Baseball Punches Ticket to Fourth Straight Big South Baseball Championship Final, Shutting Out No. 1 Seed High Point Saturday

Saturday, May 23

Boiling Springs, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

32-27

High Point

37-19

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
USC Upstate	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	5	10	0
High Point	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1

Home Run Celebration Post-Wylie HR vs. High Point BSC - GB

Photo by: Griffin Bryant, Big South Conference

5/23/2026 11:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – In what has become a yearly occurrence, USC Upstate baseball punched its ticket to the Championship Game at the 2026 Big South Baseball Championship. The Spartans earned their way to their fourth straight Championship Game with a 5-0 shutout of No. 1 seed High Point Saturday night.

A constant theme of the event, Mother Nature threw a wrench in everyone's plans, forcing the tournament to move from HomeTrust Park in Asheville, N.C.—the home of the Asheville Tourists—to John Henry Moss Stadium in Boiling Springs, N.C., on the campus of Gardner-Webb. Despite the location change, Upstate didn't let the adversity distract it from becoming the first league program since Coastal Carolina from 2001-05 to qualify for four straight Championship Games.

Saving his best for his final start, junior right-handed pitcher Brent Stukes delivered a masterclass on the mound for the Spartans, limiting the Panthers to no runs on six hits over 8.0 innings. He struck out six on the evening, stranding a runner or more in scoring position with three of his six punchouts.

Closing out the first shutout in the Big South Baseball Championship since Upstate's 7-0 victory over Charleston Southern last season, redshirt freshman righty Jacob Kirby faced one over the minimum in the ninth, striking out one in his hitless and scoreless frame.

Backing the pitching, three Spartans recorded multi-hit efforts, headlined by a three-hit night for senior first baseman Wylie Waters. Adding to his multi-hit game, he registered Upstate's lone multi-RBI game with two RBI, including one on a solo home run, his 11^th of the campaign.

Joining Waters with a multi-hit game, senior leftfielder Preston Lucas and redshirt sophomore rightfielder Henry Zenor picked up two hits apiece.

Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 5; High Point 0
Records: USC Upstate (32-27; 13-11 Big South); High Point (37-19; 17-7 Big South)
Location: John Henry Moss Stadium | Boiling Springs, N.C.

How It Happened

T2: Unselfishly putting Upstate out front, Alex Ritzer executed a perfect squeeze, pushing a bunt past the pitcher with the bases loaded, allowing Jake Armsey to score. One hitter later, Henry Zenor doubled the Spartan advantage with a single into the six hole, plating Preston Lucas.
T4: Tacking on another run to the board, Wylie Waters deposited an 0-1 pitch into the trees in left, his second long ball of the tournament.
T8: Taking advantage of a High Point error, Lucas scored on an errant throw by the Panther second baseman.
T9: Adding another RBI to his daily ledger, Waters shot an RBI single back through the box, scoring pinch runner Gage Griggs from second.

Notable

Advancing to the Big South Baseball Championship's Championship Game for the fourth straight season, Upstate becomes the first Big South program since Coastal Carolina (2001-05) to qualify for four or more consecutive Championship Games.
Homering in the fourth inning Saturday, Wylie Waters extended Upstate's streak of consecutive games with a home run at the Big South Baseball Championship to six. En route to last season's Big South Tournament Title, the Spartans homered nine times across three games. Through three games in 2026, Upstate has slugged six home runs.
With Brent Stukes and Jacob Kirby combining for the shutout Saturday, the contest marked the first shutout in the Big South Conference Baseball Championship since Amp Phillips' complete game shutout on May 22, 2025, versus Charleston Southern (7-0). The game marked Upstate's first shutout since Feb. 17, 2026, versus Western Carolina (17-0).

Up Next for the Spartans
Advancing to their fourth straight Championship Game, Upstate continues play at the Big South Baseball Championship Sunday afternoon. The Spartans face either No. 1 seed High Point or No. 6 seed Longwood in the Championship Game, played at John Henry Moss Stadium on the campus of Gardner-Webb.

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