Baseball Begins Big South Championship Defense Wednesday Against No. 6 Longwood

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Beginning its quest for a second straight Big South Conference Championship Title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, USC Upstate baseball begins postseason play Wednesday at the 2026 Big South Baseball Championship at HomeTrust Field in Asheville, N.C. The No. 3 seed Spartans open their title defense against No. 6 seed Longwood with a 3 p.m. ET first pitch Wednesday from the home of the Asheville Tourists.

Upstate enters the 2026 postseason with an 8-9 record in the Big South Baseball Championship, sweeping last season en route to the program's first-ever league title in the Division I era (2007-pres.). The Spartans also enter the event with a streak of three straight seasons making the Championship Game, dating back to 2023.

2026 Big South Baseball Championship
May 20, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. ET
No. 3 USC Upstate (29-27; 13-11 Big South) vs. No. 6 Longwood Lancers (29-25; 11-13 Big South)
HomeTrust Field | Asheville, N.C.

TV: ESPN+ | 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

How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (29-27; 13-11 Big South); Longwood (29-25; 11-13 Big South)
Series: USC Upstate leads 20-5
Last Five Meetings: March 20, 2026 (UPST 5; LWU 4); March 21, 2026 (LWU 5; UPST 4 [10 inn.]); March 22, 2026 (LWU 12; UPST 11); May 4, 2025 (UPST 14; LWU 4 [8 inn.]); May 3, 2025 (UPST 22; LWU 11)

Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | Longwood
Game One: LHP Chris Torres (5-4; 5.73 ERA) | LHP Jaxon Lloyd (6-3; 3.39 ERA)

Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Entering the postseason, redshirt sophomore rightfielder Henry Zenor leads the Big South with 85 hits on the season, securing his total behind a .344 batting average and 30 multi-hit games. He's the first player in program history with multiple seasons with 80 or more hits, as he's the first Spartan with back-to-back seasons with 20-plus multi-hit games since Gaither Bumgardner in 2012 and 2013. The Second Team All-Big South selection notches a team-best 56 runs and 47 RBI on the season.

Longwood: The Big South's ERA leader entering the postseason, graduate student left-handed pitcher Jaxon Lloyd owns a 3.39 ERA over 77.0 innings pitched. A First Team All-Big South selection, he captured six victories, ranking third in the conference in the category, while striking out 72 batters, ranking fourth in the league. Lloyd collected 10 quality starts on the season, going at least 6.0 innings in his first 11 appearances of the season.

Up Next for the Spartans
Continuing play at the Big South Baseball Championship, Upstate either returns to action Wednesday or Thursday. Depending on Wednesday's result against No. 6 Longwood, the Spartans either play Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET against the loser of No. 4 Charleston Southern and No. 5 Radford, or Thursday at 3 p.m. against No. 2 Winthrop.

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

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Players Mentioned

Chris Torres

Henry Zenor

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