University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, April 22
Asheville, NC
7:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
Charleston Southern
Photo by: Mark Godin
Baseball Returns Home to Host Charleston Southern
04.21.2021 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – With rain in the forecast for Saturday, the UNC Asheville baseball team's three-game series against Charleston Southern has been moved up a day. Asheville and Charleston Southern will now play once Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before playing a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 2 p.m. All three games can be seen on ESPN+.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs resumed their Big South schedule on Tuesday with a trip to Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs came away with a 15-4 victory over Asheville in that contest. Asheville saw its record dip to 10-20 overall and 9-13 in Big South play with the loss.
Lankford Launches a Couple More – Senior Brandon Lankford continues to add to his historic slugging numbers as he launched two more home runs Tuesday at Gardner-Webb. In 2021, Lankford has blasted 10 home runs, which leads the Big South. Lankford, who broke the school record for home runs earlier this month, is now up to 45 home runs in his career as a Bulldog. Lankford's 45 home runs are tied for the fifth-most in league history with Coastal Carolina's Mike Costanzo (2003-2007).
Four Home Run Fact – In addition to the two home runs from Lankford, fellow Bulldogs Kole Harris and Easton Jones also connected on home runs Tuesday. It marked the first time Asheville has homered four times in a game since April 16, 2008, at Furman.
Going Well at Greenwood Field – The Bulldogs are glad to be back home at Greenwood Field as they currently boast a winning record (6-5) playing in Asheville. Additionally, Asheville has won each of the three series played at its home park in 2021 as it has taken two of three from Campbell, Radford, Presbyterian.
Schedule Switches – The series vs. Charleston Southern is not the only schedule change for the Bulldogs. Asheville will host Presbyterian Tuesday evening as a makeup game from a previous postponement in early March. The start time for that contest is to be announced.
About Charleston Southern – Charleston Southern will be making the trip to the High Country, sporting an overall record of 12-16. Like most Big South teams, CSU has played the bulk of its games against conference foes, and it has a record of 12-12 in those games. In those games, Charleston Southern boasts a team batting average of .271 and a team ERA of 4.46. Only USC Upstate (2.48) has posted a lower ERA in Big South games in 2021 than the Buccaneers.
Series Rewind vs. CSU – The Bulldogs and Buccaneers met earlier this season for three games in Charleston in mid-March. CSU took two of the three games by scores of 15-5 and 9-1, with Asheville's victory coming by a score of 15-3. The Bulldogs will aim to win a series vs. Charleston Southern for the first time since 2016.
Player to Watch – A player to watch for Asheville this weekend is Cam Johnson. Johnson provided a definite lift to the Bulldog lineup in the first series vs. Charleston Southern this season. He finished those three games hitting .500 in eight at-bats with five runs scored and one RBI. Johnson, who also turned in a perfect fielding percentage in that series, finished his weekend in Charleston with a .636 on-base percentage.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs resumed their Big South schedule on Tuesday with a trip to Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs came away with a 15-4 victory over Asheville in that contest. Asheville saw its record dip to 10-20 overall and 9-13 in Big South play with the loss.
Lankford Launches a Couple More – Senior Brandon Lankford continues to add to his historic slugging numbers as he launched two more home runs Tuesday at Gardner-Webb. In 2021, Lankford has blasted 10 home runs, which leads the Big South. Lankford, who broke the school record for home runs earlier this month, is now up to 45 home runs in his career as a Bulldog. Lankford's 45 home runs are tied for the fifth-most in league history with Coastal Carolina's Mike Costanzo (2003-2007).
Four Home Run Fact – In addition to the two home runs from Lankford, fellow Bulldogs Kole Harris and Easton Jones also connected on home runs Tuesday. It marked the first time Asheville has homered four times in a game since April 16, 2008, at Furman.
Going Well at Greenwood Field – The Bulldogs are glad to be back home at Greenwood Field as they currently boast a winning record (6-5) playing in Asheville. Additionally, Asheville has won each of the three series played at its home park in 2021 as it has taken two of three from Campbell, Radford, Presbyterian.
Schedule Switches – The series vs. Charleston Southern is not the only schedule change for the Bulldogs. Asheville will host Presbyterian Tuesday evening as a makeup game from a previous postponement in early March. The start time for that contest is to be announced.
About Charleston Southern – Charleston Southern will be making the trip to the High Country, sporting an overall record of 12-16. Like most Big South teams, CSU has played the bulk of its games against conference foes, and it has a record of 12-12 in those games. In those games, Charleston Southern boasts a team batting average of .271 and a team ERA of 4.46. Only USC Upstate (2.48) has posted a lower ERA in Big South games in 2021 than the Buccaneers.
Series Rewind vs. CSU – The Bulldogs and Buccaneers met earlier this season for three games in Charleston in mid-March. CSU took two of the three games by scores of 15-5 and 9-1, with Asheville's victory coming by a score of 15-3. The Bulldogs will aim to win a series vs. Charleston Southern for the first time since 2016.
Player to Watch – A player to watch for Asheville this weekend is Cam Johnson. Johnson provided a definite lift to the Bulldog lineup in the first series vs. Charleston Southern this season. He finished those three games hitting .500 in eight at-bats with five runs scored and one RBI. Johnson, who also turned in a perfect fielding percentage in that series, finished his weekend in Charleston with a .636 on-base percentage.
Players Mentioned
RHP/U
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1B
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INF
/ BaseballHighlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville vs Presbyterian (Game 3)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville at Presbyterian (Game 2)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville at Presbyterian (Game 1)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville vs Gardner-Webb (Game 3)
Monday, May 13