After taking a pair of games from Siena College this week, including a rain-delayed win on Thursday night, that Stetson Hatters will continue their season-opening eight-game home stand this weekend when they host visiting High Point University.
The Hatters (2-3) and Panthers (3-1) have never met before on the diamond.
Friday's series is opener is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start. Saturday's game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the series finale on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar will be joined by NASCAR legend Donnie Allison to throw out the first pitch on Friday night.
Stetson has enjoyed success against teams from the Big South Conference over the years. The Hatters have an overall record of 57-28 against current members of the league. That total includes taking two of three games from Winthrop last year but does not include the three-game sweep Stetson took at the hands of eventual national champion Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers have moved on to the Sun Belt Conference.
High Point will be the 15th Division I program from the state of North Carolina that the Hatters have played. Stetson is 79-46 all-time against teams from the Tar Heel State.
The Hatters relied heavily on freshmen to earn victories over Siena during the week. On Tuesday is was freshman pitcher
Ryan Stark who blanked the Saints for 7.1 innings and got offensive support from
Chris Tidwell and
Andrew MacNeil in a 9-0 victory.
After getting rained out on Wednesday, the Hatters again relied on freshmen on Thursday as Tidwell and
Ben Rowdon sparked the offense in a 10-6 win.
So far this year Stetson's freshmen have combined for 18 hits in 61 at bats for a .295 average. They have four doubles, a triple and 12 RBI. Three of the Hatters' top four hitters so far this year have been freshmen. On the mound the youngsters have worked 16.2 innings with a 4.59 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
Tidwell has been especially impressive in his three starts behind the plate while filling in for junior Austin Hale. He leads the team in hitting and his three doubles puts him among the leaders in all of college baseball.
The Panthers are led by former long-time UCF assistant coach Craig Cozart. He is in his ninth season leading the High Point program and has a career record of 230-226. Prior to becoming a coach at UCF, Cozart was a pitcher for the Knights, earning All-ASUN honors in 1995.
They opened the season by taking two of three games from ASUN member NJIT before taking a 12-11 extra-inning victory over Davidson on Tuesday night. In addition to NJIT and Stetson, the Panthers will also face Kennesaw State in a three-game series, March 10-12.
Panthers Junior Carson Jackson was named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week on Feb. 20 after his performance against NJIT. Jackson went 5-11 at the plate with three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. He had two home runs in Sunday's come-from-behind win, making him the 15th player in HPU's Div. I history to record a multi-HR game.
The Panthers have gotten off to a hot start at the plate with 17 extra-base hits in four games, including nine home runs.
Friday's expected starting pitcher for the Panthers, Andrew Gottfried, is the only Big South All-Conference pitcher from last season to return in 2017.Gottfried was named second-team All-Big South after finishing the 2016 season with a 6-5 record and a 2.65 ERA. He had 48 strikeouts in 71-1/3 innings.
Gottfried will be opposed on Friday night by Stetson junior right-hander Brooks Wilson. In his first start he recorded eight strikeouts in just four innings of work and took a no-decision in the Hatters' 7-6 opening day loss to Southern Illinois.
The Panthers' roster includes 15 first-year players this spring, including 10 freshmen. The roster is also liberally sprinkled with Florida natives with more players from the Sunshine State (14) than from North Carolina (9). Those Florida natives come from some of the same hometowns as players on Stetson's roster, including Ocala, Winter Park, Oviedo, Coral Springs, Orlando and Windermere.
