RADFORD WELCOMES CAMPBELL IN FINAL BIG SOUTH WEEKEND

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SETTING THE STAGE

Opponent: Campbell
Series: Fighting Camels lead 30-20
Location: Carter Memorial Stadium (Radford, Va.)
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.
Live Video (Thursday | Friday | Saturday)
Live Audio
Live Stats
Series Notes (Radford | Campbell)

WEEKEND PROBABLES
Thursday, May 17 – 2 p.m.
RHP Austin Ross (8-4, 3.75) vs. RHP West Noble (6-5, 4.82)
Friday, May 18 – 6 p.m.
LHP Hunter Williams (1-3, 5.14) vs. RHP Michael Horrell (6-3, 3.17)
Saturday, May 19 – 2 p.m.
LHP Mack Krupp (0-4, 3.91) vs. RHP Brandon Jenkins (1-1, 4.64)

HIGHLANDER HITS & TIDBITS

Current record: (23-28) | Home: (10-8) | Away: (13-18) | Neutral (0-2)
Big South (13-11)
Streak: W1
After dropping four straight games to Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, Radford has won three out of its last four games to match its 2017 total of regular season wins.
Radford is 11-4 in Big South games since being swept by Gardner-Webb March 29-31.
The Highlanders held a team batting average of .241 on March 31, increasing the mark to .255 entering the final weekend series.
Taking the series win at Liberty a weekend ago, Radford's offense totaled 24 runs on 27 hits with all 24 runs coming as RBIs in the series.
On Tuesday, Radford scored eight runs on eight runs on 12 hits, recording six RBIs in its final non-conference game of the regular season. The Highlanders defeated Appalachian State 8-3.
Matt Roth has raised his batting average over .300 (.306) for the first time since April 29 as he is 10 for 22 with four RBIs and four runs scored over the last five games.
During the span, Roth has three multi-hit games with two three-hit contests.
In the last three games, Straton Podaras is 6 for 12 with four RBIs.
Ten different Highlanders have double-digit RBIs on the season. Spencer Horwitz (39) and Matt Roth (35) are the only two players with 30-plus RBIs.
Colby Higgerson and Kyle Butler follow with 28 RBIs each.
A season ago, Radford only had three players finish with 30-plus RBIs
Despite Butler leading with 19 multi-hit games, Roth has moved into second with 17 multi-hit affairs.
Horwitz leads the team with nine multi-RBI games, while Butler and Roth follow with six each. Seven Highlanders have five-plus multi-hit games on the year.
Radford has tallied 121 extra-base hits on the season, ranking 28th nationally with 16 triples.

SENIOR DAY SATURDAY

Radford will pay homage to six seniors that have play instrumental roles in the growing success of the Highlander program.
The Highlanders will honor Director of Player Development Grant Anders in addition to five players that were apart of two Big South Tournament Championships.
Chandler Davis, Mack Krupp, Luke Wise, Austin Ross and Kyle Palmer will be honored in a pregame ceremony before the last game of the 2018 regular season.

RACCUIA MOVES INTO THIRD IN BIG SOUTH WINS

With two wins at Liberty, 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 136 for 547 (.249) with runners in scoring position.
Radford is 14 for 47 for a .298 average over the last four games.
Spencer Horwitz leads the team with a 19 for 64 effort, hitting .297 with runners in scoring position.
Following is Straton Podaras with a .302 clip, collecting 16 hits in 53 chances.
Eight Highlanders have double-digit hits in the situation and five are hitting over .290.

ODDS & ENDS

Radford leadoff batters have reached base safely 40.0 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 45-28 in the first inning, while the Highlanders have battled back in the second with a 42-24 edge.
Radford has outscored opposing teams 127-80 over the second through fourth innings.

