All-Important Series for Asheville Begins Thursday

THE MATCHUP

Teams: Asheville (16-35, 5-16 BSC)

Radford (14-37, 6-15 BSC)

Location: Radford Baseball Stadium / Radford, VA

Times: 2:00 p.m. Thursday / 4:30 p.m. Thursday / 2:00 p.m. Friday

THURSDAY (G1): LIVE VIDEO (BSN) - LIVE STATS - TWITTER

THURSDAY (G2): LIVE VIDEO (BSN) - LIVE STATS - TWITTER

FRIDAY: LIVE VIDEO (BSN) - LIVE STATS - TWITTER

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville travels to Radford in an all-important final weekend of the regular season when the teams meet to close their Big South Conference slates beginning Thursday afternoon.

The Bulldogs enter the series one game back of Radford for the eighth and final spot in the Big South Tournament that begins next week, while they will also keep an eye on Charleston Southern, who enters its own series at Presbyterian tied with Asheville in the standings. Asheville holds the tiebreaker over CSU due to a 2-1 series win in Charleston back in April.

Due to the forecast, the series has been shifted to begin with a doubleheader on Thursday, with the finale tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon.

NOTABLES

What's at Stake: Asheville is trying to play itself into the Big South Tournament for the first time since 2012, when it earned the No. 6 seed and lost the opening round game (9-2) to third-seeded Liberty. The Bulldogs were then eliminated the next day, falling to No. 7 seed High Point (7-1). The last Bulldog win in postseason play came back in 2008, a 3-2 victory as the No. 8 seed over fifth-seeded High Point.

At Stake for Radford: Radford would become the first team in Big South Conference history to miss the tournament the season immediately following winning the Big South Tournament Championship.

Not the First Time: This weekend's scenario is not the first time Asheville has entered the final weekend needing to win its way into the Big South Tournament. In 1998, the Bulldogs won two of three against Liberty in a home series to make the tournament, which at the time was only the top four teams. The Bulldogs lost the opening game before a game two victory and a walkoff, 10^th inning home run on the final day of the regular season pushed Asheville to the postseason that year.

Offensive Explosion: Asheville's 12 runs on May 11 in its win over UNCG marked just the third time all season Asheville recorded six or more extra-base hits (Feb. 26 Monmouth, Feb. 27 Rider), while the 12 runs are the third-most the Bulldogs have scored this season, behind 19 runs (Feb. 27 Rider) and 22 runs (April 3 Presbyterian).

Guy Streaking: Pete Guy's walked and was hit by a pitch on Tuesday afternoon to extend his now program-record on-base streak to 36 consecutive games. Guy is the only Bulldog to have started all 51 Asheville games this season.

The Walkman is Skipping: Pete Guy recorded his 53^rd walk of the season on Tuesday after not recording a walk in any of the Bulldogs' five games last week, just the second time all season he's gone consecutive games without a walk (other – Feb. 20/21 Ohio, Feb. 26 Monmouth). Guy entered the week sixth in the country in total base on balls (seven back of the national leaders) and is also sixth in the country in base on balls per game average (1.04 per), just behind the national leader (Zack Collins, Miami (FL) – 1.21 per). He also sits in third nationally in total times hit by pitch (20).

Free Baseball: The Bulldogs have had no issues playing extra innings this season, compiling a 3-1 record in extra innings. Two of the three extended wins have come at home (vs. N.C. Central and ETSU, while Asheville also won at BSC opponent Charleston Southern.

The Key to Success: The Bulldogs have tallied six or more runs in 15 of their 16 wins this season, while they are just 1-27 when scoring five or less runs per game.

Looking at the Opponent: Radford features two players hitting over .300, and six players .250 or better, this season, while four players have over 20 runs batted in apiece. The Highlanders are 8-13 at home this season. Radford has won the last 15 meetings between the teams, with the last Bulldog win coming in April 2008, when they took two of three in a series at Radford.

THE PROBABLES

Thursday (G1): Jordan Fulbright (So. lHP, AVL) vs. Zack Ridgely (So. LHP, RU)

Thursday (G2): Jordan Carr (Fr. LHP, AVL) vs. Mitchell MacKeith (Sr. LHP, RU)

Friday: TBA (AVL) vs. Tyler Swarmer (Sr. LHP, RU)