Weekend Series
May 5-7, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. / 1:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (29-16; 14-4 Big South) at Gardner-Webb (27-16; 12-6 Big South)
Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium | Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
 
Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | Gardner-Webb
Game One: RHP Reese Dutton (7-3; 3.46 ERA) | RHP Bobby Alcock (6-1; 2.19 ERA)
Game Two: LHP Henry Proger (6-4; 4.60 ERA) | LHP Tyler Switalski (7-3; 5.93 ERA)
Game Three: RHP Mathieu Curtis (5-2; 5.76 ERA) | RHP Reid Bertram (1-4; 5.89 ERA)
 
Series History
Meeting in a three-game weekend series, regional rivals USC Upstate and Gardner-Webb meet for the 34^th, 35^th, and 36^th times in the Spartans' Division I era (2007-pres.). The Runnin' Bulldogs lead the series 18-15, but the Spartans took four of the five meetings between the two programs in 2022. Upstate has won three straight meetings with Gardner-Webb and six of the last eight meetings overall.
 
Last Time Out
May 3, 2023: USC Upstate 14; Queens 7
April 30, 2023: Georgia Tech 13; Gardner-Webb 8
 
Players to Watch
Upstate:
Pitcher: Entering the weekend carrying a 3.46 earned run average, redshirt junior right-hander Reese Dutton ranks third in the Big South in the category this season. He's pitched 65.0 innings on the season, working to a 7-3 record over 11 starts, tying for the league lead in pitching victories this season. He also enters the weekend with 75 strikeouts on the year, the eighth most strikeouts in a single season in the Spartans' Division I era (2007-pres.) as he averaged 10.38 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023.
 
Position Player: Hitting his 12^th home run of the season against Queens, redshirt junior first baseman Grant Sherrod eclipsed the Division I era (2007-pres.) record for single-season home runs, breaking a tie with Charlie Carpenter (11 in 2017). As part of a 3-for-5 day, he drove home four runs, surpassing 50 RBI on the season, securing the program's D1 era. He leads the Big South in total RBI with 53, sitting three runs batted in shy of tying the D1 era record of 56 set by Noah Rabon in 2022.
 
Gardner-Webb:
Pitcher: Entering the weekend's series, right-hander Bobby Alcock enters as the Big South's leader in earned run average, ranking 15^th in the NCAA with a 2.19 ERA. Over 10 starts, he's tossed 61.2, pitching to a 6-1 record on the season while striking out 77 batters. His 77 strikeouts lead the conference, averaging 11.24 strikeouts per nine innings with three of his starts seeing him strike out 10 or more hitters, including a career-high 12 against Longwood.
 
Position Player: For the second straight week, outfielder Curtis Robinson garnered Big South Player of the Week honors, hitting .611 with two home runs and six RBI across four games last week. He enters the weekend series riding a 12-game hitting streak, hitting .518 with 15 RBI. On the season, he marks the Runnin' Bulldogs leading hitter, sporting a .380 batting average.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Following the team's three-game Big South series, Upstate's eight-game road swing continues with a midweek trip to Georgia. The Spartans and Bulldogs meet next Wednesday for a 6 p.m. ET first pitch in Athens.
 
Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartans 
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans 
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