University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, May 20
Asheville, NC
5:00 PM
UNC Asheville
vs
USC Upstate
Photo by: Mark Godin
Baseball Closes Regular Season by Hosting USC Upstate
05.19.2021 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team will close out the 2021 regular season this week with three games vs. USC Upstate at Greenwood Field. Asheville and Upstate will play a single game on Thursday at 5 p.m. before a doubleheader on Friday starting at 1 p.m. All three games can be seen on ESPN+.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: RHP Jordan Marks (Upstate) vs. RHP Brett Johnson (AVL)
Game 2: RHP Alex Gabrick (Upstate) vs. LHP Jacob Edwards (AVL)
Game 3: RHP Ben Ferrer (Upstate) vs. RHP Kole Harris (AVL)
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs dropped an 11-6 decision on the road at Gardner-Webb on Saturday. The loss moved Asheville's conference record to 14-23 on the season and 15-30 overall.
History Within Reach – Brandon Lankford added to his league-leading home run total on Saturday with a two-run blast at Gardner-Webb. With that long ball, Lankford moved into sole possession of second place on the Big South's all-time home run list (52) and Asheville's single-season home run list (17). Furthermore, Lankford needs two more long balls to break the Big South's all-time home run record and tie Asheville's single-season home run record (19) set by Brian Shehan in 1989.
Freeberger is on Fire – Thanks to a trio of multi-hit games last week, Dominic Freeberger continues his stellar 2021 campaign. Freeberger has totaled a team-high 20 multi-hit games this season. Freeberger, who is also riding a seven-game hitting streak entering this week's action, comes into the final week of the regular season leading the Big South with 62 hits.
Boost from Brett - Freshman Brett Johnson, who is scheduled to start the series opener Thursday evening, has been locked in lately. Over his last four appearances covering 6.1 innings, Johnson has not allowed a run on four hits, one walk, and has struck out eight hitters. Johnson is also holding opposing hitters to a .182 batting average during this stretch.
Fine Week from a Freshman – Kohl Abrams had a fantastic week at the plate, hitting .615 in 13 at-bats with four runs scored & four RBI. Abrams matched a career-high with four hits in a 4-for-4 effort in the series finale at Gardner-Webb. Abrams was in a zone in Saturday's doubleheader, hitting .700 with four runs scored and three RBI in the two games.
Finding His Strikeout Stride - Since the calendar has turned to May, Jacob Edwards has dialed up quite a few strikeouts. Edwards has struck out 20 hitters this month in 13.1 innings pitched, including eight last Saturday at Gardner-Webb. Overall, Edwards has logged a team-high 56 strikeouts in 2021.
About USC Upstate – The Spartans have won more games than any other Big South team in 2021 as they bring an overall record of 34-14 to Asheville. A couple of players to watch for Upstate this weekend are Devin Buckner and Jordan Marks. Buckner is coming off a 4-for-5 day with one home run and three RBI at No. 18 Louisville on Tuesday. Marks, meanwhile, sits atop several pitching categories for Big South pitchers as he leads the league in ERA (1.94), wins (9), innings pitched (88), and strikeouts (92).
Vs. Upstate in 2021 – The Bulldogs and Spartans have already matched up twice this season, with the latter coming out on top in each contest. First, Upstate downed Asheville back on March 17 by a score of 4-1 before edging the Bulldogs, 7-6, eight days ago at Greenwood Field.
Attendance Policy – Face coverings are required, and social distancing protocols will be in place that will limit seating capacity to only visiting team and home team fans that are on the pass list. Attendees will be allowed to bring tailgate chairs, and game operations staff will direct fans to sit in a socially distant manner. Pass list entry ONLY.
Visiting team will be asked to submit a maximum 25 person pass list at least 12 hours prior to game time. All visitors will be required to provide a photo ID upon entry.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: RHP Jordan Marks (Upstate) vs. RHP Brett Johnson (AVL)
Game 2: RHP Alex Gabrick (Upstate) vs. LHP Jacob Edwards (AVL)
Game 3: RHP Ben Ferrer (Upstate) vs. RHP Kole Harris (AVL)
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs dropped an 11-6 decision on the road at Gardner-Webb on Saturday. The loss moved Asheville's conference record to 14-23 on the season and 15-30 overall.
History Within Reach – Brandon Lankford added to his league-leading home run total on Saturday with a two-run blast at Gardner-Webb. With that long ball, Lankford moved into sole possession of second place on the Big South's all-time home run list (52) and Asheville's single-season home run list (17). Furthermore, Lankford needs two more long balls to break the Big South's all-time home run record and tie Asheville's single-season home run record (19) set by Brian Shehan in 1989.
Freeberger is on Fire – Thanks to a trio of multi-hit games last week, Dominic Freeberger continues his stellar 2021 campaign. Freeberger has totaled a team-high 20 multi-hit games this season. Freeberger, who is also riding a seven-game hitting streak entering this week's action, comes into the final week of the regular season leading the Big South with 62 hits.
Boost from Brett - Freshman Brett Johnson, who is scheduled to start the series opener Thursday evening, has been locked in lately. Over his last four appearances covering 6.1 innings, Johnson has not allowed a run on four hits, one walk, and has struck out eight hitters. Johnson is also holding opposing hitters to a .182 batting average during this stretch.
Fine Week from a Freshman – Kohl Abrams had a fantastic week at the plate, hitting .615 in 13 at-bats with four runs scored & four RBI. Abrams matched a career-high with four hits in a 4-for-4 effort in the series finale at Gardner-Webb. Abrams was in a zone in Saturday's doubleheader, hitting .700 with four runs scored and three RBI in the two games.
Finding His Strikeout Stride - Since the calendar has turned to May, Jacob Edwards has dialed up quite a few strikeouts. Edwards has struck out 20 hitters this month in 13.1 innings pitched, including eight last Saturday at Gardner-Webb. Overall, Edwards has logged a team-high 56 strikeouts in 2021.
About USC Upstate – The Spartans have won more games than any other Big South team in 2021 as they bring an overall record of 34-14 to Asheville. A couple of players to watch for Upstate this weekend are Devin Buckner and Jordan Marks. Buckner is coming off a 4-for-5 day with one home run and three RBI at No. 18 Louisville on Tuesday. Marks, meanwhile, sits atop several pitching categories for Big South pitchers as he leads the league in ERA (1.94), wins (9), innings pitched (88), and strikeouts (92).
Vs. Upstate in 2021 – The Bulldogs and Spartans have already matched up twice this season, with the latter coming out on top in each contest. First, Upstate downed Asheville back on March 17 by a score of 4-1 before edging the Bulldogs, 7-6, eight days ago at Greenwood Field.
Attendance Policy – Face coverings are required, and social distancing protocols will be in place that will limit seating capacity to only visiting team and home team fans that are on the pass list. Attendees will be allowed to bring tailgate chairs, and game operations staff will direct fans to sit in a socially distant manner. Pass list entry ONLY.
Visiting team will be asked to submit a maximum 25 person pass list at least 12 hours prior to game time. All visitors will be required to provide a photo ID upon entry.
Players Mentioned
INF
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LHP
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INF/OF
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RHP/U
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RHP
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INF
/ BaseballHighlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville vs Presbyterian (Game 3)
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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