** DUE TO FORECASTED INCLEMENT WEATHER ON SUNDAY, THE SERIES FINALE IS NOW PART OF A DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY **

Game Notes

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point University baseball team travels to Boiling Springs, N.C. for a three-game series this weekend to take on the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. This is just the second trip for HPU to Moss Stadium in the last seven years, last visiting in 2016.
 

Date	HPU Probable Pitcher	Gardner-Webb Probable Pitcher	Live Video	Live Stats
Friday, Apr. 13 6 p.m.	RHP Andrew Gottfried, Jr. (4-2, 2.56)	RHP Langdon Wilson, R-So. (0-0, 4.88)	Link	Link
Saturday, Apr. 14 2 p.m.	RHP Joe Johnson, So. (1-0, 11.37)	RHP Bradley Hallman, Sr. (4-1, 3.48)	Link	Link
Saturday, Apr. 14 Game 2	TBA	RHP Mason Fox, Jr. (3-4, 5.29)	Link	Link

  
History vs. Gardner-Webb: The Panthers and Runnin' Bulldogs don't have a terribly long history despite being conference opponents, meeting 27 times with HPU holding a slim 14-13 edge in the all-time series.

High Point won two of three against GWU last year after dropping two of three in Boiling Springs in 2016. HPU has only made three trips since GWU joined the league in 2008, doing so in 2009, 2011 and 2016. HPU's lone series win came in '11.

The Runnin' Bulldogs: Gardner-Webb enters the weekend with the most overall wins (20) in the league, but at .500 in conference play with a 6-6 mark. After a 1-5 start to league play, the 'Dogs have won five of six, including a series victory at home against Winthrop last weekend.

The series pits the tops two offenses in the league against one another, as GWU sits second in the Big South behind High Point with a .281 average on the year (.301 in conference play). On the mound, Gardner-Webb is fourth overall with a 4.79 ERA, but holds 6.66 mark in conference games, fourth-worst in the league. GWU has allowed 90 runs in its first 12 Big South games.

PROBABLE PITCHERS
• Friday: HPU will send junior Andrew Gottfried to the hill looking to continue his strong performance against Big South foes. The righthander leads the league in ERA in conference games at 1.16 and has held opponents to a .173 average so far.

Langdon Wilson makes his second start of the year for Gardner-Webb. Last week, Wilson gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks vs Winthrop.

• Saturday: Sophomore Joe Johnson is scheduled to make his first career start for the Panthers in the middle game. Johnson has pitched well in relief recently, combining for 2.1 scoreless innings against Elon (Apr. 3) and Charleston Southern (Apr. 8).

Bradley Hallman toes the rubber for the 'Dogs in his ninth start of the year. Hallman has tossed at least six innings in each of his last five appearances and held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in four of those starts, going 2-1 in the stretch.

• Sunday: High Point has not announced its starter for the series finale.

Gardner-Webb hands the ball to Mason Fox in his ninth start. Fox suffered the loss last week against Winthrop, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks in 4.2 frames, walking three. He has factored in all but one decision in his first eight starts.

Last Time Out: High Point got revenge on its cross-town rival, UNCG, defeating the Spartans 14-4 on Tuesday afternoon. HPU pounded out 11 hits, but was the beneficiary of 10 walks and three hit batters, eight of which ultimately scored.

Muhammed Eid earned his first win with five solid innings on the hill and Jordan Sergent gave up just one earned run in four innings of relief to notch his first save of the year.

Bomb Squad: High Point set a regular season program record with six dingers on Saturday, including multi-homer games from senior Hunter Lee and redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee.  Overall, the Panthers have hit a homer in a season-high five straight games with 14 long balls in those contests.

HPU now leads the league and ranks 21st nationally in homers this year with 35, including 20 against the Big South in just 12 games. The Panthers started slow, hitting only three homers in the first 13 games, but have struck for 32 blasts in the last 19 contests.

Lean on Lee: Senior Hunter Lee enters the weekend on a team season-best 24-game hitting streak, eight games shy of the all-time school record. Based on a response to a national questionnaire, no NCAA Div. I player has recorded a 25-game hitting streak this season. During the stretch, Lee is 41-for-99 (.414) with 13 multi-hit games (seven of the last right) and 26 RBI. The senior has proven to come through in the clutch with eight two-out RBI, six go-ahead RBI, and six game-winning RBI.

