Post by The Cats on Feb 18, 2024 23:40:42 GMT -5
Who: USC Upstate
When: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Times: 3:00 pm
Where: Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/video: none
Live Stats: USC Upstate live stats
Conference: Big South Conference
Nickname: Spartans
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Colors: Green and gray
Last season's record: 38-22 overall, 22-9 home, 13-10 away, 3-3 neutral, 21-5 Big South
Head Coach: Mike McGuire McGuire enters his fifth season as the head baseball coach at USC Upstate during the 2024 season after being introduced as the program’s fourth head coach on June 27, 2019. Under McGuire’s direction, Upstate advanced to the program's first-ever Big South Tournament Championship Game—the first conference championship game appearance for the program—in 2023. The Spartans also captured a program-record 38 victories in 2023, giving the program its winningest two (73) and three-year (110) stretches while being one of 23 Division I programs to win 35 or more games in each of the last three seasons (2021-23).
McGuire's Record vs. WCU: 2-3
Beck's Record vs. UpState: 1-1
Series History: The Cats are 9-4 overall vs. the Spartans in a series that started in 1986. The Cats are 4-2 in games played in Cullowhee, and 5-2 in games played in Spartanburg, and are 8-2 in the last 10 games played. The two teams split the 2 game series last season with the Cats winning in Spartanburg, and the Spartans taking an extra-inning win in Cullowhee.
The Cats will travel to Spartanburg for a midweek game vs. USC Upstate, the first game of a 2-game home and home series between the two teams. Western will face the Spartans again on Wednesday, May 1 in Cullowhee.
In preseason voting by the Big South coaches, the Spartans were selected to finish the season in first place. Upstate led all Big South teams in total all-conference selections with seven: redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jake Cubbler, sophomore right-handed pitcher Mathieu Curtis, redshirt senior outfielder Daniel Gernon, senior left-handed pitcher Henry Proger, junior designated hitter Jace Rinehart, redshirt senior infielder Grant Sherrod, and junior utility player Noah Sullivan earned the honor.
The Spartans are coming off a three game sweep by Kentucky, 7-11, 0-3, 3-9 on Sunday.
Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate | Western Carolina
RHP Darin Kuskie (0-0; 0.00 ERA) | LHP Dylan Wheeler (1-0; 0.00 ERA)