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Friday Starters
HPU: R-Sr., RH Scott Hoffman
ASHE: So., LH Jordan Fulbright

Saturday Starters
HPU: Jr., RH Andre Scrubb
ASHE: Fr., LH Jordan Carr

Sunday Starters:
HPU: Fr., RH Andrew Gottfried
ASHE: TBA

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team opens Big South play with a three-game series at UNC Asheville beginning on Friday, March 18, at 6 p.m. The Panthers have won 11 of the past 13 games entering the weekend.

The Series: High Point is 31-21 against UNC Asheville in the Div. I era (2000-present) after taking two out of three games from the Bulldogs last season.
 
The Opponent: UNC Asheville enters Big South play with a 4-12 overall record and on a seven-game losing streak. The Bulldogs dropped all three games in a home series against Iona last weekend and full to Tennessee during the midweek. Joe Tietjen is once again the catalyst of the Asheville offense this season. The outfielder is hitting .422 with seven doubles, four home runs, 23 RBI and 12 runs scored. Catcher Lucas Owens is hitting .327 with seven doubles and 13 runs scored while playing in 15 of 16 games so far in 2016 and designated hitter Pete Guy leads the team with six home runs and 16 runs scored while also driving in 14. The UNC Asheville pitching staff has struggled so far this season, posting a 6.43 ERA through 16 games. Sophomore left-hander Jordan Fulbright is expected to take the mound for the Bulldogs on Friday with fellow left-hander Jordan Carr scheduled to take the ball on Saturday. Fulbright is 2-2 on the season with a 6.57 ERA in 24-2/3 innings. He has given up 32 hits and three walks and struck out 16. Carr is 1-2 in his first collegiate season with a 4.30 ERA in 23 innings pitched. He has allowed 20 hits and 10 walks while striking out 14.

Probable Starting Pitcher:
•Friday: Senior Scot Hoffman will make his fifth Friday start for the Panthers this weekend. The right-hander is coming off his best start of the season, giving up just two earned runs on three hits in 5-1/3 innings against Rider. He is 0-2 on the season with an 8.66 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 17-2/3 innings.
 
•Saturday: Junior Andre Scrubb will start on Saturday for High Point. Scrubb allowed just one run and struck out nine in six innings of work against the Broncs last weekend. He is 3-1 with a 3.91 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched. In his last three starts, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 19 innings of work and is allowing opponents to hit just .169 against him.
 
•Sunday: Freshman Andrew Gottfried makes his third collegiate start for HPU on Sunday. The freshman pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed one run on two hits while striking out a career-high six against Rider. He is 2-1 on the season with a 1.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 18 innings.
 
Last Time Out: The Panthers fell at Wake Forest on Tuesday by a score of 8-3 in their first road game since February 20. High Point jumped ahead with two runs in the first on a bases-loaded walk by junior Drew Fopeano and a single by Austen Zente. Wake Forest scored four times in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back home runs by Stuart Fairchild and Gavin Sheets to go ahead, 4-2. The Demon Deacons then scored twice in the second on a single and an error and a sacrifice fly and once in the fifth on an RBI groundout to extend its lead to 7-2. High Point got a run back in the sixth with an RBI single by junior Luke Parker, but Wake Forest answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning on a double steal to make the score 8-3. Senior Michael Hennessey dropped to 2-1 on the mound for High Point after giving up six runs, five earned, in three innings of work. The right-hander allowed six hits and a walk while striking out two. Zente recorded three hits and an RBI in the loss for the Panthers and stole two bases, giving him a team-high 11 on the season. Fopeano went 2-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in his first collegiate start.

Last Weekend: High Point pushed its winning streak to five straight with a three-game sweep of Rider at Williard Stadium over the weekend. The Panthers won Friday's game by a score of 6-4 then took both games of a double header on Saturday by scores of 10-2 and 4-2. Junior Andre Scrubb struck out a season-high nine in six innings of work in the first game on Saturday while freshman Andrew Gottfried went a career-high seven innings and struck out a career-high six in the night cap. Junior Nick Capra his .571 (4-7) with two doubles and two RBI over the weekend and sophomore Austen Zente his .500 (5-10) with three doubles, a team-high four RBI and two runs scored. Zente also stole two bags, making him one of four different players to steal a bag in the series as HPU went 7-8 in steal attempts. 

