RADFORD FACES APP STATE TUESDAY IN FINAL MIDWEEK ROAD GAME

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SETTING THE STAGE

Opponent: Appalachian State
Series: Mountaineers lead 12-6
Location: Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium (Boone, N.C.)
The Mountaineers won the first matchup on April 3 with a 5-1 decision in Radford.
Radford's last win over Appalachian State came on April 26, 2011 with a 3-1 victory in the New River Valley.
The Highlanders last win in Boone came on April 1, 1997 in an 8-5 victory.
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PROBABLES
Tuesday, May 15 – 5 p.m.
RHP Ryan Bywaters (0-1, 6.84) vs. RHP Garret Price (3-4, 4.07)

HIGHLANDER HITS & TIDBITS

Current record: (22-28) | Home: (10-8) | Away: (12-18) | Neutral (0-2)
Big South (13-11)
Streak: L1
Radford snapped its four-game skid with a series win at Liberty, outscoring the Flames 14-7 in the first two games of the series to earn its first series win in Lynchburg since 2011. The Highlanders series win over the Flames is the first since 2015.
Radford's offense totaled 24 runs on 27 hits with all 24 runs coming as RBIs in the series.
Will Harless finished the series with seven RBIs, including a career-high four RBIs on Friday night. Spencer Horwitz and Straton Podaras finished with four RBIs each in the series.
Radford's bullpen tossed 11.1 frames without allowing a run until the fifth inning on Sunday against the Flames
Ten different Highlanders have double-digit RBIs on the season. Horwitz (39) and Matt Roth (33) are the only two players with 30-plus RBIs.
Harless became the sixth Highlander to drive in 20 runs on the season, while Garrett Matheny needs one RBI to become the seventh.
A season ago, Radford only had three players finish with 30-plus RBIs
Horwitz and Roth collected multi-hit games over the weekend for 16 on the season, trailing Kyle Butler's 19 multi-hit games.
Roth's multi-hit game on Tuesday moves him into a tie with Horwitz for second on the team, trailing Butler's 19 games.
With several Highlanders having multi-RBI games over the weekend, Radford now has six Highlanders with five-plus multi-RBI games in 2018.
Radford has tallied 121 extra-base hits on the season, ranking 28th nationally with 16 triples.
As a team, Radford has 35 sacrifice bunts, ranking 54th nationally. Colby Higgerson has three games with two sacrifice bunts as his eight sac bunts are second in the conference.

RACCUIA MOVES INTO THIRD IN BIG SOUTH WINS

With two wins over the weekend, head coach Joe Raccuia collected his 150^th Big South win, moving into third all-time in league history.
Raccuia passed former Liberty head coach Jim Toman for third place, possessing a 150-119 over his 11 seasons as the helm of the Highlanders.
Coastal Carolina's Garry Gilmore holds the record with 331 wins in 21 seasons apart of the Big South, while Winthrop's Joe Hudak is second with 261 victories in 19 years.
Raccuia also ranks fourth in the Big South overall record with 319 wins at Radford. He is nine wins from passing Toman for third in that category.

RADFORD WITH RBI CHANCES

Radford is 132 for 536 (.246) with runners in scoring position.
Radford was 10 for 36 in the situation over the weekend at Liberty.
Spencer Horwitz leads the team with a 19 for 62 effort, hitting .306 with runners in scoring position.
Following is Kyle Butler and Straton Podaras with a .302 clip, collecting 16 hits in 53 chances.
Eight Highlanders have double-digit hits in the situation and four are hitting over .300.

ODDS & ENDS

Radford leadoff batters have reached base safely 40.2 percent of the time this season. The Highlanders have placed at least six leadoff guys on base 11 times on the season.
Opposing teams have outscored Radford 45-25 in the first inning, while the Highlanders have battled back in the second with a 39-24 edge. Radford has plated 43 runs in the third inning for the most in any frame.

INSIDE BIG SOUTH PLAY

Radford is hitting .241 as a team, while foes are hitting .280 off Highlander pitchers.
Spencer Horwitz is 29 for 104 with a .279 clip against non-conference teams.
Five Highlanders have double-digit RBIs with Horwitz leading with 15 RBIs and Kyle Butler follows with 14.
Only 10 of Radford's 31 home runs have come in non-conference action.
Matt Roth has hit three of his five round-trippers against non-Big South foes.
Radford is 31 for 45 on the bases as six Highlanders have three-plus steals.
The Highlanders have only grounded into 11 double plays among the 26 non-conference games.
On mound, Ryan Sande holds a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 innings (five starts), possessing a .188 BAA.
In his last five games against non-conference teams, Mack Krupp has yielded only three earned runs over 14.2 innings, striking out 11.
Austin Gerber commands a 2-2 record and 3.63 ERA in nine games (17.1 innings) out of the Radford bullpen.

