** DUE TO FORECASTED INCLEMENT WEATHER ON SUNDAY, THE SERIES WILL NOW WRAP UP WITH A DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY AT 12 P.M. **

Game Notes | Live Stats

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point University baseball team plays host to Dayton at Williard Stadium for a three-game set this weekend. HPU is coming off its first win of the season, 10-3, on Wednesday at North Carolina A&T. The Flyers were 1-2 in the first weekend of the season.
 

Date	HPU Probable Pitcher	Dayton Probable Pitcher	Live Video	Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 23 4 p.m.	RHP Drew Daczkowski, So. (0-1, 4.15)	RHP Austin Cline, Jr. (0-1, 12.00)	Link	Link
Saturday, Feb. 24 12 p.m.	LHP Jordan Sergent, Sr. (0-0, 2.70)	RHP Jordan Cox, So. (1-0, 3.60)	N/A	Link
Saturday, Feb. 24 Game 2	RHP Andrew Gottfried, Jr. (0-1, 4.15)	LHP Peter Rozman, Sr. (0-0, 2.25)	N/A	Link

History vs. Dayton: Dayton has been a common opponent for High Point in previous seasons, with this being the ninth three-game series between the two schools in the last 15 seasons. The all-time series is even 12-12, although HPU has had the upper hand recently, winning nine of the last 12 games.

High Point has won four straight series against Dayton, most recently swiping two of three from March 4-6, 2016. UD has also ventured to the Triad in 2004, 2006-09, and 2011-12.

The Opponent: The Flyers were 1-2 in their season-opening tournament in Spartanburg, S.C., dropping road games at USC Upstate and Wofford while picking up a 6-4 win vs. Evansville.

First-year head coach Jayson King inherits a team that was 20-35 (9-15 A-10) a year ago and was picked to finish 11th out of 13 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.

Junior Pat Meehan led the UD offense in the first three games, going 7-for-13 with a double, two home runs, four runs scored, and three RBI. Overall, four different starters hold an average over .400 for a team that hit .305 in the season's first weekend.

Probable Pitchers
• Friday: Sophomore Drew Daczkowski will toe the rubber in the series opener for HPU. The righthander struck out seven in 4.1 innings in his first start against JMU and retired 10 of the final 11 hitters that he faced.

Austin Cline starts for Dayton, a week after not recording an out and allowing three runs in his outing against USC Upstate. He bounced back the next day to toss three scoreless innings against Evansville in relief.

• Saturday: Senior Jordan Sergent gets the ball in game two for the Panthers. He lasted 3.1 frames in his first start of the year on Sunday, allowing a run on two hits in his fifth career start.

Jordan Cox will look to pick up where he left off after picking up the win against Evansville in his first start of the year. The righthander gave up two runs on a hit and six walks in five innings, but also managed to strike out nine.

• Sunday: Junior Andrew Gottfried will get the start in the series finale. Gottfried struck out seven in 4.1 innings as well, bouncing back from consecutive home runs in the first inning. He yielded just one hit over his last 3.2 frames on the bump.

Dayton will go with Peter Rozman to anchor the series after he gave up a run on three hits in four innings against Wofford in his first career start on Sunday.

Last Time Out: High Point secured its first win of the season with a 10-3 thumping of North Carolina A&T on Wednesday. The Panthers took advantage of 10 walks and four hit batters to rack up 21 at-bats with runners in scoring position (6-for-21).

Redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee had a career day in his first start with the Purple & White, going 2-for-3 with a double, run scored, and four RBI. Senior Austen Zente collected his second straight multi-hit game while junior Conner Dunbar scored twice and drove in a pair.

Millwee's Big Day: Redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee appeared as a pinch-hitter twice against JMU before earning his first start behind the plate on Wednesday at North Carolina A&T. Millwee took advantage with four RBI in his first career start, the most for a Panther in that situation since JJ Woodard drove in four against UNCG on Feb. 21, 2016, exactly two years prior.

Immediate Impact: Freshman Travis Holt saw himself inserted into the Panthers lineup for all three games of the opening series and made a difference in game one. Playing first base and hitting fifth, Holt went 2-for-3 with a sac bunt, becoming the first HPU freshman to collect a multi-hit game in the season opener since Carson Jackson's four-hit outburst in 2015. Holt has now hit safely in three of the first four games in his career.

Zente Rolling Early: Senior outfielder Austen Zente tied a career high with three hits on Sunday against James Madison, falling a triple short of the cycle. Overall, Zente has hit safely in four straight games, racking up seven hits in the process. Dating back to last season, Zente has hit safely in six straight games, tying a career-high.

Murrah Picks Up Where He Left Off: Senior righthander Rion Murrah tossed 3.2 scoreless and hitless innings in a pair of appearances against James Madison. Dating back to last year, Murrah has thrown 22.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run (1 unearned run in that time frame). He has not allowed an earned run in any of last 11 appearances since April 1, 2017 vs Gardner-Webb.

