In Return to Cleveland S. Harley Park, Baseball's Home Opener Against Western Carolina Tuesday Begins Two-Game Midweek Slate That Also Features Game Wednesday at No. 6 Georgia

Tuesday, February 17

Spartanburg, S.C.

3:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

Western Carolina

Max Kaplan 9th inn. vs. South Alabama Gm 2 2026 - USA

Photo by: South Alabama Athletics

2/16/2026 3:47:00 PM | Baseball

ESPN+ (vs. WCU)Live Stats (vs. WCU)SECN+ (vs. UGA)Fox Sports Spartanburg (vs. UGA)Live Stats (vs. UGA)Game Notes

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Beginning the midweek portion of the team's 2026 schedule with a pair of contests, USC Upstate baseball faces Western Carolina and No. 6 Georgia Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, as the season's second week commences.

The Spartans host Western Carolina Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the team's home opener, the first time in Cleveland S. Harley Park history that the home opener and Opening Day do not coincide. Meeting the Catamounts in the first midweek contest of the season, the 2026 campaign marks the third straight season the two clubs have faced off in the season's first midweek game.

Rounding out the team's two-game midweek slate, Upstate returns to the road Wednesday for a 3 p.m. first pitch at No. 6 Georgia. The Spartans meet the Bulldogs for the first time since 2023 and the third time overall.

Midweek Matchups
February 17, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (1-2; 0-0 Big South) vs. Western Carolina (3-0; 0-0 SoCon)
Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

February 18, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (1-2; 0-0 Big South) vs. No. 6 Georgia (2-1; 0-0 SEC)
Foley Field | Athens, Ga.

TV: ESPN+ (Tuesday) / SECN+ (Wednesday) | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
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
vs. Western Carolina
Records: USC Upstate (1-2; 0-0 Big South); Western Carolina (3-0; 0-0 SoCon)
Series: USC Upstate leads 5-4
Last Five Meetings: Feb. 26, 2025 (UPST 16; WCU 10); Feb. 18, 2025 (WCU 10; UPST 7); May 1, 2024 (UPST 13; WCU 7); Feb. 21, 2024 (UPST 16; WCU 9); April 18, 2023 (WCU 13; UPST 1)

vs. Georgia
Records: USC Upstate (1-2; 0-0 Big South); No. 6 Georgia (2-1; 0-0 SEC)
Series: Georgia leads 2-0
Last Five Meetings: May 10, 2023 (UGA 9; UPST 2); March 15, 2022 (UGA 15; UPST 3)

Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | Opponent
vs. Western Carolina: LHP Max Kaplan (0-0; 0.00 ERA) | RHP Shane Huntsberger (0-0; 0.00 ERA)
vs. Georgia: To Be Announced | To Be Announced

Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Recording a multi-hit effort in all three of his games in a Spartan uniform, redshirt sophomore shortstop Maloy Heaghney leads the Big South and ranks second in the NCAA in hits per game (2.67) following the season's opening weekend. Finishing the South Alabama series 8-of-14 from the plate, he ranks third in the Big South with his .571 batting average while his eight hits rank second in the league and sixth in the country. Heaghney recorded four RBI in the season opener, the most RBI by a Spartan on Opening Day since Jason Matthews (five RBI) in 2021.

Western Carolina: Registering a hit and RBI in all three games in the Catamounts' opening series against George Washington, redshirt sophomore catcher Noah Quarless leads the SoCon and ranks 37^th in the NCAA with a .600 batting average. With two of his three hits going for extra bases (a double and a home run), his 1.400 slugging percentage leads the league and ranks 15^th in the nation.

Georgia: Earning the save in the Bulldogs' 13-1 Opening Day win over Wright State, graduate student right-handed pitcher Caden Aoki recorded eight of his nine outs via strikeout. He is one of two pitchers leading the NCAA with a strikeout per nine innings total of 24.00, joined by Dominic Voegele of Kansas. Aoki permitted two hits in his 3.0 innings of work.

Up Next for the Spartans
Returning from its midweek contest Wednesday, USC Upstate hosts its first weekend of non-conference games as the fifth iteration of the OneSpartanburg, Inc. Baseball Classic comes to Cleveland S. Harley Park. The Spartans host Northern Illinois Friday at 3 p.m., Valparaiso Saturday at 2 p.m., and NJIT Sunday at 11 a.m. ET in the event.

Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartans
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartans
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans

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