RADFORD TRAVELS TO WAKE FOREST FOR TUESDAY TILT

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SETTING THE STAGE

Opponent: Wake Forest
Series: Demon Deacons lead 8-2
Location: Couch Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Radford will play its fourth straight game against an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Wake Forest won both matchups a season ago, outscoring Radford 27-9.
Radford's last win in the series came on March 6, 2011 in a 5-4 road decision.
Cory Turner and Zach Costello led the Highlanders with two hits each.
Bobby Bolling struck out eight in seven frames, while Jason Patten picked up the win with four punch outs in two frames of relief.
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Game Notes

PROBABLES
Tuesday, May 8 – 6 p.m.
LHP Mack Krupp (0-4, 3.57) vs. RHP Colin Peluse (6-1, 3.60)

HIGHLANDER HITS & TIDBITS

Current record: (20-26) | Home: (10-8) | Away: (10-16) | Neutral (0-2)
Big South (11-10)
Streak: L3
Radford is coming off a heartbreaking series at Georgia Tech in which Radford gave up late leads in the first two games of the series, falling victim to a pair of walk-offs.
The series served as the Highlanders off Big South weekend. Radford has won four straight Big South weekend series with two remaining on the docket.
Radford built a two-run lead twice on Friday night, however Georgia Tech plated three runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.
Saturday saw the Highlanders battle back from a 7-2 deficit to score six straight to lead 8-7 in the eighth. The Yellow Jackets used a solo home run in the bottom half to force extras and a three-run walk-off to clinch the series.
All 13 of Radford's runs came as RBIs with Spencer Horwitz leading the way with four on a 6 for 13 performance.
Ten different Highlanders have double-digit RBIs on the season. Horwitz (35) and Matt Roth (31) are the only two players with 30-plus RBIs.
Kyle Butler (27) and Colby Higgerson (24) are not far behind.
A season ago, Radford only had three players finish with 30-plus RBIs
Collecting a pair of multi-hit games over the weekend, Horwitz is second on the team with 15 multi-hit games, trailing Butler's 19 games.
With a three-RBI game on Saturday, Horwitz leads the team with eight multi-RBI games.
Butler follows with six, while Andrew Szamski and Carlin Christian have five each.
Five Highlanders have double-digit multi-hit games through 46 games.
Radford has tallied 110 extra-base hits on the season, ranking 21st nationally with 16 triples.
As a team, Radford has 33 sacrifice bunts, ranking 50th nationally. Higgerson has three games with two sacrifice bunts as his eight sac bunts is tied for 57^th in the country.

HARLESS NAMED BIG SOUTH FROSH OF THE WEEK

For the second consecutive week, the Big South Freshman of the Week resides in the New River Valley as Will Harless earned the honor Monday afternoon for his efforts against Georgia Tech.
The conference weekly award is the first of Harless' career and the fourth by a Highlander this season. Harless joins Garrett Matheny in donning the freshman honor as Radford is the third Big South team to earn the award in consecutive weeks.
Harless went 3 for 8 with two runs and two RBIs in three games at Georgia Tech. The Abingdon, Va., native started two games as the designated hitter and one behind the plate. The two runs scored and two RBIs came in Saturday's 11-8 loss in 10 innings.
Trailing 7-2 after six innings, Harless helped aid Radford's comeback, knotting the game at seven in the eighth on an RBI single.
He earned a team-high four walks in the three games, walking twice on Saturday and Sunday.

RADFORD WITH RBI CHANCES

Radford is 121 for 492 (.246) with runners in scoring position.
Radford was 10 for 34 in situation last weekend against Georgia Tech
Spencer Horwitz leads the team with an 18 for 57 effort, hitting .316 with runners in scoring position.
Following is Kyle Butler with a .300 clip, collecting 15 hits in 50 chances.
Eight Highlanders have double-digit hits in the situation.

ODDS & ENDS

Radford leadoff batters have reached base safely 41.5 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 42-23 in the first inning, while the Highlanders have battled back in the second with a 38-22 edge. Radford has plated 41 runs in the fourth for the most in any frame.

INSIDE NON-BIG SOUTH PLAY

Radford is hitting .243 as a team, while foes are hitting .279 off Highlander pitchers.
Kyle Butler is 28 for 99 with a .283 clip against non-conference teams.
Five Highlanders have double-digit RBIs with Spencer Horwitz leading with 15 RBIs and Butler follows with 14.
Ten of Radford's 28 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 30 for 44 on the bases.
The Highlanders have only grounded into 11 double plays among the 25 non-conference games.
On mound, Ryan Sande holds a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 innings (five starts), possessing a .188 BAA.
Austin Gerber commands a 2-1 record and 2.20 ERA in eight games (16.1 innings).

