RADFORD TRAVELS TO VIRGINIA WEDNESDAY FOR COMMONWEALTH BATTLE

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SETTING THE STAGE

Opponent: Virginia
Series: Virginia 19-4-1
Location: Davenport Field (Charlottesville, Va.)
Radford and Virginia have only met two times since 2013 as Mother Nature had other plans for the in-state matchup.
During that span, the series is split with Radford winning 9-8 in 2013 and Virginia taking a 11-3 victory in 2016.
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ON THE HILL
Wednesday, April 11 – 6 p.m.
LHP Andrew Nardi (2-2, 5.51) vs. RHP Bobby Nicholson (2-1, 1.35)

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Current record: (12-19) | Home: (4-7) | Away: (8-10) | Neutral (0-2)
Big South (4-8)
Streak: W1
Radford snapped its five-game skid with a 18-4 win over Longwood on April 6, taking the series over the Lancers.
In the series, Radford held a 26-12 scoring edge, while outhitting the in-state foe 30-15.
After dropping its last five home games, Radford will hit the road as the Highlanders look to get back to their winning ways with six of their 10 wins coming on the road.
Radford has outhit its opponent in five straight, commanding a 10-4 record with doing so.
In five games last week, Matt Roth went 9 for 21 at the plate with nine RBIs, setting a new career high with six RBIs in Friday's 18-4 win at Longwood.
Roth increased his average from .230 to .274 over the span, collecting four two-hit games for 10 multi-hit games on the season.
Averaging 5.7 runs per game, Radford is hitting .221 in RBI opportunities, picking up 22 hits in the situation over the last eight games.
Radford leadoff batters have reached base safely 41.4 percent of the time this season. The Highlanders have placed at least five leadoff guys on base 11 times on the season.
Currently on a nine-game hit streak, Andrew Szamski continues his torrid start to the season. The redshirt junior is second in the league with a .387 average and seventh with 41 hits.
Szamski is tied for second in the league with 16 extra-base hits.
With runners on base, Szamski is 21 for 51 for a .412 hitting clip. Szamski is 10 for 32 with runners in scoring position.
Six different Highlanders have double-digit RBIs on the season with Spencer Horwitz leading the way with 24. Joining Horwitz with 20-plus RBIs is Colby Higgerson (21) and Roth (20).
With 13 extra-base hits, Horwitz is currently hitting .268 on the year and is tied with Roth for the team lead in home runs with five.
In his last 86 games played, Kyle Butler has 37 multi-hit games, including a team best 13 in 2018.
With a .399 on-base percentage, Butler has reached base safely in 17 straight, while collecting a hit in six consecutive games. The 2017 season saw Butler put together a 20-game streak.
Butler, Szamski and Horwitz lead the Highlanders with five multi-RBI games.
Radford has tallied 81 extra-base hits on the season, ranking 12^th nationally with 12 triples.
Szamski is 13^th nationally with four three-baggers and Higgerson follows in 36^th with three triples.
With six walks in the Longwood series, Higgerson now holds the team lead with 20 walks, ranking 14^th in the Big South.
Higgerson has three games with two sacrifice bunts as he seven sac bunts is tied for 26^th in the country.
Opposing teams have outscored Radford 29-10 in the first inning, while the Highlanders have battled back in the second with a 27-10 edge.
Radford has plated 32 runs in the fourth for the most in any frame, holding opposing teams to 16.
On the base paths, Radford is 45 for 64, which ranks as third most steals in the league.
Thirteen different Highlanders have swiped a base this season with 10 swiping three-plus.
Highlander pitchers have struck out a Big South low 192 batters in 277.0 frames. Radford ranks fourth in least amount of earned runs allowed with 159.
Radford's staff has been tough on left-handed bats in the last 10 games, holding opposing southpaws to a 27 for 120 performance at the dish. On the season, they are hitting .255 against Radford.
Redshirt senior southpaw Mack Krupp has held opposing lefties to a .147 clip with five hits in 34 at bats.
Despite a 5.17 team ERA, Radford has two pitchers in the Big South's top ERA. Ryan Sande ranks sixth with a 3.60 ERA, while Austin Ross is eighth with a 3.74 mark.
Out of the bullpen, Austin Gerber holds a 4.15 ERA in 26.0 innings tossed.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA

Current record: (18-14) | Home: (14-5) | Away: (2-9) | Neutral (2-0)
ACC (6-9)
Streak: W1
Virginia is 7-3 against Commonwealth foes on the season with four more games against in-state foes after the matchup with the Highlanders.
The Cavaliers sport the fifth best average in the ACC with a .269 clip as only two players are hitting above .300.
Andy Weber has started all 32 games, ranking second in the league with a .372 batting average.
Weber leads the ACC with 48 hits, ranking 28^th in the country.
In addition to his team leading 29 RBIs, Weber has 11 doubles to his name, which is second best in the ACC.
Tanner Morris joins Weber with a .300-plus average, hitting exactly .300 in 29 games. Morris has 33 hits and has scored 22 runs.
The only other Cavalier with 20-plus RBIs is Nate Eikhoff with 23 as six players have driven in double-digit runs.
With only 13 home runs hit, Caleb Knight and Eikhoff lead the team with three round-trippers each.
Virginia batters have been hit 47 times, which rank 31^st nationally as Knight ranks ninth with 13 hit by pitches.
On the mound, Virginia's pitching staff ranks second in the country with 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Cavalier pitchers have punched out 345 batters in 286.2 innings.
Out of the bullpen, Andrew Abbott (28.1 IP, 41 K) and Bennett Sousa (26.1 IP, 35 K) have been the most effect strikeout pitchers.
Virginia has shutout five opponents on the season, ranking seventh in the country.
The Cavalier pitching staff possesses a 3.80 ERA, ranking seventh in the ACC.
In the field, Virginia has committed 38 errors with a fielding percentage of .968 that ranks 10^th in the conference.

ON DECK

Radford will play its last Big South road weekend until May 11-13 as the Highlanders travel to Winthrop on Friday for a three-game series.
The Highlanders are looking to take their second straight conference series as they make a push up the standings.
Winthrop and Radford split the four games in 2017 as the Eagles took the season series 2-1 with the Highlanders winning the tournament game.
Winthrop leads the all-time series 56-38.

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