Baseball to Host Midweek Games vs. NC State Tuesday and Elon Wednesday
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team will continue its homestand with a pair of midweek games this week, hosting NC State on Tuesday before welcoming in Elon on Wednesday. First pitch for both games at UNCG Baseball Stadium are scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Game One Information
Opponent: NC State Wolfpack
When: Tuesday, March 4 | 4:00 p.m.
Where: UNCG Baseball Stadium
Live Stats
Game Two Information
Opponent: Elon Phoenix
When: Wednesday, March 5 | 4:00 p.m.
Where: UNCG Baseball Stadium
Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS
UNCG fell two games to one during a weekend home series against Pittsburgh (Pitt). Pitt prevailed 8-4 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday before the Spartans won game three, 13-11, on Sunday.
Playing in only two games during the series, junior Branton Jernigan had a big weekend. He batted .800 (4-for-5) in the final two games of the series and launched a go-ahead three-run home run in Sunday’s series finale.
Junior Jeremy Wolf also had a solid weekend, posting a 3-for-5 (.600) line with a double, three walks and two runs scored.
On the mound, Sam Murchison, Jay Miller and Grant Aycock made the starts on the hill for the Spartans on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Miller struck out 10 batters on Saturday, marking a new career-high.
The Spartans combined for a 37-34 advantage in strikeouts during the three-game series.
Sunday saw the Spartans set a new season-high for runs (13) and hits (12).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
UNCG is 5-5 overall to begin the season and is 3-4 in its last seven games, which have been against three consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools.
The Spartans first upset then-No. 13 Wake Forest at home, 4-0, on Feb. 18 before dropping two out of three games on the road at Virginia Tech from Feb. 22-24 as well as at home vs. Pitt last Friday through Sunday.
UNCG stands at 32nd in the NCAA Division I Ratings Power Index (RPI) following Sunday’s action.
UNCG is tied for seventh in the country with two shutouts this season.
The Spartans’ pitching staff ranks 29th in the nation with a 10.8 strikeouts per nine average. Danny Thompson Jr. leads the team in that category with a 12.60 average.
Thompson Jr. is one of 21 pitchers in the country who still possesses a perfect ERA. He is also tied 29th nationally with a pair of saves so far.
Miller leads the Spartans in total strikeouts with 23, which ranks 37th nationally.
Murchison leads UNCG in wins with a 2-1 record, which stands tied for 39th in NCAA Division I.
Left-handed pitcher Noah Chapman and Murchison are tied for second on the team with 19 punchouts.
Freshman Parker Wight is leading the Spartans offensively through 10 games so far. He is batting .303 (10-for-33) with two doubles, three RBI, six runs and a team-leading 10 walks.
Senior outfielder Zachary Walsh leads the team in home runs (2), slugging percentage (.419), RBI (5) and total bases (13).
The Spartans are coming off a historic season where they posted an overall record of 33-21, marking their 19th 30-win campaign in the program’s 34-season history.
UNCG captured its third Southern Conference (SoCon) Regular Season Championship behind a conference record of 15-6 in 2024.
Entering the SoCon Tournament as the top seed for the first time since 2018, UNCG ended the 2024 campaign with losses to Wofford, 5-2, and ETSU, 10-7, at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.
UNCG led the SoCon a season ago in ERA (5.19), fewest runs allowed (297) and lowest opponent batting average (.267).
The Spartans were voted to finish first in the SoCon 2025 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
UNCG collected three first-place votes and 40 points to finish on top of the SoCon’s Preseason Poll. Samford was a close second, receiving three first-place votes and 38 points.
Senior right-handed pitcher Rob Ready was named one of two SoCon Preseason Pitchers of the Year by the league. The other was Michael Harpster of ETSU.
In addition, a total of six Spartans were recognized on Preseason All-SoCon Teams. They were Rob Ready (SP), Luke Holland (OF), Trey Truitt (DH) and Aycock (RP), who were named to the first team, while Hunter Shuey (SP) and Thompson Jr. (RP) rounded out the list on the second team.
Chapman is also back after being named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in 2024.
The Spartans’ baseball roster is made up of 38 student-athletes, including 23 returners, eight newcomers and seven transfers.
Head Coach Cody Ellis is in his second year at the helm of the UNCG baseball program after leading the Spartans last season, who were projected to finish sixth in the conference, to a regular season championship.
