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Tuesday Starters:
HPU: Fr., RH Garrett Letchworth
DC: Fr., LH Jaret LaCagnina

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team hits the road for the first time this season on Tuesday, Feb. 21, when the Panthers travel to Davidson, N.C., to take on Davidson College at 6 p.m.

Series History: High Point is 7-3 against Davidson in the Div. I era but has not won on the road against the Wildcats since 2002. The Panthers lost in extra innings at Davidson last season in the only meeting between the two teams.
 
The Opponent: Davidson started the season by taking two of three games against Georgetown at home over the weekend. The Wildcats dropped the season opener by a score of 6-5 but bounced back with a 9-4 win on Saturday and an 8-1 win in the rubber game on Sunday. Seniors Tyler Agard and Brian Fortier both went 4-11 at the plate during the series to lead the Wildcats while junior Cam Johnson had a team-high five RBI and four runs scored. All four of Fortier's hits went for extra bases as he finished the weekend with three doubles and a home run. Left-hander Jaret LaCagnina will make his first collegiate appearance for the Wildcats on Tuesday. As a senior at Naples High School in 2016, LaCagnina went 11-1 with a 1.16 ERA and 77 strikeouts Davidson returns 16 upperclassmen from a team that finished 28-26 overall and runner up in the Atlantic 10 tournament. The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Coaches Poll.

Probable Starting Pitcher: Freshman right-hander Garrett Letchworth will make his HPU debut on the mound against Davidson Tuesday. Letchworth joined HPU from North Lenoir High School in Kinston, N.C., where he was a two-time All-Conference selection. As a senior, Letchworth pitched nine games and finished with a 1.67 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 37-2/3 innings.
 
HPU vs. the A10: High Point is 24-19 against teams currently in the conference in the Div. I era (2000-present). The Panthers went 4-2 against the Atlantic 10 last season. HPU took two of three games in a weekend series against Dayton, swept a midweek series against La Salle and lost to Davidson on the road.

Last Time Out: High Point picked up a win in a season-opening series for the first time since 2012, winning two of three games against NJIT at Williard Stadium over the weekend. High Point won the first game of a Saturday doubleheader by a score of 11-0 but dropped the nightcap to the Highlanders by a score of 4-2. The Purple & White scored five unanswered runs to come from behind for the 6-5 win in the rubber game of the series on Sunday. The High Point outfield was dominant throughout the week led by junior Carson Jackson who went 5-11 at the plate with three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored to lead the Panthers. Senior Tim Mansfield went 5-11 with a home run three RBI and two runs scored while junior Austen Zente finished the weekend going 5-10 with a double, a home run, five RBI and three runs scored. The Panther bullpen combined to throw 16-2/3 innings in the three games, allowing just one earned run while striking out 18.
 
Carson Jackson Named National POW: Junior Carson Jackson was named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week on Feb. 20 after helping to lead the Panthers to a weekend series win over NJIT. Jackson went 5-11 at the plate with three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. He had two home runs in High Point's come-from-behind win on Sunday making him the 15th player in HPU's Div. I history to record a multi-HR game.
 
Panthers launch four HRs Sunday: High Point hit four home runs in the come-from-behind win over NJIT on Sunday. It was the most home runs in a game by the Purple & White since 2010 and one shy of the Panthers' Div. I single-game record. Junior Carson Jackson had two home runs and juniors Jordan Sergent and Austen Zente both had one. All six High Point runs in the game came by way of the long ball, including two on Zente's home run in the eighth inning that put HPU in front.
 
HPU in Season Openers: With the win over NJIT in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, HPU improves to 6-12 in season openers since joining Division I in 2000, with a 5-3 record in season openers at Williard Stadium.
 
Gottfried Sole All-Conference Survivor: Andrew Gottfried is the only Big South All-Conference pitcher from last season to return in 2017. Gottfried was named second-team All-Big South after finishing the 2016 season with a 6-5 record and a 2.65 ERA. He had 48 strikeouts in 71-1/3 innings and held opponents to a .238 batting average. The right-hander allowed just 12 extra base hits all season and finished his freshman campaign with a 1.14 WHIP.
 
Purple & White Picked First: For the first time in program history, the Panthers have been picked first in the Big South Preseason Coaches Poll. High Point received four first-place votes and 92 total points to finish atop the preseason poll. The previous high for HPU in the preseason poll was second place in 2015. The Panthers were followed in the poll by Campbell, Liberty and Winthrop.
 
Terrors on the Basepaths: High Point stole 85 bases in 2016, the third-most in a single season in the programs Div. I history. Austen Zente led the team with 26 stolen bases, the third-most for a player in the Div. I era and 10th most in a season in all-time. Three other High Point players recorded double digit steals as Hunter Lee stole 14 bags, Chris Clare stole 11 and Tim Mansfield swiped 10. Every starter for the Purple & White stole at least one base last season except for Drew Fopeano.
 
K Kings: The Panthers set a new program record for strikeouts in a season with 440 punch outs in 492 innings last season. Both Andre Scrubb and Tyler Britton struck out more than a batter per innings as Scrubb had 94 strikeouts in 74 innings and Britton had 59 strikeouts in 55-1/3 innings.
 
The New Guys: High Point welcomes 15 newcomers this season comprised of 10 freshmen and five junior College transfers. Several of the newcomers are expected to have an immediate impact. Freshmen Trevor Holloway and Drew Daczkowski will start the season in the weekend rotation and junior college transfers Zack Gray, Ryan Mason and Jordan Sergent are all expected to be in the lineup on Saturday. Junior Rion Murrah and freshman Grey Lyttle will both be key late inning relievers who will compete for the closer job.
 
Long Joins HPU Staff: Pat Long joined the HPU baseball staff as the new volunteer assistant coach in August of 2016. Long served as the volunteer assistant at UT-Martin for the 2015 and 2016 seasons during which time he oversaw the instruction of the outfielders and hitters. Long played for seasons of collegiate baseball at Georgia Tech from 2007-2010 as an infielder and right-handed pitcher. He played in 150 games with 95 career starts and finished his collegiate career hitting .275 with 44 RBI and 80 runs scored. On the mound, Long appeared in 38 games and went 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.
 
Last Season: High Point posted its third-straight winning season and its fourth since joining Div. I. The Panthers finished 32-24 overall and 14-10 in the Big South, tying for second in the conference. The Purple & White claimed weekend series wins over Marist, Dayton, Rider, UNC Asheville, Winthrop, Maryland, Longwood, Radford and Liberty as well as midweek series against Wright State and La Salle.

Pipeline to the Pros: Three members of the 2016 HPU baseball team were drafted to MLB in June giving the Panthers 11 MLB draftees in eight seasons under head coach Craig Cozart. Scrubb was drafted in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Clare was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 21st round and Britton was drafted in the 23rd round by the Houston Astros. 
 
Allen Reaches World Series with Indians: Former HPU pitcher Cody Allen enjoyed a banner season with the Cleveland Indians in 2016, helping the club reach the World Series. Allen finished the 2016 regular season with a 3-5 record and 32 saves. He appeared in 67 games and posted a 2.51 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 68 innings. In the playoffs, Allen had a 0.00 ERA in 10 postseason games with 24 strikeouts in 13-2/3 innings.
 
Up Next: High Point will head south this weekend for a three-game series against Stetson in DeLand, Fla., starting on Friday, Feb. 24. It will be the first meeting between the two sides in the HPU Div. I era (2000-present).

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