University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Radford
UNC Asheville Begins Conference Play on Friday at Radford
03.15.2018 | Baseball
Game Notes
2018 Baseball Media Guide
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – To open Big South Conference play, the UNC Asheville baseball team travels to Radford for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 16, at 3:30 p.m. at Carter Stadium.
BULLDOG BITES
Important Time Changes for Radford Series
Friday's series opener has moved to a 3:30 p.m. first pitch at Carter Stadium, and Saturday's contest at Radford has moved to a 2 p.m. start. The series finale on Sunday, March 18, is still slated to start at 2 p.m. in Radford, Va.
Projected Starting Pitchers
Friday: LHP Greg Gasparro (0-2, 5.21 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Sande (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Nick Boyles (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LHP Hunter Williams (0-0, 3.68 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Jordan Carr (2-1, 2.78 ERA) vs. RHP Cameron Fritz (0-0, 7.98 ERA)
About the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville enters the conference-opening series with a 3-13 overall record. The Bulldogs are fresh off a two-game mid-week series versus No. 24 NC State. Despite dropping both contests, Asheville totaled 13 runs against the nationally-ranked Wolfpack.
The Bulldogs enter conference play with 13 total home runs, which ranks second in the league thus far. Asheville sports a .334 on-base percentage, and it has totaled 74 walks, which ranks third in the Big South. The Bulldogs have also totaled 118 total hits, which has amounted to 64 total runs.
Leading the offensive surge is junior Carmine Pagano with a .309 batting average. The McLeansville, N.C. native has posted eight multi-hit games this year. In the NC State series this week, Pagano tallied three hits and a RBI. Sophomore Joe Gruszka is Asheville's second-leading hitter on the year, as he totes a .288 batting average. He currently sports a 15-game on-base streak. Chris Troost rounds out the top-3 hitters for Asheville, as he sports a .286 batting average to go along with a trio of doubles.
During the NC State series, freshman fight-handed pitcher Beau Nichols had a strong start for the Bulldogs. He tossed the second game of the mid-week series, and he went three innings, where he only allowed one hit in the scoreless start. Relievers Cody Wilson and Hunter Burnette also had strong appearances, as they each totaled an inning, where they both didn't allow the Wolfpack to score.
Scouting Radford
The Highlanders enter conference play with a 7-9 mark overall and an unblemished 3-0 record in Carter Stadium. Radford's most recent game was last weekend, when it hosted Youngstown State for a three-game series. The Highlanders came out victorious in their home-opening series, as they won all three head-to-head contests.
Offensively, Andrew Szamski leads the squad, as he totes a .375 batting average in 16 starts. He has connected with a team-high 24 hits, including a team-high two home runs. He has also recorded 11 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and eight runs scored. Spencer Horwitz and Kyle Butler have each connected with at least 16 hits this year, as Horwitz leads the squad with six doubles.
Ryan Sande is one of Radford's best starting pitchers, as the junior has started in four games this year and has a 1.80 ERA. He has twirled a team-high 20 innings and has struck out 11 batters.
The Highlanders have several key relievers in Trey Alderman, Austin Gerber and Austin Ross. Alderman has a 1.08 ERA in four relief appearances, and Gerber has a 2-1 record in five relief appearances. Ross leads the team with 18 strikeouts, as he tossed 14.1 innings this year.
How to Follow the Series Live
The conference-opening series at Radford will be streamed on the Big South Network for two games (Saturday and Sunday). The stream links can be found by clicking HERE. Live stats for all three games will be available. The link can be found by clicking HERE.