ON THE RUBBER

As a team, Radford possesses a 5.09 ERA, ranking fourth in the conference. Limiting opponents to a .264 average, Radford is fourth in the category.
Highlander pitchers have struck out 290 in 408.2 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, two rank in the Big South' top five in ERA. Austin Ross ranks fourth with a 3.34 ERA, while Ryan Sande is fifth with a 3.62 clip.
With 61 strikeouts in 56.2 innings and walking only 13, Ross is second in the conference with a 4.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Winning two of his last fourth starts, Ross leads the Big South with seven wins, ranking tied 39^th nationally.
He is second in the league with 2.06 walks allowed per nine innings, while ranking third with a 1.09 WHIP.
With a 3.29 ERA in Big South games, Ross is holding opposing bats to a .220 average, while Hunter Williams holds opposing conference teams to a .240 clip.

BULLPEN GUYS

Radford's bullpen holds a 5.49 ERA, possessing 14 of Radford's 20 wins.
Austin Ross has four of the wins, while Cameron Fritz holds a 3-0 record, earning a win in three of his last five appearances.
Mack Krupp leads the way with a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 frames out of the bullpen. Fritz follows with a 3.18 clip in 22.2 innings.
Kyle Palmer has three of Radford's eight saves, striking out 22 in 24.2 frames.

HIGHLANDERS AGAINST SOUTHPAWS

Radford has fared better against left-handed pitchers through 46 games.
The Highlanders are 107 for 398 against lefties for a .269 clip.
Kyle Butler is 16 or 49 with a .327 average, while Straton Podaras follows with a .353 clip.
After allowing 11 hits in 23 at bats to Virginia on April 11, Radford has held opposing southpaws to a 39 for 184 in the last 14 games.
On the season, opposing left-handers are hitting .250 against Radford pitching.
Redshirt senior southpaw Mack Krupp has held opposing lefties to a .163 clip with eight hits in 49 at bats.
Austin Ross holds a .218 average, limiting to 17 hits in 78 at bats.

PLAYING IN THE DIRT

Radford ranks tied for third in the Big South with a .970 fielding percentage.
The Highlanders have committed 51 errors as Liberty leads the league with only 41 miscues.
In 46 games, Radford has played 19 clean baseball games.
Only 13 times have the Highlanders committed two-plus errors in a game.
Radford has turned 35 double plays, which second in the league.
Spencer Horwitz is errorless in 396 chances, while Colby Higgerson has committed seven in 202 chances.

HIGHLANDERS GET AROUND THE BASES

On the base paths, Radford is 68 for 98, which is third most steals in the league.
Radford is 30 for 44 against non-conference opponents.
Fourteen different Highlanders have swiped a base this season with 11 swiping three-plus.
Radford is one of three Big South teams with 65-plus stolen bases.
The 68 stolen bases rank 43rd in the country, while 1.48 steals per game mark is 40th.
Kyle Butler and Colby Higgerson are two of 12 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 14 for 18 over the last 10 games.

SCOUTING WAKE FOREST

Current record: (21-26) | Home: (13-12) | Away: (8-13) | Neutral (0-1)
ACC: (11-13)
Streak: W1
Wake Forest is 2-3 against teams from the Big South; dropping contests to Gardner-Webb, Liberty and High Point.
With a team average of .253 that ranks 10^th in the ACC, Jake Mueller is the lone Demon Deacon hitting over .300 with a .311 average.
Mueller leads the team with 59 hits and 34 walks, while swiping 15 bases in 21 attempts.
Johnny Aiello is the power bat in the Wake Forest lineup with eight home runs and 35 RBIs, both are team bests. Aiello is 10 for 10 on the bases.
Wake Forest ranks 26^th nationally with walks, earning 237 free passes.
With 4.72 ERA that ranks 10^th in the ACC, Wake Forest has struck out 432 in 425.1 innings.
Out of the bullpen, Rayne Supple owns a 4-2 record and 1.42 ERA in 21 outings. Striking out 42 in 38.0 innings.
Opposing teams are 55 for 66 on the bases against the Demon Deacons.

ON DECK

Radford concludes its seven-game road stretch this weekend with a three-game series against Commonwealth rival Liberty in Lynchburg, Va.
Liberty leads the all-time series 58-36.
Since 2015, Liberty is 8-3 against the Highlanders.
Radford is looking for its first series win in Lynchburg since 2011.

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