RADFORD (18-18, 6-6, W1) at WINTHROP (18-18, 6-6, L1)
THE WINTHROP BALLPARK - ROCK HILL, S.C.

Friday, 4:30 p.m. | TV: ESPNU | Live Stats | Live Audio
RHP Aerik Taylor (3-1, 5.37 ERA) vs. RHP Robert Lake (4-2, 4.39 ERA)
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Audio
RHP Eddie Butler (4-2, 4.85 ERA) vs. RHP Matteo D'Angelo (4-3, 4.08 ERA)
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Audio
RHP Bobby Bolling (1-1, 6.25 ERA) vs. RHP Wade Newman (4-2, 5.29 ERA)

Winners of five of the last seven games, Radford will play the first nationally-televised contest in program history on Friday (ESPNU) in the first of a three-game Big South weekend series at Winthrop.

Game one between the Highlanders and Eagles is set for 4:30 p.m. on Friday in the annual Big South ESPNU contest.  This year's matchup includes the preseason No. 3 (Winthrop) vs. the preseason No. 4 (Radford) in the sixth ESPNU Big South appearance.  The Eagles are making their third ESPNU showing this Friday.

The weekend series features the two teams tied for fourth in the Big South standings – both Radford and Winthrop sit five and-a-half games behind league front-runner Coastal Carolina, and a game and-a-half back of third-place VMI.   

Similarities between the two don't stop in the Big South standings – Radford and Winthrop are each at the .500 mark overall entering the weekend and winners of five of the last seven games.

Recently, Radford has won four of the last six regular season meetings between the two – the Highlanders have taken two of three in each series from the Eagles over the last two seasons.  

Entering the weekend, the Highlanders have been winning with offense.  Over the last seven games, dating back to a 15-12 win over James Madison on April 13, Radford is averaging 11 runs per game, plating eight or more in the five wins over that stretch.  Over their last 10 games, the Highlanders are hitting .355 (20 points better than their opponents), reaching base at a .429 clip (19 more walks than their opponents) and have 32 steals on 36 attempts (21 more steals on 19 more tries than their opponents).

Alex Guerra and Tyren Rivers have been among those leading the Highlander hit parade – Guerra is 17 for his last 37 (.459) with eight walks (.553 OBP) and 13 RBIs to raise his season average to .289, while Rivers has a team-best 18 hits in 48 at-bats (.375) with two homers and 12 RBIs, along with 10 steals on 12 tries.

Winthrop, after a 1-6 start to Big South play, has won five conference games in a row to get back to the middle of the league pack.   The Eagles, who have been on the road for three consecutive weekends, took two of three at Charleston Southern (April 9-11) and swept a series at UNC Asheville (April 16-18) entering the weekend.

Eddie Rohan's power numbers lead the Eagles this season, with nine homers and 30 RBIs.  Winthrop enters the weekend hitting .299 as a team.  On the mound, each of Winthrop's weekend starters – Matteo D'Angelo, Robert Lake and Wade Newman – have four wins.

WEEKEND NOTEBOOK:
•    In eight of Radford's last nine games, the Highlanders have 10 or more hits and have raised their season average as a team 22 points since last Tuesday to .292
•    Radford has bested the 10-hit mark in 18 games this season
•    The Highlanders are trying to hit .300 as a team for the third consecutive season – only once before has that been accomplished (1992-95)
•    Radford's 96 stolen bases are already the third-best total in school history – the school record is 112, set in 1994
•    The Highlanders entered the week eighth in the nation in steals
•    Raphael Turner, who had two hits and three walks in two midweek games, has extended his streak of reaching base to 27 consecutive games
•    Turner's six extra-base hits and 13 RBIs are tops for Radford over the last 10 games
•    Matt Hillsinger, whose 10-game hitting streak was stopped on Tuesday, has eight multi-hit games over his last 10
•    Rivers' grand slam on Wednesday was the second of his career – the first came on March 7 in the second game of a doubleheader against Canisius
•    In the win for Aerik Taylor last Friday over High Point, he fell one run short of qualifying for his sixth quality start (6.0 IP, 3 ER) of the season – in his short Radford career, he has 12
•    Brad Wimmer, who has three appearances in Radford's last five games and 19 for the season, is 11 shy of tying Radford's single-season school record of 30, set by Travis Toms in 1994
•    Wimmer continues his bullpen dominance this season – his 2.97 ERA over 33 1/3 innings currently qualifies him for fourth in school history