ROCK HILL, SC—The Winthrop baseball squad opens Big South Conference play this week with a three-game series at High Point. Game times are 6 p.m. Thursday; 6 p.m. Friday; and 3 p.m. Saturday at Williard Stadium.

MATCH SNAPSHOT
Winthrop (11-10/0-0) vs. High Point (16-5/3-0)
Game 1:  Thursday, Mar. 24 | 6 p.m. | Williard Stadium (High Point, NC)
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LAST GAME
The Eagles fell to East Tennessee State 7-5 Tuesday evening at the Winthrop Ballpark.  Winthrop fell behind 7-1 only to rally late in the game before coming up short in dropping its second straight contest.
 
AT A GLANCE
Winthrop is hitting .291 as a team and is averaging more than seven runs per game. Roger Gonzalez continues to swing a hot bat for the Eagles. He is batting a team-best .392, with 31 hits, including a team-high seven doubles and two home runs. His 25 RBIs also pace the club. Gonzalez comes into Thursday's game at High Point on a 12-game hitting streak. Anthony Paulsen is second on the team hitting .330 with 19 RBIs. Five Winthrop regulars are batting over .300. The Eagles finished 16-8 in the Big South Conference in 2015.
 
Winthrop's team ERA is 5.37.  Zach Sightler is 3-0 on the year with a 3.86 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Sam Kmiec is 3-2 on the season with a team-leading 27 strikeouts. 
 
ABOUT OPPONENT
High Point brings an overall mark of 16-5 into its Big South Conference home opener.  It is the team's best start since the 1978 season. The Panthers opened conference play last week with a 3-0 sweep at UNC-Asheville.  High Point features a potent offense and balanced pitching. The Panthers are hitting .302 as a team while their opponents are batting just .243. Austen Zente is the team's leading hitter at .379 while Carson Jackson tops the club with 20 RBIs. The team's pitching staff is led by Andre Scrubb (4-1, 38 strikeouts); Tyler Britton (4-0, 1.85 ERA); and Cooper Jeffers (2-0, 1.33 ERA).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Winthrop holds a 31-16 lead in the series over High Point. However, the Panthers took two of three games at Winthrop last season. The two teams last met at Williard Stadium in 2014 when High Point swept a three-game series. Winthrop's last series win over High Point came in 2011 when the Eagles earned a road sweep at Williard Stadium.
 
For the latest information on the Winthrop Baseball team, follow @WinthropBasebal on Twitter or go to www.winthropeagles.com.