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Wednesday's Starters
HPU: Sr., RH Michael Hennessey
UNCW: TBA

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team returns to the road on Wednesday, April 27, when the team heads to Wilmington, N.C., to take on UNC Wilmington at 6 p.m. The Panthers dropped the first meeting between the two teams by a score of 5-1.

The Series: High Point is 1-7 against the Seahawks in the Div. I era (2000-present) following the loss to UNCW on April 13.
 
The Opponent: UNC Wilmington is one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the week on an 11-game win streak. The Seahawks are 27-9 overall and 8-2 in the Colonial after earning a sweep at Towson over the weekend. The pair of Steven Linkous and Nick Feight spearhead an offense that is hitting .324 as a team, sixth in the nation, and averaging nine runs a game. Linkous is tops on the team with a .403 batting average and 53 runs scored. Feight leads the nation with 68 RBI and is tied for third with 15 home runs while also hitting .397. Brian Mims (.364), Robbie Thorburn (.350), Gavin Stupienski (.336), Casey Golden (.313) and Daniel Stack (.301) are all over .300 on the season.
 
Last Time vs. UNCW: The Panthers and Seahawks met at Williard Stadium on April 13 with UNCW taking a 5-1 win. The Panthers were held to just two hits in the contest, both coming off the bat of junior Chris Clare. UNC Wilmington scored a run in the first on an error then added four runs in the third to go ahead 5-0. Nick Feights and Casey Golden provided the big blows in the third with back-to-back home runs. High Point scored its only run on the night in the ninth inning when Clare drove in senior Tim Mansfield with an RBI double after the outfielder walked to leadoff the Panther half of the inning.
 
Probable Starting Pitcher:
• Wednesday: Senior right-hander Michael Hennessey will make his 12th appearance and his sixth start of the season on Wednesday. Hennessey is 3-2 on the season with a 5.80 ERA in 35-2/3 innings of work. He is coming off a win against #20 East Carolina last week in which he matched his career high with seven innings pitched and allowed just one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five. It was his third start this season that Hennessey has gone seven innings and his second in which he has allowed one or fewer runs.

HPU Vs. CAA: High Point is 28-38 against teams currently in the Colonial Athletic Association during the HPU Div. I era (2000-present). High Point has played Elon the most out of all teams in the Colonial, facing off against Phoenix 39 times. High Point is 2-1 against the CAA this season with wins at home and on the road against Elon and a loss at home against UNC Wilmington.
 
Last Weekend: High Point lost its second-straight Big South series, dropping two of three games at #15 Coastal Carolina. The Panthers opened the series with a 5-2 win on Saturday behind dominant performance by redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman on the mound. The right-hander pitched a career-high 8-1/3 innings and allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out a career-high nine. He carried a shutout into the ninth inning before a two-run home run by G.K. Young ended his day. High Point lost the next two games, falling by a score of 17-5 on Sunday and a 4-0 score line on Monday. Sophomore Carson Jackson hit .500 (5-10) in the three games with three doubles while Chris Clare went 4-12 with two RBI and a run scored and senior Dominic Fazio went 3-10 with a double and a home run.

HPU Off To Best Start In Div. I History: At 26-15, High Point is off to its best start to a season since 1979 when the Panthers finished 38-15-1 and were NAIA National Runners-Up. HPU's previous high for wins at this point in the season in the Div. I era (2000-present) was 25 in 2014 when the team posted its best record in the Div. I era at 33-22.
 
Panthers Running Wild: High Point has stolen 68 bases so far this season, which ranks 20th in the nation. Austin Zente leads the Big South with 21 steals on the season, which puts him tied for 21st nationally. Chris Clare (10) is also in the top 10 in the Big South in steals while Hunter Lee (9) and Carson Jackson (8) are just outside the top 10. 


Scrubb Among Nation's K/9 Leaders: Andre Scrubb is first in the Big South and 14th in the nation with 12.02 strikeouts per nine innings. He has struck out 73 in 54-2/3 innings. The junior right-hander has struck out at least eight in six of his last eight starts and is holding opponents to a .221 batting average on the season.
 
The Hitman Cometh: Senior Dominic Fazio has become a staple in the High Point lineup, starting all 41 games for the Panthers this season. After serving as a bench player for his first three years at HPU, Fazio is hitting .324 with 13 doubles and a team-high 26 walks and 29 RBI. He has recorded multiple hits in 12 games and reached base safely in all but five games. Fazio's 45 hits in 2016 is 14 more than he had in his first three years combined.

Gottfried Excelling In Freshman Campaign: Andrew Gottfried has been one of the top freshmen in the Big South this season, appearing in nine games with seven starts and going 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA. He has held opponents to a .239 batting average and just five doubles and one home run in 49-1/3 innings. 

Cozart Wins 200th Game: The Panthers' win over Wright State on March 2 was the 200th win of head coach Craig Cozart's career.  He is now 221-216 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.
 
Clare Named Big South Player of the Week: Junior Chris Clare was a key contributor to High Point's seventh-straight series win, as the junior finished 9-for-11 (.818) at the plate in four games with three runs scored and a pair of RBI. The infielder headlined his week with two 3-for-3 performances, including a perfect mark against No. 11 North Carolina on Tuesday. In the series win over Longwood, he finished 6-for-8 (.750) with three runs scored, two walks and a stolen base.

Weekend Rotation K Party: All three members of the Panthers' weekend rotation set or matched their career highs in strikeouts against Longwood. Scot Hoffman matched his career high with eight strikeouts on Friday, Andre Scrubb tied his career high with 11 strikeouts on Saturday and Andrew Gottfried set a new career high with seven strikeouts on Sunday.
 
HPU Pitching Enjoys Bounce Back March: After struggling on the mound to start the season, High Point turned it around in March, posting a 3.14 team ERA and holding opponents to a .226 batting average. The Panthers had three shutouts in the month against Dayton, La Salle and UNC Asheville and held opponents to two or fewer runs in 10 games.
 
Mansfield Takes Three: Senior Tim Mansfield is third in the Big South and tied for 17th in the nation with four triples on the season. He hit a triple in three consecutive games from March 4-8 with one in each of the Panthers' final two games against Dayton then one in the midweek season opener against La Salle. His fourth came against Elon on March 22.
 
Scrubb's March Madness: Andre Scrubb was dominant on the mound in March, going 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA in 27-2/3 innings. The right-hander held opponents to a .149 batting average while striking out 38 batters. He recorded two double-digit strikeout games, including a career-high 11 at UNC Asheville.
 
Jackson Just Misses Cycle...Twice: Carson Jackson finished a hit shy of the cycle in two-straight games. The first baseman was a single shy in the series finale at UNC Asheville then was short a double in the midweek contest against Elon.
 
Jackson Named Big South Player Of The Week: Sophomore Carson Jackson earned his first Big South Player of the Week nod on March 21 after helping High Point grab a road sweep at UNC Asheville in its first conference series of the season. Jackson went 8-18 at the plate with a double, two triples and a home run as High Point went 3-1, including a three-game sweep on the road at UNC Asheville to open Big South play. He led the Panthers with six RBI and four runs scored and stole his sixth base of the season. He is the first HPU player to earn Big South Player of the Week honors since Dane McDermott on April 7, 2014.
 
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.
 
Up Next: High Point is off this weekend for finals and will return to action on Wednesday, May 4, when the team travels to Davidson, N.C., to take on the Davidson Wildcats in the first of two midweek contest this season. The teams split their two meetings last season with both teams winning on their home fields. The Panthers are 7-2 against Davidson in the Div. I era (2000-present).

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