The Northern Kentucky University baseball team heads to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series against South Carolina Upstate this weekend.
First pitch for Friday’s opener is slated for 6 p.m. with Saturday’s contest set to begin at 2 p.m. The two teams will wrap up the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Links to live stats and John Asalon’s audio broadcast for each contest will be available at NKUNorse.com.
The Norse moved to 13-24 overall after defeating Butler, 8-2 on Tuesday and dropping a 9-6 decision to Evansville on Wednesday evening.
Caleb Lonkard batted .667 (6-for-9) with two RBIs and one run scored in midweek action to lead NKU, while David Head went 5-for-9 (.556) with one RBI and one run. Cody Cooper earned the victory in Tuesday’s win over Butler, allowing just one run on four hits with one strikeout over six innings of relief. NKU is 1-8 in the Atlantic Sun.
The Spartans are 14-28 on the year after handing Wofford a 10-7 loss on Wednesday in non-conference action from Harley Park. Jordan Miller finished 4-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored to lead the way for USC Upstate, while Sam Kysor went 2-for-4, drove in three runs and scored twice. USC Upstate holds a 4-8 mark in Atlantic Sun action.
Zach Krider leads the way for the Spartans offensively, batting .380 on the year with seven doubles and two home runs. Daniel Fickas holds a .341 batting average and has successfully stolen a team-high eight bases in as many attempts, while Erik Samples tops the team in doubles (15) and home runs (3) to go along with a .311 batting average. Charlie Carpenter has belted three triples to lead the team, and he is hitting .288 with 12 doubles and two homers.
The Norse are expected to face right-handed pitcher Jordan Miller in Friday’s opener. Miller is 1-1 on the season with a 3.32 earned run average over nine appearances and one start. He has struck out 11 batters and walked nine in 19 innings on the mound. Saturday’s probable starter is righty Blake Whitney, who holds a 3-2 record and 4.00 ERA with a team-leading 37 strikeouts in 54 innings.
Right-hander Zac Manuppelli will take the mound in Sunday’s finale, and he is 1-3 on the year with a 5.74 ERA over 42.1 innings. Manuppelli has struck out 32 batters and walked 23.
NKU-USC UPSTATE SERIES: USC Upstate holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series with NKU. The Norse earned their first win as a member of the Atlantic Sun with a 5-3 victory over USC Upstate on March 28, 2013. The Spartans, however, rebounded with 5-4 and 4-1 wins to claim the first-ever series between the two teams.
One year ago, USC Upstate scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to take the three-game series opener, 7-6, before a Sam Kysor single up the middle scored Tyler Lesch in the top of the 16th inning to lift the Spartans to a 3-2 win the next day. NKU avoided the sweep as a Cole Bauml home run in the ninth sent the game into extra innings before a Kyle Colletta single allowed Josh Myers to score in the 10th for a 4-3 Norse win at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
Matt Jefferson has earned 11 starts this season, and his total leads all Atlantic Sun Conference pitchers. He leads the NKU pitching staff in innings pitched, having thrown 62.1 innings, and he ranks fifth among conference players in that category. Jefferson also lands in the top 10 in strikeouts with 41, which is eighth in the Atlantic Sun.
CONFERENCE IMPROVEMENT: Logan Spurlin’s bat has been heating up since starting Atlantic Sun play, compiling a .320 batting average (8-for-25) against conference pitchers. He has added two doubles and one home run to his totals in conference play, and he has driven in three runs and scored three times. Spurlin has been hit by a pitch three times and recorded one sacrifice fly against Atlantic Sun teams as well.
The junior from Evanston, Illinois, recorded hits in each of NKU’s contests against Stetson last weekend. He went 1-for-3 in the series opener against the Hatters on Friday before posting a 2-for-4 effort with a double on Saturday. He collected his second home run of the season and scored twice in the finale to help the Norse capture a 6-4 victory on Sunday.
UP NEXT: NKU wraps up its nine-game road trip in Morehead, Kentucky, on Wednesday, April 29, with the second game of the season against Morehead State. First pitch from Allen Field is set for 4 p.m.
Links to live stats and John Asalon’s audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com. Fans can also track the game’s progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
From NKU Athletics