ON THE RUBBER

As a team, Radford possesses a 5.06 ERA, ranking fifth in the conference. Limiting opponents to a .264 average, Radford is fourth in the category.
Highlander pitchers have struck out 310 in 442.2 frames, ranking ninth in the Big South.
As a team, Radford has seven double-digit strikeout games with three coming in league action.
Of Radford's weekend rotation, Austin Ross ranks ninth with a 3.75 ERA. Ross holds a 3.44 ERA in non-conference play and a 3.89 in Big South games.
With 64 strikeouts in 60.0 innings and walking only 17, Ross is second in the conference with a 3.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Winning three of his last five starts, Ross leads the Big South with eight wins, ranking tied 22^nd nationally.
With a 3.89 ERA in Big South games, Ross is holding opposing bats to a .231 average, while Hunter Williams holds opposing conference teams to a .248 clip.

BULLPEN GUYS

Radford's bullpen holds a 5.35 ERA, possessing 15 of Radford's 22 wins.
Austin Ross has four of the wins, while Cameron Fritz holds a 3-1 record, earning a win in three of his last six appearances.
Mack Krupp leads the way with a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 frames out of the bullpen. Fritz follows with a 3.04 clip in 23.2 innings.
Kyle Palmer has four of Radford's nine saves, striking out 23 in 26.2 frames.

HIGHLANDERS AGAINST SOUTHPAWS

Radford has fared better against left-handed pitchers through 50 games.
In the three-game series at Liberty, Radford did not face a single left-handed pitcher.
The Highlanders are 110 for 410 against lefties for a .268 clip.
Kyle Butler leads the way with 16 hits, while Spencer Horwitz follows with 15.
Straton Podaras boasts a .343 clip, collecting 12 hits in 35 at bats.
After allowing 11 hits in 23 at bats to Virginia on April 11, Radford had held opposing southpaws to a 40 for 191 mark until Liberty went 17 for 60 in a heavy left-handed line up.
On the season, opposing left-handers are hitting .252 against Radford pitching.
Redshirt senior southpaw Mack Krupp has held opposing lefties to a .172 clip with 10 hits in 58 at bats.
Austin Gerber holds a .207 average, limiting to 12 hits in 58 at bats.

PLAYING IN THE DIRT

Radford ranks third in the Big South with a .971 fielding percentage.
The Highlanders have committed 55 errors as Liberty leads the league with only 43 miscues.
In 50 games, Radford has played 20 clean baseball games.
Only 14 times have the Highlanders committed two-plus errors in a game.
Radford has turned 38 double plays, which second in the league.
Spencer Horwitz is errorless in 430 chances.

HIGHLANDERS GET AROUND THE BASES

On the base paths, Radford is 70 for 101, which is third most steals in the league.
Radford is 39 for 56 against Big South opponents.
Fourteen different Highlanders have swiped a base this season with 11 swiping three-plus.
Radford is one of three Big South teams with 70-plus stolen bases.
The 69 stolen bases rank 49^th in the country, while 1.40 steals per game mark is 53rd.
Kyle Butler and Colby Higgerson are two of 13 Big South players to swipe 10-plus bases
Radford is one of three teams with two players inside the Top 12.
Butler leads the team as he is 11 for 15 on the base paths.
Higgerson follows with 10 steals in 14 opportunities, while Garrett Matheny is 9 for 12.
As a team, Radford has six games with four-plus stolen bases.
The Highlanders are 25 for 37 over the last 18 games.

SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE

Current record: (17-33) | Home: (5-10) | Away: (12-22) | Neutral: (0-1)
Sun Belt: (8-19)
Streak: L1
Since playing Radford on April 3, Appalachian State is 10-14.
Ranking 12^th in the Sun Belt with a .205 average, Appalachian State does not sport a batter hitting over .300.
Alex Leshock leads the Mountaineers with a .244 clip, swiping 10 bases in 13 attempts.
With only two players driving in 20-plus runs, Conner Leonard paces with 25 RBIs.
Joel McDaniel leads the way with 13 doubles and five home runs.
The Mountaineers hold a 4.63 team ERA, which ranks seventh in the Sun Belt.
Out of the bullpen, Will Sprinkle is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 games with 44.0 innings.
Luke Watts has closed out nine games, striking out 35 in 35.2 innings.

ON DECK

Radford welcomes the 2018 Big South Regular Season Champions into town for the final conference weekend series.
The Highlanders will host Campbell in a Thursday, Friday and Saturday series.
Campbell leads the all-time series 30-20.
Radford has won the last five series against the Fighting Camels since they rejoined the Big South in 2012.
In the last 10 meetings, Radford is 9-1, holding a 4-2 mark at home during that span.
Radford has swept two of the last three series (2015, 2017) with both coming on the road.

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