LIVE STATS (Friday and Sunday)
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
2016 BASEBALL PROSPECTUS & RECORD BOOK (PDF)

Friday Starters:
UNCG: R-Jr., RH Hunter Smith
HPU: R-Sr., RH Scot Hoffman
 
Saturday Starters:
HPU: Jr., RH Andre Scrubb
UNCG: So., LH Bryce Hensley

Sunday Starters:
UNCG: Fr., RH Matt Frisbee
HPU: TBA

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team begins its 2016 season with a three-game home-and-home series against inter-Triad rival UNCG starting on Friday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m., at Williard Stadium. The Panthers and Spartans will play at Williard Stadium on Friday and Sunday and at the UNCG Baseball Stadium on Saturday.

HPU vs. UNCG: HPU is 7-14 against the Spartans since joining Div. I in 2000. The two teams split their weather-shortened season-opening home-and-home series last season with both squads winning on their home fields. The Panthers dropped a 12-8 decision in the season opener before returning home and earning a 12-2 victory. Carson Jackson enjoyed a strong start to his collegiate career in the two games, hitting .625 (5-8) with a double and three RBI against the Spartans.
 
The Opponent: UNCG went 23-27 overall in 2015 with a 12-12 mark in the Southern Conference. The Spartans hit .299 as a team last season but will have to overcome the loss of their top five hitters from that squad this spring. Third baseman Collin Woody will lead the UNCG offense in his second year with the team. The senior was named to the Preseason All-SoCon second team after starting all 50 games and hitting .296 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 2015. Designated hitter Devin Ruiz joins Woody on the Preseason second team. The sophomore played in 31 games in his first collegiate season and hit .300 with nine extra-base hits and 17 RBI. The Spartans will also be strengthened by the return of outfielder L.J. Kalawaia who missed all of 2015 with an injury. Kalawaia hit .297 as a junior in 2014. UNCG will feature a brand new weekend rotation this season led by right-hander Hunter Smith who will make his debut on the mound on Friday after transferring from Gardner-Webb. Smith appeared in 12 games with four starts for the Runnin' Bulldogs in 2014 and went 3-1 with a 4.75 ERA. Left-hander Bryce Hensley from Catawba Valley Community College and right-handed freshman Matt Frisbee will pitch on Saturday and Sunday for the Spartans. Hensley won seven games at Catawba Valley with a 2.95 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 73-1/3 innings while Frisbee was a Perfect Game honorable mention All-American at Enka High School in Candler, N.C.
 
Probable Starting Pitchers:
• Friday: Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman will start on the mound for the Panthers on Friday. Hoffman appeared in 14 games with seven starts for HPU last season, finishing with a 2-4 record and a 5.96 ERA. The right-hander struck out 40 while allowing just 12 walks in his 48-1/3 innings of work.
 
• Saturday: Junior Andre Scrubb will take the ball on Saturday for High Point. Scrubb appeared in 19 games with three starts in 2015 for the Panthers, posting a 6-1 record with one save and a 2.50 ERA. He struck out 48 and walked 19 in 54 innings of work while holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average. In his three starts, Scrubb went 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 21-1/3 innings. He picked up a complete-game victory over Liberty in the Big South Tournament, striking out 10. Flames in the win.
 
Panthers in Season Openers: HPU is 5-11 in season openers since joining Division I in 2000, with a 4-2 record in season openers at Williard Stadium. Last season, the Panthers lost at UNCG by a score of 12-8 in the first game of a season-opening home-and-home weekend series. Tony Fortier-Bensen and Carson Jackson both went 4-5 for the Panthers with Fortier-Bensen scoring two runs and Jackson notching three RBI in his collegiate debut. 
 
