RADFORD at UNC GREENSBORO March 2-4 | UNCG Baseball Stadium - Greensboro, N.C. RU in 2012: 2-6 | Streak: L2

Friday, 4:00 pm | Live Stats | Live Audio RHP Eddie Butler (0-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Tyler Hollstegge (2-0, 1.80)

Saturday, 1:00 pm | Live Stats | Live Audio RHP Mark Peterson (0-0, 2.45) vs. LHP Corey Taylor (1-0, 0.96)

Sunday, 1:00 pm | Live Stats | Live Audio RHP Tyler Costello (0-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Max Povse (1-0, 0.00)

SERIES NOTES

Radford wraps up its season-long 12 game road trip and faces its third Southern Conference opponent in as many weekends when the Highlanders head to UNC Greensboro for a three-game series beginning on Friday.
 
This weekend's set marks the first meetings between the Highlanders and Spartans since UNCG was a member of the Big South Conference (1994-97) – UNCG leads the all-time series 7-6.
 
For the Highlanders, this is their final road series until April – Radford plays 20 of the next 25 games at home following the weekend.
 
Radford is in search of its first series win after taking one of the three games in each of their first two weekends.    Offensively, the Highlanders have been trending upward – since opening the season at Samford, the Highlanders have had nine or more hits in six of eight games, raising the team average to .272.   Two-out scoring has also been a key for Radford – nearly half of the team's RBIs (17) have come with two outs.   Through the fifth inning of Wednesday's game at North Carolina A&T, the Highlanders scored eight two-out runs in a row.
 
UNC Greensboro enters the series perfect in 2012 – the Spartans are 7-0 with weekend sweeps of Delaware State and Penn State as part of a 16-game homestand to begin the season.    UNCG is one of 10 remaining unbeaten teams in the nation.    Senior 3B Thomas Troelstrup is the reigning SoCon Player of the Week after going 9-for-18 with a homer and seven RBIs in four games last week.
 
WEEKEND NOTEBOOK:

• In addition to an upward offensive trend, the Highlanders have also been impressive defensively – Radford's .977 fielding percentage is second in the Big South (Liberty, .986)
• While the Highlanders have 13 stolen bases on 16 attempts, opponents are only successful on 8 of 16 tries
• Catcher Daniel Wright has only allowed four steals on 10 attempts this year – Wright has already thrown out six runners, including two at Liberty (Feb. 22) and three at North Carolina A&T (Feb. 29)
• Wright nailed 11 base runners in 2011 in just 24 games
• RHP Mark Peterson, who made his first start of the season in the second doubleheader game at Georgia Southern last Saturday, will start in the second series game against the Spartans – Peterson began his collegiate career in 2009 at UNCG
• Entering the weekend, Matt Hillsinger is riding a six-game hitting streak (13-for-25, 9 runs scored, 4 BB, 3 Ks)
• Hillsinger hit his 10th career homer on Wednesday – the highest home run total among active Highlanders
• Freshman Josh Gardiner has started in all eight games, and has hits in six of his first eight and has reached base in seven – Gardner is the only Highlander with two multi-RBI games
• Zach Costello has reached base in each of the Highlanders' first eight games of 2012, and nine in a row dating back to 2011
• Brother Tyler Costello, who hasn't started since the second series game at Samford on Feb. 18, will get the call on Sunday