. Grayson Preslar then laced an RBI single through the right side to push the lead to 4-2. Despite their efforts, the Blue Hose were unable to respond, and Asheville added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a two-run home from MJ Lucas.

Ones to Watch
Upstate:

• Friday night ace Jordan Marks enters the weekend following another strong start last weekend against Longwood in which he surrendered just six hits and one earned run to go along with ten strikeouts in eight innings of work. His 1.57 ERA leads the Spartans and the Big South Conference, ranks 12th in DI, and ranks fourth in DI among pitchers who have thrown at least 60 innings. He has amassed 80 strikeouts so far this season, which is tied for 12th in all of DI. Marks is just seven strikeouts shy of setting a school record for strikeouts in a single season. He also needs just two more wins to set the school record for wins in a single season.
• Devin Buckner was named Big South Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .750 and helping the Spartans to a 4-0 record on the week. He tallied nine hits, four doubles, and six RBI across Upstate's four games last week. He also swiped a bag, scored six runs, drew seven walks, and was hit by a pitch four times to finish the week with a .870 on-base percentage and 1.083 slugging clip. He started the week off with a 4-for-5 performance featuring an RBI single and RBI double in an 11-8 midweek win over PC Tuesday. In a 13-5 game two win against Longwood on Friday, Buckner hit two doubles and drove in a pair of runs. He followed that performance up by reaching base in every plate appearance in the series finale, including an RBI double to get the Spartans on the board in the first inning. Buckner currently leads the Spartans at the plate on the year with a .357 batting average, eighth-best in the conference. His 45 hits rank second in the conference, and 13 of those hits are doubles which ranks third in the conference. Buckner also leads the Big South in walks and ranks sixth in RBI with 33.
• Noah Rabon enters the weekend series following a 5-for-14 weekend at the plate against Longwood in which he recorded a run, three RBI, and extended his on-base streak to 27 games. He is currently fourth on the Spartan roster in batting average at .326, and ranks second on the team in hits (45), third in doubles (11) and RBI (28), and fourth in slugging percentage (.486). Alongside his on-base streak, Rabon carries a five-game hit streak into this weekend's series. In the two meetings between the Spartans and Blue Hose earlier this season, Rabon batted a combined 6-for-10 with four runs, two doubles, and three RBI.

PC:

• Chris Veach has been a consistent threat at the plate for the Blue Hose, and he enters the weekend as the club's leader in batting average at .344, which ranks ninth in the Big South. Veach is 4-for-13 at the plate in his last three starts, and he'll look to avenge his most recent performance against the Spartans back on April 20 when he went 0-for-3 at the plate.
• Eric Toth comes into the weekend series as PC's leader in both hits and RBI at 32 and 20, respectively. He is coming off a 4-for-12 performance at the plate in PC's most recent series against Campbell. Toth was also named the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week for games played April 19-25, as announced by the conference office on Monday. He began his week in Friday's series opener on the mound as he entered with the go-ahead run at the plate but needed just two pitches to notch his third save of the season. In game two on Sunday afternoon, Toth entered in the sixth inning and held Campbell to one hit and one walk in the final four frames to record his third win of the season.

Notes

• With Saturday's win against Longwood, the Spartans have now recorded the most single-season conference wins (18) in Upstate's DI era. Additionally, the club is six wins shy of tying the most overall wins in a single season in the DI era (33).
• The Spartans continue to rank highly offensively in the Big South as they currently lead the conference in hits (361) and rank second in team batting average (.293), runs (242), RBI (214), hit-by-pitch (72), and on-base percentage (.393).
• The pitching staff also continues to dominate this season, and the Spartans currently lead the conference in team ERA (2.84), runs allowed (123), earned runs allowed (100), strikeouts (332), and opposing batting average (.232).
• National rankings: Fourth in team ERA (2.84), fifth in hit-by-pitch (72), 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.25), T-34th in on-base percentage (.393), 33rd in RPI.
• The Spartans are back to receiving votes in this week's USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll.

UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans travel to Clemson on Wednesday, May 5 to face the Tigers for the second time this season. The Spartans previously defeated the Tigers 12-2 back on March 9. First pitch for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the Spartans will be looking to improve to 7-0 in midweek games this season.

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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