Lee has extended his hitting streak in his first plate appearance nine times, more than any other PA. Saturday's ninth inning hit was just the second time in the streak Lee extended the streak in his fifth plate appearance. He has now extended the streak via home run three times, including Saturday at Charleston Southern.

Return of Zente: Senior Austen Zente missed four games from 3/10-16 after colliding with the wall in HPU's victory over Coastal Carolina on March 9. Since his return on March 17, Zente has been on fire, hitting .448 (26-for-58) with four doubles, a triple, six home runs, 27 runs scored, and 15 RBI. Zente has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games and scored at least one run in each game.

This year, Zente has scored a team-high 34 runs in 71 times on base, a 47.9% success rate. Since returning from injury, though, Zente has reached base 45 times in 15 games and scored a preposterous 27 times (60% success rate).

Four In A Row: High Point opens its series on the heels of a four-game winning streak, tied for the longest this year. The Panthers have not won five games in a row since May 5-13 of last season. With a sweep this weekend, HPU would tie the longest winning streak in program history of 7 games, last done in 2011.

Living Clean: One key to HPU's recent success has been its improved defense. The Panthers have not made an error in their last four-plus games, covering 39.0 innings. High Point is second overall in the league with a .972 fielding percentage, but have made just nine miscues in league play for a .980 mark.

Additionally, HPU's pitchers have piled up the double plays as the Panthers lead the league with 33 twin-killings, six more than any other team in the circuit.

Zente Named Player of the Week: Thanks to his consistent dominance at the dish, senior Austen Zente was named the Big South Player of the Week for Apr. 2 - 8. Zente hit .529 (9-17) with three homers and scored seven runs during HPU's four games against Elon and Charleston Southern.

He joins senior Rion Murrah (Relief Pitcher of the Week, Apr. 2), freshman Travis Holt (Freshman of the Week, 3/26), senior Jordan Sergent (Player of the Week, 3/19), junior Cooper Jeffers (Relief Pitcher of the Week, 3/12), and freshman Tanner Wells (Freshman of the Week, 3/12) as High Point's recipient of a weekly award in the last five weeks.

Sweeping the Bucs: High Point swept its first conference of the series in emphatic fashion, dispatching of Charleston Southern 7-2 and 9-2 on Friday and Saturday before coming back for a 4-3 victory on Sunday.

The Panthers belted nine homers over the weekend, including six in Saturday's win. HPU's pitching staff limited CSU to seven total runs and played errorless defense in the set. It marked the first sweep since a three-game brooming of CSU last May and the first road sweep since three wins at UNC Asheville in 2016.

Nearly a No-No: High Point came within one out of the first no-hitter in the program's Div. I history on Mar. 29 against Winthrop before seeing it broken up with two outs in the top of the ninth. Senior Rion Murrah was the main reason why, tossing six scoreless out of the bullpen. The feat is not the longest in program history as HPU threw 9.1 no-hit innings against Charlotte on Feb. 3, 2007 before losing 2-0 in 10 innings.

Nothing For You: HPU followed up its one-hitter with its first shutout of the year on Mar. 30 against the Eagles. It was the first whitewash since a 1-0 victory over UNCG on April 18, 2017. The Panthers had three shutouts last year, including one against a Big South opponent (UNC Asheville, 7-0, Apr. 14).

The Bats Awaken: After a slow start in the opening weekend against JMU (.182 team average), High Point's offense has clicked on all cylinders. HPU has a team average of .301 in the last 29 games and has posted double-digit hits 21 times, including 16 of the last 22. The Panthers are tops in the league in batting average (.290) and are hitting .320 as a team against Big South foes..

Playing From Ahead: High Point utilized comebacks to accrue wins early in the season, securing seven comeback victories in the first four weeks. However, HPU has now flipped the script by scoring first in nine of the last 13 games. The Panthers have scored in the first inning in nine of their last 13 games.

Sit Down, Be Humble: Through 32 games, HPU's pitching staff has held its opponents to a .246 batting average, the second-best in the Big South (Campbell, .237). Panther pitchers have allowed the second-fewest amount of hits (259) and have the second-lowest ERA (4.76). That mark drops to a league-best 3.20 against conference competition.

HPU tied a school record with 17 punchouts against W&M on Mar. 3, the most for any Big South staff in a single game this year. Panther pitchers have accounted for the two highest single-game strikeout totals in the league, having also K'd 15 vs JMU on Feb. 18.

Up Next: HPU continues its four-game road swing with a mid-week contest at Charlotte on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Panthers return home next weekend for a three-game series with Liberty.

#GoHPU