RADFORD, Va. – Following six straight games on the road, Radford returns home for its next five beginning Friday with a Big South series against Gardner-Webb at Radford University Baseball Field.

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Freshman shortstop Jeff Kemp (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) was named Thursday to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation's award for the nation's shortstop of the year.

Kemp is the only shortstop from the Big South named to the list and is one of 38 players at his position nationally to be considered for the honor.

In the midst of a breakout rookie season, Kemp has played in all 39 games for Radford and is hitting .350 with four homers and 29 driven in, second on the team in each category.   Hitting in the heart of the order since opening day, Kemp hit in 10 straight to begin his collegiate career and leads the team with 18 multi-hit games. In Big South games this season, Kemp is .329 at the plate.

The Brooks Wallace Award was formerly the CBF's award for national player of the year, but that honor merged with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Dick Howser Trophy.

Kemp and the Highlanders (20-19, 11-8 Big South) welcome the Runnin' Bulldogs (22-18, 10-8) to town for a three-game set between two teams looking to establish solid ground at the top of the Big South standings with three weeks left in the season. Radford is fourth, 4 1/2 games behind first-place Liberty and Gardner-Webb enters the weekend a half-game back of the Highlanders, five out in the league race.

Radford is a game behind third-place Winthrop (hosts UNCA this weekend) and two back of Coastal Carolina (hosts Liberty this weekend) for second.

The series this weekend in Radford is also the first-ever meeting between the Runnin' Bulldogs and Highlanders. Gardner-Webb is in its first season as a Big South member, defecting from the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Gardner-Webb went to the wire at home last weekend with first place Liberty, taking the series opener 9-8, dropping the middle game and falling in extra innings during the rubber game Sunday, 10-9.   The Runnin' Bulldogs enter the set with wins in five of their last seven Big South games and three series wins this season.

Third baseman Justin Loyd leads the Runnin' Bulldogs at the plate with his .425 batting average, tops in the Big South.  Catcher Ty Boyles has a conference-best 12 homers, along with 41 driven in.

-          If the season ended today, Radford's .321 team batting average would be the best in school history.

-          The Highlanders are third in the league in batting average and entered the week 40th in the country.

-          With a 4-for-6 performance in midweek games, senior first baseman Alex Gregory lifted his batting average back over the .400 mark, to 408, good for fourth in the Big South entering the weekend. Gregory's on-base mark of .511 leads the conference.

-          Over his last 10 games, Gregory is 14-of-37 (.378) with two homers, eight driven in and six walks.

-          Leading the Highlanders in the last 10 games is junior right fielder Reggie Keen, who continues his second-half upswing at the plate. Keen is 19-of-42 at the plate (.452) with six extra-base hits and 11 driven in.

-          In the last 10 games, Radford has hit seven homers as a team, with two each from Gregory and Kemp, to equal nearly a third of their season total of 22.

-          At the other end of the spectrum, the Highlanders have nabbed 20 bases in the last 10 games (compared to 10 for Radford's opponents), including five each from Kemp and junior center fielder Tyren Rivers.

-          Rivers has 16 steals this season and is bidding to become the fourth player in school history to eclipse the 20-steals mark.

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

Taylor turned in his team-leading fifth quality start (6 IP and 3 ER or less) of the season on Friday in game one of the Charleston Southern series. In the process, Taylor earned his fourth Big South win, and is seventh overall in the league with a 3.70 ERA and a 5-3 record in 10 starts.

Saturday – Sophomore RHP Shane Pysh (Wheeling, W.Va./John Marshall)

Pysh looks to rebound from Saturday's loss at Charleston Southern, despite new career-bests in innings (7 1/3) and strikeouts (10). His double-digit punchouts are the first time a Radford pitcher has turned the feat in 2009. Pysh seeks his first win since April 4 at UNC Asheville.

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

Williams took the loss in Saturday's second game of a doubleheader at Charleston Southern, but continued to deliver the strikeouts for the Radford pitching staff with six in 5 1/3 innings. In five Big South starts, Williams has worked five or more innings, and goes for his first win since the UNCA series.