University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Friday, February 16
Nashville, TN
5:00 PM
UNC Asheville
at
Lipscomb
Photo by: UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville Baseball Opens 2018 Season at Lipscomb
02.15.2018 | Baseball
2018 Baseball Media Guide
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – To kick off the 2018 season, the UNC Asheville baseball team hits the road, as the Bulldogs will square off with Lipscomb in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 16, at Dugan Field in Nashville, Tenn.
Series Rotation
Friday: Sr. LHP Jordan Fulbright vs. Jr. RHP Josh Colon
Saturday: So. LHP Greg Gasparro vs. Jr. RHP Chris Kachmar
Sunday: R-So. LHP Jordan Carr vs. Fr. LHP Noah Thompson
About the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville lost several key players last season in Kyle Carruthers, Justin Woods, Joe Tietjen, Spencer Orr and Ryan Tapp. Despite losing the five Bulldogs, Asheville returns a plethora of players (19) to go along with 10 freshmen that are itching to make their collegiate debut this season.
2017 Collegiate Baseball News Freshman All-American Brandon Lankford looks to build off his rookie campaign in the infield. He batted .268 in 56 starts, while pacing the team with 10 home runs and 15 doubles. He also tallied 76 assists and 53 putouts in the hot corner during his freshman season. Teammates Chris Troost and Carmine Pagano look to secure their roles in the middle infield after starting a combined 99 games last season.
Out of the starting rotation for opening weekend, only Gasparro made an appearance last season. After a phenomenal freshman campaign, the Pennington, N.J. native will start on Saturday against the Bison. Fulbright and Carr sat out last season due to injuries, but the duo brings experience to the rotation, which includes 43 appearances, 37 starts, 200.1 innings pitched, 10 wins and 108 strikeouts.
In the bullpen, the Bulldogs return eight pitchers, including Eric Whitecavage, Kole Harris, Brandon Harris, Nick Boyles, Blake Brown, Jesse Juday, Austin Fahr and Joe Zayatz. Whitecavage leads the bullpen with 54 appearances during the last two seasons, and Kole Harris is coming off a season where he only allowed 21 runs in 30.2 innings pitched.
Of the 10 Bulldog newcomers, five hail from North Carolina, two from Florida, one from New Jersey, one from Tennessee and one from Virginia. The group includes seven fresh arms to strengthen the pitching corps with two being two-way players, a pair of middle infielders and one outfielder.
Scouting the Bison
Lipscomb is coming off a 28-28 season overall and a 9-12 mark in the ASUN in 2017. At home, the Bisons were 19-14 in the confines of Ken Dugan Field. In the ASUN Tournament last season, the Bisons were eliminated after their third game, despite upsetting No. 2 Stetson 8-6 in the loser's bracket of the conference tournament.
The Bisons return most of their positional starters with six, but they lost a lot of starting pitchers (4). Of those starting pitchers that left, Denton Norman and Jeffrey Passantino were the biggest losses. Norman graduated after five seasons for Lipscomb, and Passantino was signed by the Chicago Cubs in the 40th round.
Despite two arms leaving Nashville, Lipscomb returns a key positional player in Zeke Dodson. As a freshman, Dodson led the Bison in batting average (.309), hits (64) and total bases (90). For his efforts, he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Freshman Team and ASUN All-Freshman Team.
Alongside Dodson, Lipscomb returns all three of its top hitters from last year – Dodson, Cade Sorrells and Jeffrey Crisan. Sorrells had eight extra-base hits last season along with a team-leading 42 RBIs,. Crisan tallied a .294 batting average in only 35 games.
Big South Conference Preseason Polls
The Big South released its 2018 Baseball Preseason Poll and Honors on Thursday, Jan. 25, and UNC Asheville was predicted to finish ninth with 26 points. Winthrop – who received six first place votes – earned 95 points, while Liberty was projected to finish second in the league with 81 points. Radford – who won the Big South Tournament last season – earned a first-place vote and was slotted fourth in the preseason polls.
Liberty junior outfielder D.J. Artis was selected the Big South Preseason Player of the Year, and Winthrop junior Nate Pawelczyk earned the league's Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor.
For the full Preseason Poll and Honors, click HERE.
How To Follow the Game Live
Live stats for all three games will be available, and those links can be found below.
Game one live stats – LINK
Game two live stats – LINK
Game three live stats - LINK
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – To kick off the 2018 season, the UNC Asheville baseball team hits the road, as the Bulldogs will square off with Lipscomb in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 16, at Dugan Field in Nashville, Tenn.
