RADFORD HOSTS WINTHROP IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

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RADFORD, Va. – Radford concludes regular season play this weekend in the final tune-up before the 2017 Big South Baseball Championships as the Highlanders welcome first place Winthrop. The Highlanders are coming off a much-needed series win and can maintain their place in the Big South standings with their fifth series win on the season.

SETTING THE STAGE

Series: Winthrop leads (55-39)
Location: Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium (Radford, Va.)
Winthrop won the 2016 series, 2-1.
Radford has won the last five home series over the Eagles. Since 2009, they are 12-3 in those games.
Game Notes
Live Stats
Live Video (Thursday | Friday | Saturday)
Live Audio (Thursday & Saturday)

ON THE HILL (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Thursday, May 18th – 6:30 p.m.
RHP Reece Green (5-3, 3.50) vs. LHP Zack Ridgely (5-5, 3.12)
Friday, May 19th – 7 p.m.
RHP Nate Pawelczyk (7-2, 2.32) vs. RHP Danny Hrbek (4-4, 5.04)
Saturday, May 20th – 2 p.m.
RHP Colton Rendon (6-3, 3.27) vs. RHP Ryan Sande (0-3, 3.95)

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Current record: (22-28) | Home: (11-10) | Away: (10-17) | Neutral (1-1)
Big South (10-11)
Streak: L3
Radford collected its fourth Big South series on the season over High Point. The Highlanders outscored High Point 16-9 as the two teams finished with 22 hits each.
In Radford's five games last week, Danny Hrbek went 8 for 20, scoring four runs and driving in seven.
Hrbek was homerless in his first 46 games on the season, before hitting two in a four-game span to give him seven in his career.
The senior led the Highlanders with four RBIs in their series win over High Point.
Hrbek continues to close in on several milestones in his career as the senior collected his 200^th career hit on a RBI double in a 3-2 game two win over High Point. After tallying seven RBIs on the week, Hrbek needs five for 100 in his career.
With three regular season games remaining and two guaranteed conference tournament games, Hrbek needs only one triple to set the program record for career triples. He is currently sitting at 14.
Kyle Butler led the Highlanders with nine hits a week ago with six coming against High Point, including three two-hit games. Butler has 63 hits on the season as 31 have come in Big South play.
The redshirt-sophomore ranks fourth in the league with 42 runs, sixth in hits and eighth with a .333 average.
Butler can move up the ladder in most hits in a season as he is 11 away from 10^th all-time and is eight runs away from a three-way tie for ninth in runs scored.
Spencer Horwitz and Jonathan Gonzalez continue to display their offensive prowess in Big South play as the duo sports six home runs and 15 RBIs each. The six home runs rank tied for third.
Gonzalez hit his 12^th home run in Radford's 8-1 win on May 14, moving into a three-way tie for fifth most in a season. The 2016 season saw Gonzalez only hit one home run.
The duo has combined for 19 of Radford's 40 home runs.
Radford's offense has been on a tear after being swept at Charleston Southern (April 21-23). Despite their streak of seven straight double-digit hit games, the Highlanders have scored 76 runs on 111 hits. Of the 76 runs, 70 have come as RBIs.
Over the 11-game span, Radford has hit 18 doubles and 15 home runs.
The Highlanders have also been a menace on the base paths, swiping 23 bases in 35 attempts over the stretch. On the season, Radford is 70 for 103.
Five different Highlanders have over 50 hits on the season. Seven different Highlanders have scored 20-plus runs.
Radford pitchers have combined to strikeout 89 batters in the last 11 games, walking only 38 in 102.2 innings. Six Highlanders have double-digit strikeouts in the stretch.
On the season, Radford has punched out 361 batters in 440.1 innings, ranking sixth in the league with 7.38 per game.
The Highlanders do not issue free passes often as they have only walked 160 batters through 50 games, ranking 56^th nationally with 3.27 walks per nine innings.
The bellcow for the Radford pitching staff over the past two seasons, junior Zack Ridgely enters the series with a 3.12 ERA on the season, while holding a 2.39 clip in conference play. In 49.0 Big South innings, Ridgley has surrendered only six walks, while striking out 47 batters.
Opposing batters are only hitting .228 off the lefty, while Big South opponents have only managed a .206 average.
Ridgely ranks 10^th nationally with a 7.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 16^th with 1.08 walks allowed per nine innings.
Closer Kyle Zurak sports the only ERA under 3.00 as the senior enters his final regular season series with a 2.50 clip. Zurak has been a strikeout machine in 39.2 innings, striking out 50.
Zurak has been lights out in Big South play, holding a 0.77 ERA, striking out 35 batters in 23.1 innings pitched.
Earning his seventh save on the season, Zurak moves into a two-way tie for sixth in program history. With eight career saves, Zurak ranks eighth in Radford history.
As a team, Radford boasts a 3.16 ERA in 21 Big South games, ranking third in the league.
Reliever Austin Gerber (0.98 ERA) and starter Ryan Sande (1.80 ERA) have been key down the stretch in Big South contests.
In 18.1 innings, Gerber has yielded only eight hits and two earned runs. The freshman has struck out 11 batters in conference action.
In all games, Gerber holds a 3.06 ERA, leading the bullpen with 47.0 innings pitched. Gerber has held opposing batters to a .222 average, while walking only seven.
Sande has started four Big South Sunday contests, allowing only four earned runs in 20 innings, while holding opponents to a .208 average.

