Cullowhee, N.C. – Winners of three-straight Southern Conference series, the Western Carolina Catamount baseball team hits the road this week for its final regular-season series, traveling down Interstate 40 to face instate league foe UNC Greensboro. The three-game series features first pitch at 6 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday, with Saturday's regular-season finale scheduled for 2 p.m. at the on-campus UNCG Baseball Stadium.
 
Admission to all UNCG baseball games is free. Each game is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats linked online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Western Carolina (26-25, 8-10 SoCon) heads to the Gate City as winners of three of its last four games overall. The Catamounts completed the three-game midweek seasonal series over Presbyterian with a come-from-behind, walk-off victory last Wednesday, May 7. Most recently, WCU took 2-of-3 over The Citadel in Cullowhee to win its third-straight conference series after taking two-thirds of the series at home against  Wofford (April 17-19) and at Samford (April 25-27).
 
UNCG (20-30, 8-10 SoCon) has dropped 10 of its last 12 games overall, snapping a three-game slide on Tuesday night at home in its final home nonconference game against the 11-win Longwood Lancers out of the Big South. The Spartans homered twice as part of three extra-base hits, and capitalized on three Longwood errors for the 8-4 win. Before Tuesday's triumph, the Spartans dropped all three at Samford including two run-ruled decisions, outscored by the  Bulldogs 38-to-8.

Projected Pitching Matchups:
Thursday, May 15 (Gm1) - WCU: RHP Dusty Revis (5-5, 4.16 ERA) vs. UNCG: RHP Danny Thompson Jr. (2-2, 3.51 ERA)
Friday, May 16 (Gm2) - WCU: LHP Davis Wright (4-6, 4.85 ERA) vs. UNCG: RHP Sam Murchison (5-5, 5.60 ERA)
Saturday, May 17 (Gm3) - WCU: TBA vs. UNCG: TBA
 
Noting Western Carolina:
The Catamounts were denied their first three-game weekend series sweep last Sunday as The Citadel used a five-run eighth inning to erase the 7-4 deficit in scoring the 9-7 victory to salvage game three of the SoCon series in Cullowhee. WCU dominated the first two games by a combined 26-to-6, winning 11-5 in the opener behind eight strikeouts from Dusty Revis, and claimed game two in seven innings, 15-2, with Davis Wright limiting the 'Dogs to just two runs on four hits over a six-inning start.
 
Six Catamounts enter the final week of the regular season batting above the .300 threshold, paced by Jack Spyke at .346 (54-of-156) with a team-best 17 doubles, tied for third in the SoCon. Hayden Friese (.337) has 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, triple, 8 home runs), and is tied for second on the team with 42 RBI, matched by Elijah Smith (.287) who has 15 doubles. Redshirt freshman Wyatt Stanley (.333) has 18 total extra-base hits, even with Smith with 15 doubles.
 
Trent Turner is two-thirds of the way to the team's Triple Crown, pacing the Catamounts with 12 home runs and 50 RBI to accompany a .332 batting average, fourth on the team. Rounding out WCU's .300 hitters are Mason Holton (.310) who has 18 extra-base hits (nine doubles, a triple, and eight home runs) and Brayden Corn (.309) with 18 extra-base hits (11 doubles, seven homers). Trey Spees (.296) and Smith are just below the .300 plateau.
 
On the mound, WCU's top two weekend starters are Dusty Revis (5-5, 4.16 ERA) and Davis Wright (4-6, 4.85 ERA). Wright enters the week second in the SoCon in strikeouts with 74, two behind UNCG reliever Daniel Thompson (76), that includes the second-most strikeouts looking (24). Catamount closer Brandon Langley continues to pace the league with eight saves and is fourth on the team with 40 strikeouts, three aback of utility left-hander Owen Austin (43).
 
Active Hitting Streaks:
5 games – Hayden Friese
4 games – Brayden Corn, Trey Spees, Wyatt Stanley, Trent Turner
3 games – Mason Holton
2 games – Cole Jones, Elijah Smith
Season-Long – Trent Turner, 15 games
 
Reached Base Safely Streaks:
7 games – Hayden Friese
4 games – Brayden Corn, Mason Holton, Trey Spees, Wyatt Stanley, Trent Turner
3 games – Cole Jones
2 games – Josh Ossiander, Elijah Smith
Season-Long – Jack Spyke, 23 games
 
Scouting UNC Greensboro:
The Spartans have played one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the SoCon. UNCG has faced four teams from the ACC – NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest – and played four teams currently leading their respective leagues in UConn and Creighton of the Big East and High Point and USC Upstate in the Big South.
 
