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Friday Starters
CSU: R-So., RH Tyler Weekley
HPU: So., RH Andrew Gottfried

Saturday Starters
CSU: Fr., RH Nik Constantakos
HPU: Fr., RH Drew Daczkowski

Sunday Starters
CSU: TBA
HPU: Fr., RH Trevor Holloway

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team returns to action this weekend as the Panthers host Charleston Southern in their final home Big South series of the season starting on Friday, May 5. HPU has won five-straight conference series, including all three at home.
 
History vs. Charleston Southern: High Point is 18-24 against Charleston Southern in the Div. I era, but have won six-straight against the Buccaneers stretching back to 2012. The two teams last played at Williard Stadium in 2011 when Charleston Southern swept the three-game series.
 
The Opponent: Charleston Southern has won four-straight games, including a sweep of Radford last weekend, and is now 21-20 overall and 9-9 in the Big South this season. The Buccaneers are one of the top hitting teams in the conference with a team batting average of .273. In spite of that success at the plate, CSU has struggled to score runs, averaging just 5.2 runs per game. Third baseman Jason Miller ranks among the league's top hitters with a .345 batting average while second baseman Nate Blanchard is the team's top run producer, leading the squad with seven home runs, 29 RBI and 35 runs scored. Redshirt-sophomore   Tyler Weekley will start on the mound for the Buccaneers on Friday followed by freshman Nik Constantakos on Saturday. Weekley has appeared in 10 games with six starts this season and is 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 32-2/3 innings of work. Constantakos is also 3-2 on the year with a 4.44 ERA and 56 strikeouts in a team-high 50-2/3 innings.

Probable Starting Pitchers:
• Friday: Sophomore right-hander Andrew Gottfried will return to the weekend rotation on Friday after missing two starts with an injury. In Gottfried's last two starts, the right-hander threw 14-1/3 innings and struck out 15 batters. For the season, he is 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 38 innings of work over seven starts.
 
• Saturday: Freshman right-hander Drew Daczkowski will try and continue his strong form when he takes the mound on Saturday for the Panthers. Daczkowski is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings. He ranks among the top-10 in the Big South in ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts.
 
• Sunday: Freshman right-hander Trevor Holloway will make his 11th start of the season on Sunday for HPU. Holloway is 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 49-2/3 innings of work this season. In his last start, Holloway struck out six in five shutout innings while allowing just three hits.
 
Last Time Out: High Point entered the break for finals with a 7-3 loss on the road at UNC Wilmington last Wednesday. The Panthers fell behind early but pulled to within one thanks to three runs in the fourth inning. HPU couldn't get over the hump as the hosts pushed the lead back to four in the following innings. Juniors Blake Schunk, Carson Jackson and Hunter Lee all picked up RBI for the Panthers in the fourth while senior Josh Greene finished 2-3 at the plate with a run scored. 
 
Greene Leaving His Mark: As his senior season comes to a close, Josh Greene has entered the HPU record book in several offensive categories. The outfielder is tied for ninth all-time with 119 RBI and is 10th all-time in runs scored with 120 and in stolen bases with 42.
 
Fireman Hodges: Sophomore left-hander Matt Hodges has become one of the Panthers' top relievers in his second year with the club, appearing in 18 games and posting a 5-1 record with four saves. Hodges is tied for third in the Big South in wins and is also tied for seventh in saves. The left-hander has a 2.48 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 36-1/3 innings of work this season.
 
Start'em Young: The High Point pitching staff has relied on youth this season as underclassmen have pitched 263 of 355 innings (74.1 percent) for the Panthers in 2017. Underclassmen have started 34 of HPU's 40 games this season including 10 each by freshmen Drew Daczkowski and Trevor Holloway.
 
Daczkowski Closing Strong: Freshman right-hander Drew Daczkowski looks to be settling in at the college game. Over his past two starts, Daczkowski has pitched 14 innings and allowed just two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out 16. He currently ranks seventh in the Big South in ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts.

Sergent Named Pitcher of the Week: Junior jordan Sergent was named the Big South Pitcher of the Week on April 24 for his performance against UNCG on April 18. Sergent pitched a career-high 7-1/3 innings of shutout baseball and allowed just four hits and two walks against the No. 4-ranked hitting team in the nation. The left-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first then allowed just three base runners over his next 6-1/3 innings of work.
 
Johnson Goes The Distance: Senior Jeremy Johnson threw a complete game in his first collegiate start against UNC Asheville on April 13. The left-hander allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and two walks while striking out five in his nine innings of work. It was the first complete game for a Panther pitcher since former Panther Conor Lourey went the distance against Longwood on May 21, 2015 in the Big South Baseball Championships.

Zente Named Big South Player of the Week: Junior Austen Zente was named the Big South Player of the Week on April 3 after hitting . 389 (7-18) in five games and led HPU with three home runs, 11 RBI and six runs scored. The junior also drew four walks and went 2-2 on stolen bases for the week. Zente is the first Panther to be named Big South Player of the Week since Chris Clare received the honor on April 11 of last season.
 
Panther Bats Batter Runnin' Bulldogs: High Point had a season-high 19 hits in series-clinching win over Gardner-Webb on April 2. All nine Panther starters recorded at least one hit and six players had multiple hits, led by junior Blake Schunk who went 4-4 with a three doubles, three RBI and a run scored. Junior Spencer Brown went 3-5 with three RBI and a run scored while juniors Austen Zente, Carson Jackson and Hunter Lee and sophomore Connor Dunbar all had two hits in the win. HPU's previous season high for hits was 18 in the win at Davidson on Feb. 21.
 
Long Ball Brings Down Owls: High Point hit five home runs in the series against Kennesaw State, including four in the series finale. Senior Josh Greene and junior Hunter Lee both had two home runs on the weekend. In the final game at KSU, High Point led off four-straight innings with solo home runs as Lee hit one in both the second and fourth, Greene hit one in the third and junior Austen Zente had one in the fifth.
 
Daczkowski Named Big South Freshman of the Week: Freshman right-hander Drew Daczkowski was named the Big South Come Ready Nutrition Freshman of the Week on March 6. Daczkowski earned his first collegiate win with seven innings of work against Army on Saturday. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out a career-high seven. In three starts this season, Daczkowski is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 15-1/3 innings.
 
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 in series finale vs. NJIT: 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.
 
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.
 
Up Next: The Panthers play their final midweek game of the season on Tuesday, May 9, when they travel to nearby Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. High Point dropped its first game against WFU this season by a score of 18-8 at Williard Stadium on March 14.

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