INSIDE BIG SOUTH PLAY

Radford is going for its sixth straight Big South series win and with the series victory will clinch the No. 4 seed in next week's Big South Tournament.
The Highlanders are hitting .270 as a team against conference foes, compared to .244 against non-conference arms.
Opposing Big South teams are hitting .248 against Radford's staff.
Matt Roth continues to put up big numbers in Big South play, leading the team with a .326 clip, collecting 31 hits in 95 at bats.
With four hits and four RBIs in the Liberty series, Straton Podaras pushed his conference average to .304 with 18 of his 22 RBIs coming in Big South play.
Spencer Horwitz leads the team with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Horwitz has hit six of his seven home runs against conference foes.
Roth follows with 22 RBIs, while leading with 11 extra-base hits in 24 league games.
Eight Highlanders have double-digit RBIs, while six are hitting above .280.
Of Radford's 31 home runs, 21 have come in Big South action.
On the bases, Kyle Butler and Colby Higgerson has swiped seven bases each, combing for a 14 for 17 effort in Big South games.
The Highlanders have outscored opposing Big South teams 168-146, while outhitting them 219-202.
Radford has left 188 runners on base in 24 Big South games.
On mound, Austin Ross holds a 3.89 ERA in 41.2 innings (nine games, seven starts), possessing a .231 average against. Ross has struck out 42 walking only 15.
Ross is tied for the Big South lead with five wins in conference games
The Highlanders own a 4.84 ERA in Big South play, tied for fourth in the league.
Out of the bullpen, Kyle Palmer holds a 2.93 ERA with four saves in 10 games.

ON THE RUBBER

As a team, Radford possesses a 5.02 ERA, ranking fifth in the conference. Limiting opponents to a .264 average, Radford is fourth in the category.
Highlander pitchers have struck out 318 in 451.2 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 23^rd 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 5.33 ERA, possessing 15 of Radford's 23 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 51 games.
In the three-game series at Liberty and at Appalachian State on Tuesday, 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.
Only four times on the season has Radford not faced a single left-handed bat in a game, twice against William & Mary and Appalachian State.
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 51 games, Radford has played 21 clean baseball games.
Only 14 times have the Highlanders committed two-plus errors in a game.
Radford has turned 39 double plays, which second in the league.
Spencer Horwitz is errorless in 435 chances.

HIGHLANDERS GET AROUND THE BASES

On the base paths, Radford is 73 for 106, 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 73 stolen bases rank 42^nd in the country, while 1.42 steals per game mark is 47^th.
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 27 for 42 over the last 20 games.

SCOUTING CAMPBELL

Current record: (29-22) | Home: (15-15) | Away: (14-7) | Neutral: (0-0)
Big South: (19-5)
Streak: L1
The Fighting Camels clinched its first outright Big South Regular Season Championship in program history as Campbell took the series over Winthrop on May 13.
Campbell was tabbed a division champ in 2013.
With a team batting average of .249, Campbell is led by Matthew Barefoot (.333) and Jeff Hahs (.301) as the only two players hitting over .300 on the season.
The duo has combined for 23 doubles as Barefoot is tied for sixth in the league with 13 two-baggers.
Barefoot is one of eight players in the league with 60-plus hits on the season as he ranks eighth with 60 hits.
Ranking 41^st in the country with a .470 on-base percentage, Barefoot has been hit 21 times on the season, ranking sixth nationally.
As a team, Campbell has been hit 103 times, which ranks third in the country.
On the bases, Barefoot is 25 for 29, leading the Big South and ranking 24^th nationally in stolen bags.
Christian Jones has provided the power in the Fighting Camel lineup with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs.
Jones leads the league and ranks 22^nd nationally in long balls, while leading the conference in RBIs.
Campbell has 43 home runs as a team, totaling 125 extra-base hits.
On the mound, Campbell leads the Big South with a 4.48 ERA and 461 strikeouts in 456.0 innings pitched.
The Fighting Camels rank 40^th in the country with 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
A front runner for Big South Pitcher of the Year, Allan Winans leads the Big South with a 2.51 ERA. Winans holds a 6-4 record, striking out 82 in 68.0 innings pitched.
Michael Horrell follows Winans in the rotation with a 6-3 mark and 3.17 ERA.
Out of the bullpen, Logan Bender holds a 2.61 ERA in 23 games, striking out 53 in 38.0 frames. Bender surrendered 26 free passes.

ON DECK

Radford will head to the 2018 Big South Baseball Championships next week as the tournament runs May 22-26. The championship is being hosted by Liberty in Lynchburg, Va.
The Highlanders will defend its championship as Radford looks to win its third title in the last four seasons.
Radford could become the first back-to-back tournament champion since Coastal Carolina (2011, 2012).
In the last three tournaments, Radford holds a 10-2 record.
Head coach Joe Raccuia is 18-15 in the Big South Tournament, which ranks fourth in conference history for tournament wins.

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