SCOUTING WINTHROP

Current record: (29-21) | Home: (15-7) | Away: (13-11)
Big South (15-6)
Streak: L1
Winthrop is coming off a 11-9 loss to UNC Charlotte on Tuesday in the final midweek game on the season. The Eagles collected a weekend series win over Campbell, 2-1.
The Eagles raced out to a 5-0 lead, before the 49ers scored 11 runs in the final four innings. Winthrop plated three runs in the seventh to take a 9-8 lead, but UNC Charlotte answered with a three-run eighth for the win.
Winthrop has four Big South series in a row after being swept by Presbyterian in early April as the series is the only one lost by the Eagles.
The 15-9 conference record has been aided by three sweeps.
Winthrop leads the league with a .276 batting average and rank second with 470 hits.
Anthony Paulsen ranks third in the league with a .353 average and 66 hits. Paulsen has tallied 32 runs and 13 doubles through 50 games.
Trialing Paulsen in average, Mitch Spires' .339 average is fifth best in the league, while ranking seventh with 40 runs.
Leading the way on a team that sports 10 players with double-digit RBIs, Hunter Lipscomb is tied for fifth in the Big South with 42 RBIs.
Five different players have scored 30-plus runs.
Winthrop ranks last in doubles (75) and ninth in home runs (27). Of the 75 doubles; Grant English, Spires and Paulsen has combined for 38 of the two-baggers.
Once on base, Winthrop stays relative calm as the Eagles has only swiped 31 bags, ranking 10^th in the league.
Winthrop's weekend rotation is one of the best in the league as Nate Pawelczyk, Colton Rendon and Reece Green has combined for a 18-8 record.
Leading the league with seven wins and a 2.32 ERA, Pawelczyk has only started nine games for the Eagles.
Opposing batters are hitting a mere .191 off the sophomore. Pawelczyk has struck out 59 in 66.0 innings, walking 27 batters.
Reigning Big South Pitcher of the Week, Rendon struck out nine, allowing only one earned run in a 1-0 win over Campbell on Sunday. The sophomore holds a 6-3 record and 3.27 ERA, walking only eight batters in 77.0 innings.
Rendon ranks fifth in the country with 0.94 walks allowed per nine innings.
Dalton Whitaker serves as the Eagles' closer with eight saves, ranking second in the league. Whitaker holds a 6.07 ERA and opponents are hitting .295 off the righty.
As a team, Winthrop possesses a 4.49 ERA, ranking fourth in the league. The Eagles are holding opponents to a .266 average.

ON DECK

Radford has clinched a spot in the 2017 Big South Baseball Championships, which will be held in Lexington, S.C., May 23-27 at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium.
The Highlanders are currently sitting in fifth place, but can go into the tournament as the four seed with a sweep.
Tiebreaker scenarios for the tournament can be found by clicking here.

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