UNCG Spartans baseball team wins six games in four days, to claim the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Title…
The UNCG Spartans are headed to the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament Playoffs….
This is what some of the UNCG Spartan Baseball players were overheard saying as the 2022 SoCon Tournament concluded:
“We are a bit tired, but we are The 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Champions”…..
Here is how the past four days of action went for the UNCG Spartans at the SoCon Baseball Tournament, on Fluor Field, in Greenville, South Carolina….
Sunday May 29…Game Two on Sunday, and this would prove to be for all the marbles, this game was the Title Decider for 2022….This was the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Title Game…..
UNCG 12, Wofford 2…7 innings
(UNCG knocks off the #1 seeded Wofford Terriers to take the Title.)
Sunday May 29…Game One on Sunday…UNCG had to win this game to avoid elimination, in this Double-Elimination tournament…UNCG came into the game, already with one loss, and Wofford had yet to lose, and the Wofford Terriers had to lose twice to UNCG on Sunday, and they did, in order to fail to take the tournament title..
UNCG 10, Wofford 2
Saturday May 28…Game Two on Saturday…UNCG 8, Samford 3
If UNCG loses this game, then their tournament title hopes are over…The Spartans prevail, and Samford is going home/back to Alabama…
Saturday May 28…Game One on Saturday…UNCG 16, Mercer 5
UNCG’s bats and the Spartans’ offense comes alive, and there is a prevailing thread developing among the Spartans, that something special might be about to happen this week, in Greenville, South Carolina…
Friday May 27…Game Two on Friday…UNCG 9, Western Carolina 7
The UNCG Spartans begin their march back, and this is where UNCG proves they are about to do big things in Greenville, S.C. during the SoCon Tournament….Survive and Advance and set your sights on the Big Dance, the NCAA Baseball Tournament…
Friday May 27…Game One on Friday…Wofford 6, UNCG 3
UNCG falls in this 9am morning game, but even in the loss, their is still an inner feeling that UNCG might see this same Wofford team again this week, and the next time they see the Terriers, it might just be for the SoCon Title…This was the very first loss for UNCG in this Double-Elimination event, and UNCG still has life, and you don’t want to count out, a still breathing Spartan, and this team/bunch is still alive…
Wednesday May 25…UNCG 7, The Citadel 6…
Great way to open the tourney, with a one-run victory/win, but this would be the start/beginning of many innings of baseball for the UNCG Spartans, and by the time this SoCon Tourney was over, UNCG would be taking a deep breath and say, “We are a bit tired, but we are The 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Champions”…..
https://twitter.com/SoConChamps/status/1531051296178024450
from www.uncgspartans.com:
Spartans Upset Top-Seeded Terriers to Win SoCon Championship
GREENVILLE, S.C.– The No. 4 seed UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team defeated the No. 1 Wofford Terriers twice on championship Sunday to punch its ticket to the NCAA Championship.
UNCG defeated the Terriers 10-2 in game one to force an all-or-nothing game two. UNCG would go on to win 12-2 in seven innings.
The Spartans played three straight double-header games to win their second SoCon Tournament since 2017. They outscored their opponents 58-24 and held them to under eight runs.
UNCG had six players named to the All-Tournament team: Price King, Dallas Callahan, Greg Hardison, Zack Budzik, Pres Cavenaugh, and Kennedy Jones. Jones was also named the Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player.
Jones set tournament records with 16 hits, 17 RBIs, 37 at-bats and 33 total bases and matched the tournament record with five home runs. He also became UNCG’s single-season RBI record-holder with 73.
RHP Austin Parsley threw his third complete game of the season in game one. He allowed nine hits, and two runs, and struck out five batters. Parsley earned his 10th win of the season.
Hunter Shuey earned his sixth start of the season in game two. He pitched 7.0 innings, allowed six hits, two runs, and struck out four batters. Shuey earned his first playoff win.
“We’ve watched Hunter grow up in front of our eyes this year,” said head coach Billy Godwin. “I always say I don’t need freshmen in the postseason to be freshmen, I need them to grow up and be sophomores. I didn’t have any reservation about handing him the ball because he’s such a great competitor.”
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)
The Spartans jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead behind an RBI single from Smith and an RBI groundout from Hardison.
Kennedy Jones’ fourth home run of the tournament was a two-run homer to put the Spartans up 4-0 after two innings.
Wofford’s first run came in the third inning.
UNCG scored six runs in the fifth inning to take the 10-1 lead over Wofford.
GC Jarman had an RBI single and an error by Wofford allowed two more runs to score.
The six-run fifth inning was capped off with Jones’ second home run of the day which scored three.
Wofford added one run before the Spartans won the game to force a second game.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)
UNCG scored first in the third inning with back-to-back-to-back home runs from Windish, Cavenaugh, and Smith.
Windish’s was a two-run homer.
Three more runs came in the fourth inning.
Windish hit another two-run homer to give UNCG the 6-0 lead.
A Wofford error allowed another run to score.
Jones became the all-time single-season RBI leader in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout.
UNCG added three runs in the sixth inning to make it an 11-2 game.
Hardison had the last RBI of the game with a double to bring Smith across the plate.
FINAL WORDS FROM COACH GODWIN
“It’s unbelievable. They are a resilient group. I told them earlier that I’ve had better teams, but I’ve never had a team that I’m more proud of how they battled and grinded.”
UPCOMING
UNCG will find out what NCAA Regional they will head to tomorrow/Monday. The 2022 Selection Show will start at 12 p.m.