University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Tuesday, April 12
Asheville, N.C.
5 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
Western Carolina
Baseball hosts rival Western Carolina on Tuesday at Greenwood Field
04.11.2022 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – After winning three of its last four games, the UNC Asheville baseball team will wrap up a four-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts mountain rival Western Carolina at Greenwood Field. The first pitch between the Catamounts and Bulldogs is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Fan Information – Due to the 2022 UNC Asheville baseball season being presented by Ingles, admission to Tuesday's game and all of Asheville's home games this season will be free.
Probable Pitching Matchup
RHP Gavin Mortenson (WCU) vs. LHP Cole Schiff (AVL) – 5 p.m. (ESPN+) (Live Stats)
Last Time Out – Asheville won a 13-6 slugfest against North Carolina A&T on Sunday afternoon to clinch its second Big South series win of the season. The victory boosts Asheville's league record to 7-5 and 12-17 overall.
Bacot's Bat Coming Alive – A major reason why the Bulldogs were able to take two of the three games against the Aggies was the play of Dylan Bacot. In the series, Bacot hit a blistering .636 with seven hits in 11 at-bats. The Fayetteville, N.C. native added a pair of doubles, scored three runs, drove in five more, and drew three walks to finish the series with an on-base percentage of .733. He also matched a season-high with three hits in each of Asheville's two wins on Saturday and Sunday.
Bulldog Bullpen Stepping Up – Another key in Asheville winning last weekend's series was the work out of the bullpen from the tandem of Justin Honeycutt and Blake Little. Both Honeycutt and Little notched saves on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, after combining to throw 6.1 innings, allowing one run (not earned) on three hits and four strikeouts. Furthermore, the Bulldogs also got a pair of stellar relief outings from seniors JP Perez and Chris Banks on Friday night (4.2 scoreless innings) to allow the Bulldogs to mount their ninth-inning rally before falling in 11 innings, 6-5.
Coming through in the Clutch – Asheville was also very good at coming through with big hits with runners in scoring position last weekend. The Bulldogs hit .364 in those situations vs. A&T, and seven different players tallied at least one hit in those scenarios. In comparison, the Aggies hit just .182 when they had runners on second or third base on the weekend.
Among the Nation's Best at Turning Two – With four more doubles plays turned last weekend, the Bulldogs continue to rank near the top of the national leaderboard in that category. Coming into this week's play, the Bulldogs rank fourth nationally in double plays per game (1.10) and seventh in total double plays turned (32). Only New Mexico (41), Baylor (35), New Orleans (35), Oregon (35), Elon (33), and George Mason (32) have turned more double plays than the Bulldogs in 2022.
About Western Carolina – Western Carolina, which holds a 14-18 record on the 2022 campaign, will aim to snap a three-game losing streak when it matches up with the Bulldogs on Tuesday after it was swept by East Tennessee State over the weekend. The strength of WCU's team lies in its offense, as it has five players hitting .316 or better this spring and seven players that have slugged three or more home runs.
Series Rewind vs. Western Carolina – Tuesday will mark the 79th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Catamounts. Despite Western Carolina winning 53 of those 78 previous meetings, Asheville has had WCU's number recently. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine games between the two programs, including a 5-1 win in Cullowhee late last month.
Fan Information – Due to the 2022 UNC Asheville baseball season being presented by Ingles, admission to Tuesday's game and all of Asheville's home games this season will be free.
Probable Pitching Matchup
RHP Gavin Mortenson (WCU) vs. LHP Cole Schiff (AVL) – 5 p.m. (ESPN+) (Live Stats)
Last Time Out – Asheville won a 13-6 slugfest against North Carolina A&T on Sunday afternoon to clinch its second Big South series win of the season. The victory boosts Asheville's league record to 7-5 and 12-17 overall.
Bacot's Bat Coming Alive – A major reason why the Bulldogs were able to take two of the three games against the Aggies was the play of Dylan Bacot. In the series, Bacot hit a blistering .636 with seven hits in 11 at-bats. The Fayetteville, N.C. native added a pair of doubles, scored three runs, drove in five more, and drew three walks to finish the series with an on-base percentage of .733. He also matched a season-high with three hits in each of Asheville's two wins on Saturday and Sunday.
Bulldog Bullpen Stepping Up – Another key in Asheville winning last weekend's series was the work out of the bullpen from the tandem of Justin Honeycutt and Blake Little. Both Honeycutt and Little notched saves on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, after combining to throw 6.1 innings, allowing one run (not earned) on three hits and four strikeouts. Furthermore, the Bulldogs also got a pair of stellar relief outings from seniors JP Perez and Chris Banks on Friday night (4.2 scoreless innings) to allow the Bulldogs to mount their ninth-inning rally before falling in 11 innings, 6-5.
Coming through in the Clutch – Asheville was also very good at coming through with big hits with runners in scoring position last weekend. The Bulldogs hit .364 in those situations vs. A&T, and seven different players tallied at least one hit in those scenarios. In comparison, the Aggies hit just .182 when they had runners on second or third base on the weekend.
Among the Nation's Best at Turning Two – With four more doubles plays turned last weekend, the Bulldogs continue to rank near the top of the national leaderboard in that category. Coming into this week's play, the Bulldogs rank fourth nationally in double plays per game (1.10) and seventh in total double plays turned (32). Only New Mexico (41), Baylor (35), New Orleans (35), Oregon (35), Elon (33), and George Mason (32) have turned more double plays than the Bulldogs in 2022.
About Western Carolina – Western Carolina, which holds a 14-18 record on the 2022 campaign, will aim to snap a three-game losing streak when it matches up with the Bulldogs on Tuesday after it was swept by East Tennessee State over the weekend. The strength of WCU's team lies in its offense, as it has five players hitting .316 or better this spring and seven players that have slugged three or more home runs.
Series Rewind vs. Western Carolina – Tuesday will mark the 79th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Catamounts. Despite Western Carolina winning 53 of those 78 previous meetings, Asheville has had WCU's number recently. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine games between the two programs, including a 5-1 win in Cullowhee late last month.
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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LHP/OF
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RHP
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LHP
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