SERIES INFO

Friday, February 19 -- vs. Bryant (Truist Point, High Point, N.C.), 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Saturday, February 20 -- vs. Bryant (Williard Stadium, High Point, N.C.), 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Sunday, February 21 -- vs. Bryant (Williard Stadium, High Point, N.C.), 1 p.m.
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
The High Point University baseball team begins its 2021 campaign this weekend with a three-game series against Bryant University. The teams will begin the 2021 season on Friday (Feb. 19) at Truist Point at 2 p.m., a time change moved up from the originally scheduled 4 p.m. The final two games of the series will be played on HPU's campus at Williard Stadium on Saturday (Feb. 20) at 2 p.m. and Sunday (Feb. 21) at 1 p.m. and will both be streamed on ESPN+.
 

Matchup History

• High Point and Bryant will meet for the first time this weekend.
• The Panthers have had success against members of the Northeast Conference in the past, going a combined 12-3 against NEC opponents Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island (as Long Island Brooklyn) and Mount St. Mary's.

 

Across the Diamond

• Bryant was tabbed to win the Northeast Conference this year after winning the last eight NEC regular-season titles.
• Despite winning the regular season each of the last eight years, the Bulldogs' last NEC Tournament Championship came in 2016.
• Bryant got off to a bit of a slow start in 2020, ending the shortened season with a 4-11 record.
• The Bulldogs were one of the best teams in the country in 2020 at stealing bases, ending with 39 steals in 15 games - the eighth-most steals in all of Division I, and the sixth-best steals per game mark of 2.60.
• Outfielders James Ciliento and Shane Kelly are expectd to carry the offensive load for the Bulldogs this season. Ciliento has a .305 career batting average and has driven in 119 RBIs in 164 games while Kelly batted .328 with seven extra-base knocks and nine RBIs in the shortened 2020 season.
• Two-time All-NEC selection Tyler Mattison owns a 14-6 record in his career and is expected to be Bryant's Friday night starter. Lefty Vito Morgese will most likely start Saturday's game, making his first appearance on the bump after suffering an injury in 2019 that required Tommy John surgery.

 

Panther Notes

Last Season

High Point last played on March 10, 2020, falling 3-11 to UNCG before COVID-19 put a pause on and eventually canceled the 2020 season. HPU was 7-9 when the season came to a halt, having picked up a sweep over Lafayette and the first series win over James Madison in program history. 
 

Making History

Last year's opening weekend sweep of Lafayette was the first time the Panthers have opened the season with a weekend sweep since becoming a Division I program. HPU came close twice before, winning the first two games of the season against Army in 2012, and Dayton in 2009, but was unable to complete the sweep each time.
 

Familiar Faces

After being granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, four of last year's seniors are back for 2021 - Chris Apecechea, Joe Johnson, and Grey Lyttle return as graduate students while Ryan Russell returns as a redshirt senior for HPU. 
 

Fresh Faces

2021 welcomes 18 newcomers to the Panthers' roster, including 13 freshmen and 5 transfers. The incoming class includes seven North Carolina natives and players from six different states and Canada.
 

Big South Changes

In a year where things look a little different, the Big South announced the 2021 Big South Tournament will feature just the top four teams from the regular season. The tournament is scheduled to take place May 27-29 at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C.
 

A Sigh of Relief

Mason Kearney was named the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week before the shutdown after his 10-out save against James Madison (March 8). The now redshirt-freshman has yet to give up a run in his early career and has only allowed one hit, which came in his first collegiate appearance.
 

Seeing Double(s)

High Point hit nine doubles in its season-opening win a season ago, setting a program record for doubles in a single game. The Panthers finished the shortened season with 30 doubles this season, tied for the most in the Big South and 51st in the country.
 

Going Streaking

Two Panthers ended the season riding hitting streaks of five games or more, led by Johnson's seven-game streak. Sam Zayicek got a hit in his last six games of the year, the longest hitting streak of his career.
 

Turning Two

The Panthers turned 15 double plays in 2020 for second in the conference, three behind Charleston Southern for the lead, and 42nd in the country.
 

Hit Me Baby One More Time

High Point tagged opposing pitchers for 141 hits last season, the fifth-most in the conference. 
 

WHIP it Real Good

Kearney finished 2020 with a WHIP of 0.29, the best on the team. Also with WHIPs below 1.00 were Dawson Place with a 0.91, and Harrison Smith with a 0.94.
 

Holt's a Hitter

At the time of cancellation, Travis Holt led the team with 23 hits on the season, good for third in the conference. He averaged 1.44 hits in each game, also for third in the Big South, and collected a hit in all but three games.
 

Getting Offensive

High Point put up 16 runs on Lafayette on the 2020 opening day, the most runs HPU has ever scored in the first game of the year. The eight-run margin of victory was the second-largest win on opening day for the Panthers, trailing only an 11-0 victory over NJIT to open the 2017 season. The 25 total runs scored over the three-game series against the Leopards were also the most scored over an opening weekend.
 

Ring 'Em Up

The Panthers struck out 145 batters in 2020 and had a strikeout per nine innings ratio of 9.2, third in the Big South.
 

Holt the Hero

Holt played the role of hero in the Feb. 15 extra-innings win during the opening weekend sweep last year. He had the game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning and then delivered the game-winning RBI single down the line in left in the 10th with the bases loaded for the win. Holt led the team with eight hits on the weekend, tied for the most in the Big South and 10th-most in the country.
 

Super Sam

Zayicek had a monster opening weekend a season ago, going 7-11 to hit .636. He had an on base percentage of .714 and a slugging percentage of 1.091, all three in the top-30 of the country for opening weekend. Zayicek also made his presence felt on defense, throwing out what would have been the go-ahead run at the plate in Sunday's game, the inning before the Purple and White took the lead for good.
 

Weekly Award x3

The Panthers picked up three awards from the Big South in 2020, with Zayicek named the conference Player of the Week while Kearney picked up Freshman of the Week honors in the first week of the season. Kearney went on to also win Relief Pitcher of the Week right before the shutdown.
 

I'll Do It Myself

Johnson provided his own run support on Feb. 16, 2020, hitting a go-ahead home run over the wall in right in the fifth inning of the game he was starting. He didn't get to pitch with the lead, but the Panthers never lost it, making his homer the game-winning RBI in a game he won on the mound as well.
 

Taking One for the Team

Evan Bergman got hit by a pitch five times last season, tied for the eighth-most in the conference. As a team, HPU got plunked 18 times to sit fifth in the Big South.
 

Lucky Number 13

The Panthers' pitching staff recorded 13 strikeouts in each game over opening weekend 2020, for a total of 39. For comparison, it took the 2019 squad twice as many games to reach 39 strikeouts.
 

Making the Sacrifice

High Point hit eight sac flies last season, the second-most in the Big South and 64th in the country.
 

Up Next: The Panthers return to Truist Point next weekend (Feb. 26-28) for a three-game series with Triad foe UNCG, with all three games being played at the home of the Rockers before conference play starts the following weekend when Winthrop comes to town.