Greene Tabbed as Big South Preseason Player Of The Year: After a spectacular sophomore campaign, outfielder Josh Greene was named the 2016 Big South Preseason Player of the Year. Greene received four first-place votes and 19 points to finish just ahead of Campbell's Cole Hallum. The junior outfielder is the first HPU player to be named Preseason Player of the Year. Greene is a two-time All-Big South honoree and last season he led the Panthers with a .355 batting average, 37 RBI, seven home runs, 13 steals, a .441 on-base percentage and a .532 slugging percentage. In 24 conference games in 2015, he finished in the league's Top 10 for batting (.395), runs (17) and RBI (23).
 
Goodman Named to Stopper of the Year Watch List: Redshirt-senior pitcher Joe Goodman has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List for the third time. Last season, Goodman returned from Tommy John and went 0-2 with a team-high six saves for the Panthers. The right-hander made 20 appearances for HPU and finished with a 1.86 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 19-1/3 innings pitched. Goodman allowed posted a whip under 1.00, allowing just 11 hits and eight walks in his 19-1/3 innings of work. He is one of 70 players named to the watch list and one of only four from the Big South. Goodman is the first HPU player to be named to the Stopper of the Year watch list.
 
The New Guys: High Point welcomes 13 newcomers to the squad this season. HPU has nine freshmen and three junior college transfers. Juniors Luke Parker and Nick Capra and freshmen Conner Dunbar, JJ Woodard, Nick Blomgren and Nick Niarchos are expected to contribute in the field. Freshmen Andrew Gottfried and Cooper Jeffers will compete for time on the mound for the Panthers.
 
Munnelly Joins HPU Staff: Chris Munnelly joined the HPU baseball staff as the new Director of Player Development in July of 2015. Munnelly is a former pitcher at North Carolina who played two seasons in the Houston Astros organization. The former Tar Heel right-hander played four years with North Carolina, appearing in 77 games with 39 starts. As a senior, Munnelly appeared in 18 games with seven starts and finished with a 6-0 record and a 2.36 ERA. He pitched 53-1/3 innings and struck out 58 while also holding opponents to a .163 opponent batting average.
 
Last Season: High Point posted its second-straight winning season and the third winning season since joining Div. I with a record of 29-26 in 2015. The Panthers claimed series wins over LIU Brooklyn, the College of Charleston, Campbell, Longwood, Winthrop, Presbyterian College, UNC Asheville and Liberty. The series win over the Flames in Lynchburg was HPU's first road series win over Liberty since 2006. High Point advanced to the Big South Semifinals for the second-straight year and the third time in four seasons. The Panthers finished the season with a team era of 3.65; making it the third-straight season that HPU posted a team ERA under four, a feat that the program had not accomplished in the Div. I era prior to 2013.
 
Jackson and Lee Make Impact In First Season: High Point featured an experienced roster in 2015, but that did not stop two freshmen from making themselves part of HPU's everyday lineup. Carson Jackson and Hunter Lee have both started at least 41 games for HPU. Jackson arrived in a big way for High Point during the opening weekend of the season, going 5-8 with three RBI and two runs scored against UNCG. He led all Big South freshmen with a .311 batting average and 13 doubles and was tops on the team with 40 runs scored. Lee entered the lineup during HPU's three games in Aiken, S.C., and hit .230 while providing excellent defense at the hot corner. He had 12 doubles, one home run, 20 RBI and 32 runs scored. His 17-game hit streak was also the longest of any HPU player in 2015.
 
Greene and Angelis Named All-Conference: Josh Greene and Spencer Angelis earned 2015 All-Big South honors with Greene named to the first team and Angelis named to the second team. Greene led HPU with a .355 batting average, seven home runs, 37 RBI and 13 steals. He ranked fifth in the Big South in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging percentage. He was one of two players in the conference to rank in the top 10 in all three categories along with Radford infielder Josh Gardiner. Angelis hit .335 with 13 doubles, three home runs, 23 RBI and 28 runs scored. Angelis was third in the Big South with a .418 batting average in conference play as well as third in the conference with a .471 on-base percentage and fourth in the conference with a .608 slugging percentage.
 
Up Next: HPU hosts NC Central at Williard Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m. High Point earned a 5-0 home win over the Eagles in the teams' only meeting last season.

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