Series Rotation
Friday: Sr. LHP Jordan Fulbright vs. Jr. RHP Josh Colon
Saturday: So. LHP Greg Gasparro vs. Jr. RHP Chris Kachmar
Sunday: R-So. LHP Jordan Carr vs. Fr. LHP Noah Thompson
About the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville lost several key players last season in Kyle Carruthers, Justin Woods, Joe Tietjen, Spencer Orr and Ryan Tapp. Despite losing the five Bulldogs, Asheville returns a plethora of players (19) to go along with 10 freshmen that are itching to make their collegiate debut this season.
2017 Collegiate Baseball News Freshman All-American Brandon Lankford looks to build off his rookie campaign in the infield. He batted .268 in 56 starts, while pacing the team with 10 home runs and 15 doubles. He also tallied 76 assists and 53 putouts in the hot corner during his freshman season. Teammates Chris Troost and Carmine Pagano look to secure their roles in the middle infield after starting a combined 99 games last season.
Out of the starting rotation for opening weekend, only Gasparro made an appearance last season. After a phenomenal freshman campaign, the Pennington, N.J. native will start on Saturday against the Bison. Fulbright and Carr sat out last season due to injuries, but the duo brings experience to the rotation, which includes 43 appearances, 37 starts, 200.1 innings pitched, 10 wins and 108 strikeouts.
In the bullpen, the Bulldogs return eight pitchers, including Eric Whitecavage, Kole Harris, Brandon Harris, Nick Boyles, Blake Brown, Jesse Juday, Austin Fahr and Joe Zayatz. Whitecavage leads the bullpen with 54 appearances during the last two seasons, and Kole Harris is coming off a season where he only allowed 21 runs in 30.2 innings pitched.
Of the 10 Bulldog newcomers, five hail from North Carolina, two from Florida, one from New Jersey, one from Tennessee and one from Virginia. The group includes seven fresh arms to strengthen the pitching corps with two being two-way players, a pair of middle infielders and one outfielder.
Scouting the Bison
Lipscomb is coming off a 28-28 season overall and a 9-12 mark in the ASUN in 2017. At home, the Bisons were 19-14 in the confines of Ken Dugan Field. In the ASUN Tournament last season, the Bisons were eliminated after their third game, despite upsetting No. 2 Stetson 8-6 in the loser's bracket of the conference tournament.
The Bisons return most of their positional starters with six, but they lost a lot of starting pitchers (4). Of those starting pitchers that left, Denton Norman and Jeffrey Passantino were the biggest losses. Norman graduated after five seasons for Lipscomb, and Passantino was signed by the Chicago Cubs in the 40th round.
Despite two arms leaving Nashville, Lipscomb returns a key positional player in Zeke Dodson. As a freshman, Dodson led the Bison in batting average (.309), hits (64) and total bases (90). For his efforts, he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Freshman Team and ASUN All-Freshman Team.
Alongside Dodson, Lipscomb returns all three of its top hitters from last year – Dodson, Cade Sorrells and Jeffrey Crisan. Sorrells had eight extra-base hits last season along with a team-leading 42 RBIs,. Crisan tallied a .294 batting average in only 35 games.
Big South Conference Preseason Polls
The Big South released its 2018 Baseball Preseason Poll and Honors on Thursday, Jan. 25, and UNC Asheville was predicted to finish ninth with 26 points. Winthrop – who received six first place votes – earned 95 points, while Liberty was projected to finish second in the league with 81 points. Radford – who won the Big South Tournament last season – earned a first-place vote and was slotted fourth in the preseason polls.
Liberty junior outfielder D.J. Artis was selected the Big South Preseason Player of the Year, and Winthrop junior Nate Pawelczyk earned the league's Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor.
For the full Preseason Poll and Honors, click HERE.
How To Follow the Game Live
Live stats for all three games will be available, and those links can be found below.
Game one live stats – LINK
Game two live stats – LINK
Game three live stats - LINK
Players Mentioned
Right-Handed Pitcher
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Right-Handed Pitcher
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Left-Handed Pitcher
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OF
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Left-Handed Pitcher
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Left-Handed Pitcher
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Left-Handed Pitcher/Outfielder
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Right-Handed Pitcher
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Utility/Right-Handed Pitcher
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Right-Handed Pitcher
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Infielder
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
Infielder
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
Infielder
/ Baseball
Right-Handed Pitcher
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
Right-Handed Pitcher/Outfielder
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