He was named the 2024 SoCon Coach of the Year and had an interim tag removed following the season on May 28.
Ellis has been at UNCG since he was first hired as assistant coach in the fall of 2022, leading the charge in recruiting and as the outfield coach before being promoted to interim head coach in January 2024 and head coach in May 2024.
SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State is 6-5 overall to begin the season and coming off a series sweep over Canisius in Raleigh, North Carolina, over the weekend.
The Wolfpack swept the Golden Griffins with a 10-2 victory on Friday, 12-11 win Saturday and 10-0 shutout win Sunday.
NC State entered the season at No. 13 in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Poll before falling out of the rankings in last week’s edition.
After winning three straight games against Fordham at home to begin the season from Feb. 14-15, the Wolfpack dropped five straight from Feb. 18-25. It included three losses to Ohio State, 8-3, Alabama, 4-0, and Coastal Carolina, 10-3, in the middle of the stretch at the Jax College Baseball Classic from Feb. 21-23.
Chris McHugh leads the Wolfpack offensively, playing in all 11 contests and batting .400 (16-for-40) with four extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Justin DeCriscio ranks second on the team with a .361 (13-for-36) average. He leads the team with six extra-base hits for 23 total bases.
Alex Sosa leads NC State with three home runs.
Dominic Fritton paces the Wolfpack pitching staff with a 1.20 ERA.
Ryan Marohn leads the team with 24 strikeouts and the only complete game so far.
Heath Andrews sports the team’s lowest opponent batting average at .138 in 17 complete innings pitched.
Right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan was named to the D1Baseball Preseason All-American First Team and ranked the No. 1 reliever in the Top 100 Relief Pitchers List prior to the season.
The 2024 campaign saw the Wolfpack finish 38-23 overall and 18-11 in the ACC before making their way to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, where they dropped their first two tests, 5-4, to Kentucky and Florida.
With the ACC now having 16 baseball teams, NC State was voted to finish seventh in the conference’s preseason poll.
Head coach Elliot Avent is in his 29th season at the helm of NC State and looking build off his third trip to Omaha. He is 1,036- 615 at NC State and the fifth active Division I head coach with 1,000 wins at one school.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WOLFPACK
The Spartans are 10-33 all-time when facing NC State. UNCG cruised to an 18-3 victory over the Wolfpack in the last meeting last season on March 12 at Doak Field in Raleigh.
Truitt led the Spartans with a 6-for-4 batting line with one RBI and three runs scored. Walsh was 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and two runs. Brandon Hudson earned the win after pitching an inning and a third in relief. Chapman and Thompson Jr. also tossed scoreless frames to secure the victory.
SCOUTING ELON
Elon is 5-6 to begin the season and coming off a three-game weekend series sweep over Brown at Latham Park in Elon, North Carolina.
The Phoenix won 12-2 in eight innings on Friday, 8-4 on Saturday and 5-0 on Sunday.
Right-handed pitcher Declan Lavelle was awarded Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Pitcher of the Week on Monday after retiring each of the last 15 batters he faced, with only one reaching second base in the 5-0 win. He is now 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA, .161 opponent average and 14 strikeouts.
Justin Mitrovich leads the Phoenix with a 1.53 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Offensively, Jackson Alford is pacing Elon with a .381 (16-for-42) average at the plate. He also leads with six extra-base hits, 23 total bases and 14 runs scored.
Alec Welshans, Vince Fattore and Kenny Mallory, Jr. have the three home runs for the Phoenix this season.
Elon finished last season with a 21-32 overall record as well as a 10-17 mark in the CAA to finish 10th out of the 12 teams in the league.
The Phoenix were voted to finish sixth this season in the CAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Mallory Jr. and Mitrovich were named to the CAA Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team.
Head coach Mike Kennedy is in his 29th season at the forefront of Elon’s baseball program. He is 860-685-3 all-time at Elon.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PHOENIX
The Spartans are 29-41 all-time against Elon. However, the Spartans have prevailed in 13 of the last 19 meetings.
Last season’s series between the two was a split, with Elon winning, 6-3, on Feb. 27 in Greensboro before the Spartans routed the Phoenix, 15-1, on April 16 away from home.
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UP NEXT
The Spartans will host the Radford Highlanders from Friday to Sunday at UNCG Baseball Stadium. Start times are scheduled for 4:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Courtesy of Connor Wachtel
Strategic Communications Coordinator
UNC Greensboro