UNCG has struggled the second half of the season, having dropped 15 of its 19 games since the first of April. The Spartans were swept at Samford last weekend with a trio of run-ruled, seven-inning decisions, and suffered a pair of one-run defeats with one win at home against The Citadel. All told the Spartans have SoCon series wins over VMI (2-1), ETSU (2-1), and a sweep of Wofford (3-0) in the first three matchups of the conference slate. Since, UNCG has been swept by Mercer and Samford, while dropping two to The Citadel.
 
The Spartans enter the final series batting .251 collectively as a team with four regulars batting above the .300 mark. Jeremy Wolf leads the team with a .309 average over 48 games played, matched by Trey Truitt (.309) over 22 games in the lineup. Wolf has a team-best 16 doubles as part of 21 extra-base hits. Brantley Truitt (.300) and Jacob Budzik (.301) are the remaining two Spartans hitting above .300. Parker Wight (.254) leads UNCG with nine home runs and 26 RBI.
 
As a staff, UNCG's pitchers have a 6.07 collective ERA, paced by reliever Danny Thompson Jr., who has a team-best 21 appearances and team-leading 3.51 ERA with 76 strikeouts. Jay Miller (4.98 ERA, 69 Ks) and Sam Murchison (5.60 ERA, 72 Ks) both have double-digit starts this season, with Noah Chapman (4.67 ERA) having struck out 69 over 19 appearances with six starts.
 
Statistical Matchup – WCU at UNCG:
Batting Average: WCU (.307, 3rd) – UNCG (.251, 8th)
Runs Scored: WCU (404, 3rd / 7.92 per game) – UNCG (261, 7th / 5.22 per game)
RBI: WCU (369, 3rd) /  UNCG (232, 7th)
Base Hits: WCU (535, 2nd / 10.5 per game) – UNCG (415, 7th / 8.3 per game)
Doubles: WCU (112, 1st) / UNCG (80, 7th)
Triples: WCU (9, t5th) / UNCG (13, t3rd)
Home Runs: WCU (59, 5th) / UNCG (45, 6th)
Walks Drawn: WCU (244, t4th) / UNCG (193, 7th)
 
ERA: WCU (7.06, 7th) / UNCG (6.07, 6th)
Opponent Batting Avg: WCU (.294, 7th) / UNCG (.286, 5th)
Strikeouts: WCU (414, 4th) / UNCG (431, 2nd)
Strikeouts Looking: WCU (130, 2nd) / UNCG (120, 3rd)
Walks: WCU (225, 8th) / UNCG (191, 3rd)
Saves: WCU (9, t3rd) / UNCG (9, t3rd)
 
Western Carolina vs. UNCG – All-Time Series History:
The Catamounts and Spartans have met 88 times previously on the baseball diamond with WCU trailing its instate rival, 38-50, dating back to 1992. The Catamounts have only won three times in the last 14 series meetings (3-11) dating back to 2021, dropping 2-of-3 last season in Cullowhee.
 
WCU is 23-25 against the  Spartans all-time in Greensboro, but has dropped 2-of-3 in the last two road series in 2021 and 2023. The Catamounts last won a road series at UNCG in 2019, dropping the opener 7-5 before collecting wins 24-4 and 2-1.
 
Of note, UNCG scored the most recent series sweeps – doing so in Cullowhee back in 2018 and 2022. WCU's last series sweeps came in back-to-back season in 2013 and 2014, both in Greensboro for six-straight series wins as part of winning eight of nine. Around the Southern Conference:
The top four in the SoCon standings square off this week, while the bottom for each meet as every seed is undecided entering the final three games of the regular season. First-place ETSU (13-5) travels to third-place The Citadel (10-8), while second-place Samford (12-6) visits fourth-place Mercer (10-8).
 
Tied for fifth entering the week with identical 8-10 league marks, WCU visits UNCG, while VMI (5-13) visits Wofford (6-12) in what could prove to be a track meet as the two squads have a combined 350 stolen bases. VMI leads the nation with 200 thefts, while Wofford is fifth nationally with 150.
 
Read more about this week's SoCon Tournament scenarios – CLICK HERE
 
On Deck for Western Carolina:
Results this week will determine the seeding for the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases, scheduled for May 21-25, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. The top two seeds earn a two-day bye, not opening play until Friday of tournament week. Seeds No. 3 and No. 4 await the winners from Wednesday's two single-elimination games between seeds five through eight.
 
WCU enters the weekend with the chance to be seeded anywhere from third to seventh depending upon its results at UNCG and other action around the SoCon as all eight teams are in action against one another on the final week of the regular season. The Catamounts could find themselves idle until next Thursday (May 22) as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, or would return to single-elimination action next Wednesday (May 21) at Fluor Field.
 
Ahead of each of WCU's games in the SoCon Baseball Championship, the Catamount Club will be hosting a special gathering across from the stadium at Mac's Speed Shop (930 S. Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601). To RSVP for Catamount Central, CLICK HERE.
 
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