RADFORD HITS ROAD FOR ROCK HILL; WEEKEND SERIES AT WINTHROP

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SETTING THE STAGE

Opponent: Winthrop
Series: Winthrop 56-38
Location: The Winthrop Ballpark (Rock Hill, S.C.)
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.
Radford is 18-29 in games played in Rock Hill.
The Eagles have collected series wins in the last two played inside Winthrop Ballpark as Radford last took a road series against Winthrop April 23-25, 2010.
Live Audio
Live Stats (Friday | Saturday | Sunday)
Series Notes

ON THE HILL
Friday, April 13 – 6 p.m.
LHP Hunter Williams (1-2, 4.95) vs. RHP Nate Pawelczyk (3-4, 4.50)
Saturday, April 14 – 1 p.m.
RHP Austin Ross (5-3, 3.74) vs. RHP Zach Peek (3-3, 4.38)
Sunday, April 15 – 2 p.m.
RHP Ryan Sande (0-1, 3.60) vs. TBA

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Current record: (12-19) | Home: (4-7) | Away: (8-10) | Neutral (0-2)
Big South (4-8)
Streak: W1
Radford dropped a 12-4 decision to Commonwealth foe Virginia on Wednesday night in which the Highlanders left nine runners on base.
The Highlanders have stranded 60 base runners over the last five games.
Picking up seven hits as a team, Colby Higgerson led the Highlanders with a two-hit day to become the fifth Radford play with 10 multi-hit games on the season.
As four Highlanders finished with a RBI in the loss, Matt Roth continued his torrid RBI pace with his 10^th in the last six games.
During the stretch, Roth is 10 for 25 at the plate as he has raised his average to .273 from .230 over the stretch.
Averaging 5.7 runs per game, Radford is hitting .222 in RBI opportunities, picking up 30 hits in the situation over the last 10 games.
Radford leadoff batters have reached base safely 41.5 percent of the time this season. The Highlanders have placed at least five leadoff guys on base 11 times on the season.
Looking to return soon to the Radford lineup is Andrew Szamski, who ranks 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 25. Joining Horwitz with 20-plus RBIs is Colby Higgerson (21) and Roth (21).
With his RBI against Virginia, Roth has surpassed his 2017 RBI total for a new career best.
Horwitz (13) and Roth (11) follow Szamski in extra-base hits on the year, while tied for the team lead with five home runs.
Butler, Szamski and Horwitz lead the Highlanders with five multi-RBI games.
In his last 87 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 18 straight, while collecting a hit in seven consecutive games. The 2017 season saw Butler put together a 20-game streak.
In a four-way tie for third in the Big South, Straton Podaras has been hit by a pitch nine times on the season, while reaching base safely in 12 straight.
Radford has tallied 82 extra-base hits on the season, ranking 14^th nationally with 12 triples.
Szamski is 14^th nationally with four three-baggers and Higgerson follows in 39^th with three triples.
Higgerson has three games with two sacrifice bunts as his seven sac bunts is tied for 30^th in the country.
Opposing teams have outscored Radford 30-11 in the first inning, while the Highlanders have battled back in the second with a 27-15 edge.
Radford has plated 33 runs in the fourth for the most in any frame, holding opposing teams to 18.
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 195 batters in 285.0 frames.
Austin Ross leads the team with 33.0 strikeouts in 33.2 innings, holding an 8.82 strikeout per nine innings ratio.
Nationally, Ross is 64^th with a 5.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
With a 5-3 record, he is second in the league for most victories.
Radford owns two of the best ERA marks in the Big South as Ryan Sande ranks sixth with a 3.60 ERA and Ross follows in seventh with a 3.74 ERA.
Sande has only given up six extra-base hits in 35.0 innings on the mound, while Ross is holding opposing bats to a .228 clip.
Radford's staff has been tough on left-handed bats of late until Virginia southpaws went 11 for 13 of Highlander pitchers for the most hits by opposing left-handed bats in a game.
Eight hits were the previous high as the Highlanders entered the game holding opposing lefties to a 27 for 120 performance at the dish.
Redshirt senior southpaw Mack Krupp has held opposing lefties to a .147 clip with five hits in 34 at bats.
Out of the bullpen, Austin Gerber leads the team with 27.0 innings, commanding a 4.00 ERA. Gerber has five outings out of the bullpen of three-plus innings.

SCOUTING WINTHROP

Current record: (16-18) | Home: (12-4) | Away: (4-14)
Big South (8-4)
Streak: W2
After sweeping through its first two Big South weekend series, Winthrop has dropped the last two to High Point and Gardner-Webb.
In its four conference losses, Winthrop is being outscored 41-34.
Ranking fourth in the Big South with a .265 average, Winthrop sports three players with a .300 average.
Mitch Spires leads the team ranks 10^th in the league with a .321 batting clip, while teammate Grant English is 15^th with a .304 average.
With a team-high 45 hits, Spires ranks fifth in the league as his 10 doubles is tied for second.
Eight different Eagle players have double-digit RBIs with three driving in 20-plus.
Winthrop's offense ranks second in the league with 291 punch outs.
On the bases, Winthrop is 28 for 36, allowing opposing teams to swipe 70 bags in 77 attempts.
Winthrop's weekend rotation is led by Zach Peek and his 62 strikeouts that lead the league and rank 37^th nationally.
Peek has punched out 62 in 51.1 innings, holding opposing bats to a .235 clip.
Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Nate Pawelcyzk holds a 4.50 ERA, while limiting bats to a .228 average.
Jason Crumeley has been the best Eagle out of the bullpen with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 26 in 21.0 innings.

ON DECK

After playing seven straight on the road, Radford returns to Carter Memorial on April 17 to conclude the New River Valley series with Virginia Tech. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
The contest will be one of Radford's seven home games in an eight-game stretch to close out April.
Virginia Tech won the first matchup in 12 innings with a 3-2 victory on a walk-off suicide squeeze.

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