Panthers Running Wild: High Point has stolen 39 bases through the first 17 games of the season, which is tied for fourth in the nation behind only Belmont, Texas Southern and Eastern Michigan. The Panthers are on pace to break the HPU Div. I single-season record of 123 stolen bases set in 2010. Austin Zente stole seven bags in the series against Wright State and Dayton and is leads the Big South with 11 on the season. Juniors Chris Clare and sophomore Carson Jackson are right on Zente's heels with six and five stolen bases respectively.
 
HPU Pitching Rounding Into Form: After struggling on the mound to start the season, High Point recorded seven-straight outings of five or more innings and two or fewer earned runs allowed from its starting pitchers. The Panthers posted two shutouts during the run as Andre Scrubb went eight shutout innings in a 3-0 win over Dayton on March 5 and senior Michael Hennessey threw seven shutout innings in a 4-0 win over La Salle on Wednesday. The Panthers' team ERA dropped from 5.29 to 3.46 during the stretch.

Freshmen Planting Flag On Mound: Freshman pitchers Andrew Gottfried and Cooper Jeffers have both made a big impression in their first season with the Panthers, claiming spots in the HPU starting lineup. Gottfried joined the weekend rotation against Dayton and is 1-1 in two starts with a 1.50 ERA and nine strikeouts in 12 innings. Against Rider, the right-hander went a career-high seven innings and allowed just one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out a career-high six. Jeffers has fared just as well in two midweek starts for HPU, going 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 11-1/3 innings of work. The left-hander pitched six innings and struck out seven while giving up just two hits against Wright State in his first career start.
 
The Hitman Cometh: Senior Dominic Fazio has become a staple in the High Point lineup, starting all 17 games for the Panthers this season. After serving as a bench player for his first three years at HPU, Fazio is hitting.393 (22-56) with a team-high 13 walks and 16 RBI. He has recorded multiple hits in seven games and reached base safely in all but one game this season. Fazio is ranked in the top-10 in the Big South in batting average, hits, walks, doubles and on-base percentage.

Mansfield Takes Three: Senior Tim Mansfield is tied for ninth in the nation in triples after hitting one in three consecutive games from March 4-8. He hit a triple in each of the Panthers' final two games against Dayton then hit his third in the midweek season opener against La Salle.
 
Cozart Wins 200th Game: The Panthers' win over Wright State March 2 was the 200th win of head coach Craig Cozart's career.  He is now 205-205 in his eight-year career as a head coach with all eight years taking place at HPU. Cozart holds the HPU Div. I record for career wins and has guided High Point to its five winningest seasons in the Div. I era. The Panthers had never finished at or above .500 prior to Cozart's arrival, but since he took over in 2009, the team has finished .500 or better four times, including each of the past three seasons.
 
Lee Setting The Table: Hunter Lee was the quintessential leadoff man for the Panthers in the series against Marist. He went 6-9 at the plate with six walks, two doubles and four runs scored. For the season, Lee is hitting .358 with a .438 on-base percentage.
 
HPU Receives Free Passes Against UNCG: The Panthers were walked 13 times in the series finale against UNCG, matching the HPU Div. I single-game record set against Charleston Southern in 2007. The team also had three batters hit in the game. In the sixth inning, High Point scored six runs on just two hits as four players were walked and another two batters were hit.
 
Lee Ties HPU Doubles Record: Sophomore Hunter Lee began the 2016 season with three doubles on opening day against UNCG. The sophomore hit doubles to right in the first, third and sixth innings while also drawing a walk in the fourth. Lee's three doubles tied a HPU Div. I single-game record that has been achieved five other times, last by former Panther first baseman Spencer Angelis in 2012.
 
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.
 
Up Next: High Point wraps up its five-game road swing with a game against Elon on Tuesday, March 22, in Elon, N.C. The Panthers are 15-22 against their inter-Triad rival since joining Div. I in 2000. Last season, Elon picked up a 6-5 win over HPU in Aiken, S.C., in the teams' only meeting.

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