ROCK HILL, SC- The Winthrop baseball team begin conference play this weekend, playing host to Gardner-Webb in a three game series. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at The Winthrop Ballpark.
 
Winthrop (14-6) split its two mid-week road games, beating #6 South Carolina before falling to The Citadel. Junior Roger Gonzalez is hitting .637 on the week thus far, with three doubles, four RBIs and three runs. Overall, Gonzalez is .397 on the year, with a team high 17 RBIs. Anthony Paulsen and Brad Kaczka are the other two Eagles hitting above .300 with both players combining for 53 hits and 22 RBIs. Friday night starter Sam Kmiec ranks 8^th in the country in strikeouts (43) and leads the conference in hits allowed per nine innings (4.75). The Winthrop pitching staff ranks in the top 50 in the nation with 2.89 total ERA.
 
This will be the second conference series for the Bulldogs (12-9) who won their conference opener against Presbyterian 2-1 on the road. Senior Erik Heiligenstadt was named the Big South Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Heiligenstadt pitched a complete four-hit shutout and struck out seven in Saturday's 6-0 win over Presbyterian. Ryan Hodge leads Gardner-Webb hitters with a .301 batting average, 12 runs and 25 hits while redshirt senior Sam Fulginiti has driven home a team high 15 runs.
 
Bulldogs head coach Rusty Stroupe is in his 13^th season in Boiling Springs, where he has compiled a record of 353-344-2.