Sit Down, Be Humble: Through four games, HPU's pitching staff has held its opponents to a .179 batting average, the best in the Big South by 31 points (UNC Asheville, .210). Panther pitchers have struck out 41 batters in four games, the third-best rate in the conference. HPU posted 15 punchouts in game one on Sunday, the most for any Big South pitching staff in a single game this year.

RISP-y Business: The Panthers have found themselves in numerous run-scoring situations through the season's first four contests. HPU has had 52 at-bats with runners in scoring position, but has collected just 10 hits for a .192 average. In Wednesday's game, High Point had more at-bats with a runner in scoring position (21) than they did without (21). Through four games, the Panthers have stranded 41 runners on base and only been retired in order seven times in 36 innings this year.

A True Rarity: HPU suffered a tough three-game sweep at the hands of JMU to begin the 2018 season. The Panthers had not been swept in a three-game home series since 4/11-13/2015 vs Coastal Carolina and suffered the first-ever home non-conference sweep under head coach Craig Cozart (last: Dayton 2/29-3/2/08).

About Last Year: High Point posted its fourth straight winning campaign and fifth overall since moving to Div. I in the 2000 seasons. The Panthers finished 30-23 and 13-11 in the Big South, good for fourth in the league. HPU started out 1-5 in conference play before rattling off five straight league series victories, a span where the Purple & White went 11-4.

High Point secured non-conference series victories against Maryland, NJIT, Army, and Kennesaw State and defeated No. 16 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.

Panthers Picked Third: High Point was projected to finish third in the Big South standings this season. The Panthers were one of four teams to receive a first place vote in the crowded top half of the league that was separated by just 19 points. Defending regular season champion Winthrop was picked to repeat, followed by Liberty, HPU, and defending tournament champ Radford.

Welcome to Williard: HPU went 17-9 at Williard Stadium last season, continuing a strong trend of protecting home turf under head coach Craig Cozart. The Panthers have held a winning record at home in each of the last eight seasons, compiling a mark of 139-79 (.638) in that time. High Point will host 24 home games in 2018. HPU has not lost four straight home games in a single year since a five-game drought from Apr. 14 - May 6, 2012.

Returning Depth: The Panthers head into 2018 with a majority of last year's team in tact. HPU returns seven of its nine regulars in the starting lineup, tied for the most in the Big South. The Purple & White bring back 69 percent of games played and 75 percent of their starts in the lineup from a year ago. The numbers are similar for the pitching staff, with 75 percent of the innings pitched returning to the team. A combined 78 percent of the total appearances and 68 percent of games started come back.

Joining the Fray: Twelve newcomers join the fray this spring, headlined by 10 freshman. Travis Holt and Tanner Wells are two names singled out by Coach Cozart as freshman who can make an immediate impact in the starting lineup. Holt will be a part of a platoon at first base with senior Jordan Sergent while Wells is anticipated to share time in left field.

Nine of the 12 newcomers will compete for time on the mound in a crowded HPU relief corps. Redshirt-sophomore Harrison Smith and redshirt-junior Jonny Vizcaino are a pair of junior college transfers who are expected to contribute to High Point's bullpen.

Back End of the Pen: HPU is fortunate to hold two of the strongest relief arms in the Big South in junior lefthander Matt Hodges and senior righthander Rion Murrah. The duo combined for 44 relief appearances in 2017 with nine saves and a 2.54 ERA in 85.2 innings, striking out 99 and walking only 32.

Hodges and Murrah saved their best for last in the Big South Conference tournament. Hodges pitched a career-high 6.0 innings against Radford with 10 strikeouts, establishing a new HPU Div. I record for punchouts by a reliever. The next day, Murrah struck out 11 to break the record in 5.2 scoreless frames.

Behind the Plate: HPU will once again employ a platoon system behind the plate with three viable options at catcher. Senior Spencer Brown and junior JJ Woodard return after  splitting the duties last year with redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee joining the fray as a junior college transfer.

Offense will go a long way in determining playing time as the three possess relatively similar and strong defensive assets.

Around the Horn: The Panthers bring back all four starters on the infield with Jordan Sergent (1B), Hunter Lee (2B), Conner Dunbar (SS), and Blake Schunk (3B). Sergent, a two-way asset will split time with freshman Travis Holt. Lee and Dunbar combined to spin 33 double plays last year while Schunk became arguably the team's best hitter throughout the year. He has improved his defensive game in the offseason thanks to improved conditioning, resulting in increased range and lateral mobility.

Experience in the Outfield: High Point will rely upon two stalwarts in the outfield in center fielder Austen Zente and right fielder Carson Jackson. The two started a combined 104 games last year and were both in the top three of eight different offensive categories: at-bats, runs, hits, extra-base hits, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and slugging percentage. Jackson enters 2018 with a team-high 161 career starts under his belt.

Up Next: HPU will hit the road for four straight games, beginning on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, N.C. when they take on No. 6 North Carolina. First pitch from Boshamer Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Panthers will then head to William & Mary for three games next weekend, Mar. 2-4.