HIGH POINT, N.C. - No. 6 High Point University baseball returns to the Big South Championship Tournament for a 14th consecutive year this week, facing off with No. 9 UNC Asheville in Fayetteville, N.C., this Tuesday at 4 PM.

The Panthers reached as far as the tournament finals in 2018, falling 7-5 to top-seeded Campbell in the championship final. The Camels once again represent the top spot in the conference, finishing the Big South season with a record of 19-7. 

HPU's Tuesday competition will be a single-elimination game, with a victory securing a 9 AM Wednesday morning matchup with No. 3 Winthrop. The Panthers are 2-2 against the Eagles in the Big South Tournament all-time, and have competed in the conference bracket a total of 16 times before 2019.

SERIES HISTORY (D1 Era): 
High Point holds a record of 19-27 in the Big South Tournament
*1-3 against UNC Asheville in the postseason
**Panthers on a six-game winning streak against UNCA

WHAT TO KNOW (Round 1)
Who: No. 9 UNC Asheville
When: 4 PM, Tuesday
Probables: High Point: RHP Harrison Smith (2-4, 2.93) | UNC Asheville: Jordan Carr (3-8, 5.86)
Where: SEGRA Stadium | Fayetteville, N.C.
Watch: ESPN3 | Live Stats

AT THE PLATE
• Freshman Brady Pearre drove in five of the Panthers' 14 runs over the weekend at Radford, going 5-for-11 (.455) with a double and a pair of home runs
• Sophomore Travis Holt went 7-for-13 (.538) against the Highlanders, while his .376 batting average in conference play ranks fourth in the Big South
• Joe Johnson and AJ Holcomb each recorded their fourth homer of the season at Radford, with the Panthers collecting 11 extra-base knocks in all
 
ON THE HILL
• The Panthers' BAA of .252 ranks second in the conference, with Grey Lyttle (.170) and Harrison Smith (.210) leading the Big South individually
• Lyttle also ranks 12th in the country concerning H/9 (5.44) and 65th in WHIP (1.05)
• Matt Hodges earned Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week honors this Monday for his performance at Radford, shutting out the Highlanders through 6.0 innings of one-hit baseball

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Despite ranking second to last in the conference in ERA (6.89) and BAA (.308), the Bulldog defense has turned 46 double plays this year, 37th-most in the nation
• Probable UNCA starter Jordan Carr has made 13 starts in 2019, most recently tossing six shutout innings against Radford back on May 10th
• UNC Asheville is currently on a two-game losing streak after taking one of three from Gardner-Webb last week, they are 1-8 in their last three Big South series

COMING UP NEXT
A win over UNC Asheville would advance the Panthers on to double-elimination play, matching up with No. 3 Winthrop in a 9 AM first pitch this coming Wednesday. The Panthers dropped two of three contests against the Eagles earlier this season, and are 22-39 against Winthrop in the Division I era. 

#GoHPU