Wylie Waters 1st AB vs. Charleston Southern Gm 1 2025
Javonte Adams
22
Winner USC Upstate UPST 10-11, 1-3 BSC
4
Charleston Southern CSU 12-7, 0-4 BSC
Winner
USC Upstate UPST
10-11, 1-3 BSC
22
Final
4
Charleston Southern CSU
12-7, 0-4 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
USC Upstate UPST 0 0 9 0 0 3 4 5 1 22 22 3
Charleston Southern CSU 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 1

W: Kuskie, Darin (1-1) L: ROBERTSON, T (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Bashes Its Way to Series-Opening Victory, Sinking Charleston Southern 22-4 Friday Evening

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Beginning another Big South Conference series, USC Upstate baseball bashed its way to its first league win of 2025, accomplishing something it hadn't in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) by securing its second 20-plus run and 20-plus hit game of the season. The Spartans pounded out a season-high 22 hits en route to 22 runs in a 22-4 victory Friday evening over Charleston Southern at Nielsen Field at CSU Ballpark.
 
Fourteen of 15 Spartans who came to the plate Friday reached in some fashion, whether via hit, walk, or HBP. Of the 15 Spartans who took a plate appearance, 12 recorded a hit and 10 an RBI with six different players recording multi-hit games and six different players recording multi-RBI games—four Spartans recording both.
 
Leading Upstate in the hit column, four players collected three hits as sophomore shortstop Vance Sheahan, sophomore catcher Tyler Lang, senior designated hitter Johnny Sweeney, and junior third baseman Owen Ross registered three knocks with the latter three tying their career highs in the category. Sheahan, junior first baseman Wylie Waters, and redshirt junior rightfielder Scott Campbell each drove home four RBI apiece as Sheahan notched his career high and Campbell tied his career high in the category.
 
Contributing to its 22-run outburst, Upstate drew 20 free bases from the Buccaneers, drawing 13 walks and seven HBP, posting the most free bases, walks, and HBP in a game since May 20, 2023 (19 free bases; 11 walks; one intentional walk; & seven HBP) versus Campbell.
 
Limiting Charleston Southern's chances at the plate, the trio of right-handed pitchers, sophomore Darin Kuskie, junior Reece Hemmerling, and freshman Cayden Mackey combined to hold the Buccaneers to four hits and seven hits on the night. The trio also combined for 11 strikeouts with Kuskie posting a season-high seven over a career-long-tying 5.0 innings, Hemmerling a career-high three over a career-long 3.0 innings, and Mackey a career-high-tying one over 1.0 inning.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 22; Charleston Southern 4
Records: USC Upstate (10-11; 1-3 Big South); Charleston Southern (12-7; 0-4 Big South)
Location: Nielsen Field at CSU Ballpark | Charleston, S.C.
 
How It Happened
  • B1: Seeing the first two batters of its first half-inning reach base, Charleston Southern scratched a pair of tallies in the opening frame, an RBI double from Kaden Smith and sac fly from Chandler Tuupo producing the runs.
  • T3: Sending 12 hitters to the plate, Upstate responded to the Buccaneers' runs with its highest-scoring inning of the year, plating nine. The first six hitters of the inning reached with the biggest hits coming from Tyler Lang (two-run double), Wylie Waters (two-run homer), and Vance Sheahan (three-run double).
  • B3: Answering the Spartans' nine-spot, Charleston Southern hung one on the scoreboard behind Tuupo's second sac fly of the night.
  • B4: Scoring for the final time in their night, the Buccaneers got another off a solo home run from Aidan McKaskie.
  • T6: Beginning a three-run frame for the Spartans, Wylie Waters picked up another RBI behind a sac fly to deep center before Henry Zenor drove in two with a single into left.
  • T7: Drawing four straight free bases to open the inning, all four scored for the Spartans in an inning where they drew seven total free bases.
  • T8: Adding another five-run inning to the scoreboard, a three-run home run from Scott Campbell and two-run single from Sheahan fashioned Upstate's scoring.
  • T9: Closing the day's scoring, Devlin Smalanskas picked up his second straight run-producing hit in as many plate appearances on the season, driving in a run with a single to right.
 
Notable
  • With its 22 runs and 22 hits Friday against Charleston Southern, Upstate produced its second 20-run, 20-hit game of the season, last doing so with 24 runs and 21 hits versus UMass Lowell on March 1. The 2025 season marks the first in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) with multiple, 20-run, 20-hit games in the same season with the latest instance marking the sixth such game in the D1 era.
  • Scoring 22 runs versus the Buccaneers, the Spartans picked up its second 20-plus run effort of the season, giving Upstate at least two 20-plus run games in each of the past four seasons. Friday's game marks the 11th 20-plus run game in the D1 era.
  • Drawing 20 free bases (13 walks and seven HBP) Friday, the total marked the most in a single game for the program since drawing 19 free bases against Campbell on May 20, 2023.
 
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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!
 
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