Split Weekend Against Elon and Northern Kentucky Culminates Baseball's 2026 Regular Season

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Making its final preparations for the upcoming Big South Baseball Championship, USC Upstate baseball, for the third time in five seasons, closes the 2026 regular season with non-conference play, hosting Elon and Northern Kentucky in a split weekend. The Spartans and Phoenix meet Thursday—the second of two meetings this season—and the Spartans and Norse meet Friday and Saturday.

Weekend Matchups
May 14, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (26-27; 13-11 Big South) vs. Elon (20-31; 10-20 CAA)
Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

May 15-16, 2026 | 6:00 p.m./ 1:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (26-27; 13-11 Big South) vs. Northern Kentucky (24-26; 12-12 Horizon)
Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App

How They Stack Up
vs. Elon
Records: USC Upstate (26-27; 13-11 Big South); Elon (20-31; 10-20 CAA)
Series: Elon leads 2-1
Last Five Meetings: May 4, 2026 (UPST 18; ELON 4); March 26, 2024 (ELON 6; UPST 1 [5 inn.]); March 28, 2023 (ELON 14; UPST 1)

vs. Northern Kentucky
Records: USC Upstate (26-27; 13-11 Big South); Northern Kentucky (24-26; 12-12 Horizon)
Series: Series tied 6-6
Last Five Meetings: March 13, 2022 (UPST 6; NKU 4); March 12, 2022 (NKU 6; UPST 5); March 11, 2022 (UPST 20, NKU 7); April 26, 2015 (NKU 5; UPST 3); April 25, 2015 (NKU 7; UPST 6)

Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | Opponent
vs. ELON: LHP Chris Torres (5-4; 5.90 ERA) | LHP Mike Staiano (1-2; 3.38 ERA)
vs. NKU-1: LHP Max Kaplan (5-5; 5.10 ERA) | To Be Determined
vs. NKU-2: RHP Brent Stukes (6-3; 5.86 ERA) | To Be Determined

Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Tossing his second career complete game last Saturday versus Presbyterian, sophomore left-handed pitcher Max Kaplan captured his second career Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week honor. Over his 9.0 innings of work, he scattered five hits and one run while striking out a season-high-tying seven—his second straight start with seven strikeouts. He enters his final start of the regular season sporting a 5-5 record and 5.10 ERA over 65.1 innings.

Elon: Picking up the Phoenix's lone multi-hit game in the first meeting with Upstate on May 5, graduate student outfielder Brian DuRoff picked up a pair of hits against the Spartans. He enters the weekend's games as his team's lone hitter batting north of .300, hitting .312 this season. Of his 59 hits, 23 have gone for extra bases, including 17 doubles, a total ranking him second in the CAA in the category.

Northern Kentucky: Leading his club in six different offensive categories, redshirt junior catcher Jake Paulick enters the weekend sporting a team-best .351 batting average. He's collected 60 hits, including 14 doubles and 13 home runs, while driving home a team-high 47 runs. He also leads the Horizon League in walks entering the weekend, drawing 40 this season.

Up Next for the Spartans
After securing its spot in the 2026 Big South Baseball Championship, USC Upstate begins its quest for back-to-back Big South Tournament Championships next Wednesday as postseason play begins from McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.

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

TICKETS ON-SALE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 15^th
Support USC Upstate student-athletes at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraising event of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF), to be held Friday, May 15, 2025, at The Piedmont Club. For tickets, sponsorship, and auction information, click here!

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Max Kaplan

Brent Stukes

Chris Torres

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