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Tuesday's Starters
LU: Sr., RH Jordan Meyer
HPU: Fr., LH Cooper Jeffers

Wednesday's Starters
LU: Fr., RH Mike Anthony
HPU: TBA

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team hosts its second midweek series of the season when La Salle comes to Williard Stadium for two games beginning on Tuesday, March 8, at 4 p.m.
 
Series: This week's two-game series will mark the first meeting between the Explorers and the Panthers in the Div. I era (2000-present).
 
The Opponent: La Salle is 1-9 in 2016, including a 1-5 record in six games against Big South opponents. The Explorers were swept in a season-opening four-game series at Winthrop and went 1-2 at Presbyterian College last weekend. La Salle has struggled at the plate through its first 10 games, hitting a combined .196 as a team and averaging just over three runs per game. Freshmen Kevin McGowan and Jared Melone have led the team offensively so far this season. McGowan is hitting a team-best .350 in eight games with three RBI and three runs scored. Melone is hitting. 343 in 10 games with a team-high three doubles and seven RBI. Two players will make their first starts on the mound this season for the Explorers against HPU. Senior right-hander Jordan Meyer is set to start on Tuesday and freshman Mike Anthony will make his first collegiate start on Wednesday. Meyer has appeared in two games and in 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in three innings pitched. He has given up seven hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts. Anthony has allowed just one hit and three walks in 2-2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances.

Probable Starting Pitcher:
•Tuesday: Freshman Cooper Jeffers will make his second start of the season for High Point on Tuesday. Jeffers pitched six innings and allowed just one earned run against Wright State last Tuesday. He allowed two hits and struck out seven in a no-decision.
 
HPU vs. the Atlantic 10: The Panthers took two of three games from Dayton over the weekend and are now 22-18 in the Div. I era against teams currently in the Atlantic 10. HPU has played the most games against Dayton with 24 of the 40 games coming against the Flyers. Other teams in the A-10 that High Point has played include Davidson (7-2), Richmond (1-3), VCU (1-0), George Mason (1-0) and Saint Joseph's (0-1). La Salle is the second of three teams from the Atlantic 10 that HPU will face this season. In addition to Dayton and La Salle, High Point will play two midweek games against Davidson.
 
Last Time Out: HPU earned its third series win of the season, taking two of three games from Dayton at Williard Stadium. The Panthers won the first two games by scores of 10-9 and 3-0 but fell short of the sweep, losing to the Flyers by a score of 5-1 on Sunday. Senior Tim Mansfield went 4-7 in the three games with two triples and a team-best three RBI. Sophomore Hunter Lee hit .429 (6-14) for HPU and fellow sophomore Austen Zente hit .400 (4-10) and stole four bases in the three games. High Point enjoyed a walk-off win on Friday when the team got an RBI single by Lee with the bases-loaded after giving up a game-tying home run in the top of the frame. On Saturday, junior Andre Scrubb pitched eight shutout innings for his second win of the season. The right-hander allowed just four hits and three walks and struck out eight.

Last Week: HPU picked up a midweek sweep of Wright State at Williard Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Panthers came from behind for a 5-4 win over WSU in the first game then ran away with the second, earning an 11-6 victory. Freshman Cooper Jeffers made his first collegiate start in the first game and pitched six innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out seven. Senior Michael Hennessey earned the win in the second game after matching his career high with seven innings pitched in which he gave up four earned runs and struck out a career-high six. Senior Dominic Fazio continued his torrid start to the season, hitting .714 (5-7) in the series with three RBI and a run scored. Junior Luke Parker hit .500 (3-6) and was hit by two pitches and sophomore Austen Zente hit .400 (2-5) with three stolen bases and two runs scored.

Panthers Running Wild: High Point has stolen 24 bases through the first 11 games of the season, which ranks 11th in the nation and first in the Big South. The Panthers are on pace to steal 120 bases, just shy of the HPU Div. I single-season record for stolen bases of 123 bases set in 2010. Sophomore Austin Zente stole seven bags in the series against Wright State and Dayton and is second in the Big South. Juniors Chris Clare and Luke Parker are right on Zente's heels with five and four stolen bases respectively.
 
The Hitman Cometh: Senior Dominic Fazio has enjoyed a red-hot start to the 2016 season while starting at designated hitter for the Panthers. After serving as a bench player for most of his first three years at HPU, Fazio has started all 11 games in 2016 and is hitting a team-best .459 (17-37) with four doubles, a team-high 10 RBI and nine runs scored. He has recorded multiple hits in six games and is ranked in the top-10 in the Big South in batting average, hits, doubles and on-base percentage.

Cozart Wins 200th Game
The Panthers' win over Wright State on Wednesday was the 200th win of head coach Craig Cozart's career.  He is now 200-204 in his eight-year career 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 .345 with a .487 on-base percentage. He is tied for first in the conference in doubles (5) and is second in walks (9).
 
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: The Panthers wrap up their 15-game home stand with a  weekend series against Rider. The three-game set will be the first meeting between the High Point and the Broncs.

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