SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the second straight weekend, USC Upstate baseball welcomes a new opponent to its schedule as it finishes its seven-game homestand with a three-game series against UMass Lowell. The River Hawks follow Bowling Green and Le Moyne as first-time opponents for the Spartans in 2025 and see Cleveland S. Harley Park for the first times Friday (3 p.m. ET), Saturday (2 p.m.), and Sunday (1 p.m.).
 
Weekend Series
February 28-March 2, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. / 1:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (4-3; 0-0 Big South) vs. UMass Lowell (2-4; 0-0 America East)
Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App (Friday & Sunday Only)
Radio: Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM/1400 AM | Also available via the Fox Sports Spartanburg or TuneIn App (Friday & Sunday Only)
 
How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (4-3; 0-0 Big South); UMass Lowell (2-4; 0-0 America East)
Series: First Meetings
Last Five Meetings: First Meetings
 
Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | UMass Lowell
Game One: RHP Cooper Ellingworth (0-0; 4.00 ERA) | RHP Alfred Mucciarone (0-1; 3.60 ERA)
Game Two: LHP Max Kaplan (1-0; 0.00 ERA) | LHP Brendan Holland (1-1; 7.20 ERA)
Game Three: LHP Chris Torres (1-0; 4.35 ERA) | RHP Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (0-1; 14.04 ERA)
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate
Pitcher: Making the most of his first career start versus Le Moyne, freshman left-hander Max Kaplan captured Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week honors Tuesday. Following his program-record-tying 13 strikeouts and his two-hit complete game against the Dolphins, he also featured as D1Baseball's Top Performer for the second weekend, posting the season's highest game score (93). Through two appearances and 10.1 innings of work, Kaplan's 16 strikeouts lead the Big South entering the weekend.
 
Position Player: Heading an offensive outburst for the Spartans' Wednesday versus Western Carolina (16 runs and 18 hits), junior outfielder Cayden Wotipka registered his third straight multi-hit game while leading Upstate with a career-high four RBI as part of a 2-for-4 day. He's fashioned a four-game hitting streak upon reentering the lineup last Friday, collecting seven RBI during his hitting streak. He sports a .444 batting average heading into the weekend.
 
UMass Lowell
Pitcher: Taking the ball on Friday afternoon for the third straight week to begin the season, sophomore right-hander Alfred Mucciarone gets the call for the River Hawks in the series opener. He's coming off his second career quality start, turning in 6.0 innings while allowing four hits and one earned run against Appalachian State on Feb. 21. In 2025, he's thrown 10.0 innings, striking out a team-best eight hitters.
 
Position Player: The inaugural America East Player of the Week, senior infielder Brandon Fish leads the River Hawks at the plate, crafting a .571 batting average, a total which ranks sixth in the NCAA entering the weekend. He's picked up a hit in all six games this season, entering the new weekend off a season-high four-game outing at Appalachian State last Sunday. He's legged out four doubles and hit one home run while registering six RBI and six runs scored.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Breaking up a stretch of 10 of 11 games played at Cleveland S. Harley Park, USC Upstate takes its hosting duties on the road, hosting Clemson Tuesday evening at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. The lone meeting between the Spartans and Tigers features a 6 p.m. ET first pitch.
 
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SAVE THE DATE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 17th – Support USC Upstate Athletics at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraising event of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF), to be held Saturday, May 17, 2025 at the Milliken Club at Fifth Third Park. For tickets, sponsorship and auction information, click here!