SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate baseball wraps up its conference midweek slate this Tuesday, May 11 with a trip to UNC Asheville. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. as the Spartans close out a five-game road stint. Upstate is riding a 10-game conference win streak and currently sits in first place in the Big South.
Midweek MatchUP
Tuesday, May 11 | 5:00 p.m. EST
USC Upstate (33-10, 24-9 BSC) at UNC Asheville (15-26, 14-19 BSC)
Greenwood Baseball Field | Asheville, N.C.
Projected Starting Pitchers
RHP Nate Payne [0-1, 4.79 ERA, 17K] vs. RHP Ryan Douglas [0-3, 9.50 ERA, 11K]
Series History
Tuesday will be the 19th meeting between the Spartans and Bulldogs in Upstate's DI era, dating back to 2008. The Spartans hold a 12-6 advantage in that span and a 20-10 advantage overall in the all-time series. Upstate most recently defeated Asheville 4-1 this season in a midweek contest at home on March 17.
Last Time Out
The Spartans are coming off their third straight conference series sweep after taking all three from High Point on the road this past weekend. Jordan Marks had a record-breaking night on Friday as he broke the school record for strikeouts and wins in a single season. Julian Rip led the Spartans at the plate in the 10-6 win as he went 3-for-4 with five RBI and two doubles out of Upstate's four doubles as a team. Cameron MacIntosh led the Spartans at the plate in Saturday's doubleheader, hitting .750 (6-for-8) with three RBI, five runs scored, and a stolen base. MacIntosh has recorded five three-hit games so far this season. Jason Matthews also had a strong day at the plate, hitting 4-for-8 with two RBI and three runs scored. Upstate took the first game of the doubleheader 12-9 and closed the series with a 10-5 win.
Asheville swept a doubleheader against Longwood Friday at home before dropping the series finale on Saturday. Game one went to the Bulldogs by a score of 11-10 before finishing off the sweep 3-2. With Friday's victories, the 2021 Bulldogs break the program record for the most Big South wins in a single season with 14. Dominic Freeberger and Brandon Lankford both launched home runs on Saturday, but the Bulldogs fell 5-3.
Ones to Watch
Upstate:
Cameron MacIntosh was just named Big South Player of the Week today for his efforts in a 3-1 record for the Spartans this past week. The Gig Harbor, Wash. native hit .667 (10-for-15) with three walks and zero strikeouts on the week. He recorded four RBI, scored seven runs, and swiped a bag with a .667 slugging percentage and .722 on base percentage. MacIntosh started the week off with a 2-for-3 outing at the plate at Clemson on Tuesday. After drawing a leadoff walk in the top of the second, he made it all the way around to score one of Upstate's two runs in the game. In Friday night's series opener at High Point, he tallied a pair of hits with an RBI and a run scored. In the ninth inning with the Spartans ahead 7-6, MacIntosh singled through the right side with one out and went on to score off a bases-clearing double that added some insurance for Upstate in a 10-6 win. MacIntosh hit .750 across Saturday's doubleheader with three hits in each game. He drove in the first run of the first game with a single to center in the second and scored on yet another bases-clearing double as part of a seven-run inning for the Spartans. In the series finale, MacIntosh went 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored. His two RBI came off a single to center in the fourth inning that put the Spartans up 5-1.
Asheville:
Brandon Lankford and Dominic Freeberger, who both homered in Asheville's most recent game, lead the Bulldogs in batting average with a .353 and .323, respectively. The duo also ranks first and second in hits against Big South Conference opponents.
Notes
- Currently riding a 10-game conference win streak and sitting at a 33-10 record, the Spartans have tied a DI program record for wins in a single season. A win on Tuesday would give Upstate 34 wins in a single season for the first time in the DI era, first time overall since 2007, and just the sixth time in program history dating back to 1986. Additionally, Upstate's 24 Big South wins so far this season are the most conference wins in single season in the DI era for the Spartans.
- The Spartans have earned weekly Big South awards for four consecutive weeks, and have claimed the Player of the Week for three straight weeks.
- This past Friday against High Point, ace Jordan Marks broke the school record for strikeouts in a single season, surpassing Tyler Jackson (2016) and Matt Branham (2010) on the all-time list with 87. Additionally, with his league-best ninth win of the season, Marks broke a 31-year-old school record for wins in a single season. He also tied Scott Eckard's school record for career wins with 20.
- Seven of Upstate's main starters are batting over .300 this season, led by Jack Hennessy with a .338 average. As a team, the Spartans rank second in the conference and 19th in the nation with a .301 team batting average.
- Shortstop Jason Matthews leads the Big South with 56 hits, and four of the top 10 players in that category are Spartans as Noah Rabon ranks fifth with 53, Devin Buckner is tied for seventh with 51, and Jack Hennessy is tied for ninth with 50. Matthews and Buckner are also tied for the league lead in doubles with 15 each.
- Upstate's pitching staff continues to dominate the Big South as the Spartans lead the conference and rank seventh in the nation with a 3.09 ERA. Upstate also leads the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.99, 22nd nationally), hits allowed per nine innings (8.18, 50th nationally), walks allowed per nine innings (3.07, 19th nationally), and WHIP (1.25, 18th nationally).
- For the third week in a row and the eighth week overall, the Spartans are receiving votes in the USA Today Top-25 Coaches' Poll. Upstate also ranks 35th in RPI.
UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans return to Harley Park this weekend for a three-game series against Campbell to wrap up the 2021 home slate. It's alumni weekend, and Friday night is Cancer Awareness Night with Senior Day set for Saturday. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.
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