RADFORD, Va. – Radford, winners of four of the last five games, hosts Winthrop in a three-game Big South Conference series at Radford University Baseball Field beginning Friday afternoon.

Live Stats (All three games)

Series Probable Starters:

Friday, Noon – RHP Aerik Taylor (2-2, 4.68 ERA) vs. RHP Wade Newman (1-1, 5.11)

Friday, Game 2 – RHP Shane Pysh (1-1, 6.52) vs. RHP Matteo D'Angelo (2-0, 3.20)

Saturday, 2 p.m. – RHP Abram Williams (0-2, 8.56) vs. RHP Robert Lake (4-1, 4.78)

With rain once again in the forecast for the weekend, check RadfordAthletics.com for additional series schedule changes.

The Highlanders (8-9, 2-2 Big South) are in search of their second conference series win in a row. Last weekend, Radford took two of three on the road from Presbyterian (Fri – 19-5; Sat – 13-3; Sun – 4-5), the first Big South series win and conference road series win since the Highlanders' last meeting with Winthrop (May 9-10, 2008). 

Radford's other wins over this recent five-game stretch include a non-conference series sweep of James Madison, highlighted by a 14-3 rout of the Dukes in Harrisonburg on Tuesday. A mid-week contest with Appalachian State, originally set for Wednesday, was postponed.

In Radford's series win last season, the Highlanders took the first two games from the Eagles at Winthrop Ballpark, 7-3 and 8-4, behind 5-for-8 combined performances from left fielder Jonathan Spears and senior third baseman Nick Minter, and back-to-back quality starts from Radford pitching.  Winthrop salvaged the series with a 5-3 win in game 3, the second of a doubleheader on Saturday.

The Eagles enter the weekend set with a 5-1 Big South mark (14-8 overall), coming off a series win over then-No. 11 (NCBWA) Coastal Carolina. Winthrop dropped its non-conference matchup this week at nearby Charlotte, 2-0, on Tuesday before the 49ers turned around and knocked off No. 5 North Carolina, 2-1, at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill on Wednesday. Shortstop Kevin Nolan leads the way with his .388 average in 22 games for the Eagles this season, and designated hitter Eddie Rohan's six homers and 20 RBI lead the squad.

Dating back to 2006, Winthrop has won six of the last 10 against Radford and leads the all-time series 47-24.

-          Radford won its fourth game out of five with a 14-3 romp over 2008 CAA Champion James Madison on Tuesday at Long Field/Mauck Stadium in Harrisonburg.

-          The Highlanders have taken four in a row in the series against the Diamond Dukes, and five out of the last six.

-          Radford got its fourth quality start (6 IP, 3 ER or fewer) in as many wins on Tuesday, when freshman LHP Paul DeVito went seven innings, allowing three runs on nine hits.

-          Senior first baseman Alex Gregory, the 2009 Big South Preseason Player of the Year, upped his batting average to .419 with a 2-for-3 performance against the Dukes. Gregory drew three walks (including two intentional), drove in three and scored three times.

-          Entering the weekend's action, Gregory's batting average is second in the league; the senior leads the conference in on-base percentage (.532). 

-          Over the last five games, Gregory is 10-for-18 (.556) with an on-base percentage of .692 (5 BB, 3 HBP, 0 Ks) and seven runs driven in.

-          The Highlanders continue to motor the basepaths; over the last five games, Radford has nabbed 17 bases on 21 tries after stealing just nine on 16 tries in the previous 12 outings.

Friday (Game 1) – Junior RHP Aerik Taylor (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport)

Radford got its second straight long outing from a starting pitcher when Taylor worked into the eighth inning to earn the win over Presbyterian last Friday. The junior righty, who makes his third Big South start on Friday, allowed three Blue Hose runs on seven hits, striking out three without walking a batter.

Friday (Game 2) – Sophomore RHP Shane Pysh (Wheeling, W.Va./John Marshall)

Pysh tossed the longest outing of his career, working seven-plus innings, and posted six shutout frames in a row to earn his first win of the season on Saturday. After allowing two Presbyterian runs in the bottom of the first, Pysh retired the next eight hitters in a row and set down nine straight from the fifth inning through the seventh. The righty finished the afternoon allowing seven hits and two earned runs, while striking out a pair.

Saturday – Redshirt freshman RHP Abram Williams (Radford, Va./Radford)

Williams, despite taking the loss on Sunday at Presbyterian, worked a career-long 6 2/3 innings in the process after a 13-day layoff.   The redshirt frosh allowed all five Blue Hose runs on eight hits, while striking out a career-best eight hitters. Williams is slated to make his third career start when he faces the Eagles on Sunday.