ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop baseball (23-27, 14-10 Big South Conference) is set to close out the regular season hosting Liberty (27-23, 15-9 Big South Conference) in a three-game series Thursday through Saturday. Winthrop is currently fourth in the Big South standings while the Flames sit in third place.
          

Winthrop (23-27, 14-10) vs. Liberty (27-23, 15-9) – The Winthrop Ballpark
Date	Thursday, May 17	Friday, May 18	Saturday, May 19
First Pitch	7 p.m. ET	7 p.m. ET	2 p.m. ET
Live Stats	Click here	Click here	Click here
Live Video	BSN Click here	ESPN3 Click here	BSN Click here
Promo	Bark in the Park	Firefighter Appreciation Day	Senior Day
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Game Program	Click here

 






 



PROBABLE ROTATION
Winthrop:
Game 1 – RHP Nate Pawelczyk (6-5, 4.15 ERA)
Game 2 – RHP Zach Peek (5-4, 3.44 ERA)
Game 3 – RHP Daniel Willcutt (3-6, 3.50 ERA)

Liberty:
Game 1: RHP Garret Price (6-4, 4.34 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Zach Clinton (6-3, 4.66 ERA)
Game 3: TBA

TEAM SNAPSHOT
-Winthrop is hitting .258 (433-for-1680) as a team with a .335 on base percentage. The Eagles have recorded 60 errors as a squad, retaining a .967 fielding percentage overall.

-Winthrop opened conference play on a 6-0 streak and suffered its first setback on the road at High Point. In its first six conference games, Winthrop recorded double-digit hits in five of six (and posted nine in the sixth game), winning all six games. In the series at High Point, the Eagles belted just a combined five hits in the first two games, both losses, but bounced back for 11 hits and 11 runs and a victory in game three. Against Gardner-Webb, the Eagles couldn't hang on to a 6-3 lead when a rain-halted game two resumed the next day, falling 7-6, but bounced back with 12 hits in a 10-5 victory in game three. In a weather-altered series with Radford, the Eagles took the opener 6-3 but fell in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. Winthrop took a three-game sweep against Asheville behind phenomenal pitching, especially from its three starters who each went a minimum of 8.0 innings. The Eagles suffered two walk-off home run losses at Charleston Southern to lose the series 2-1 after coming from behind to win the series opener 5-4. Winthrop went 1-2 at league-leading Campbell taking a 5-1 win in the second game of the series, breaking a 1-1 tie with a four-run 8^th inning.

-Winthrop is 14-5 when recording double-digit hits and 10-21 when failing to record 10 or more hits.

-The Winthrop pitching staff is second in the Big South in conference games with an ERA of 3.84.

-The Eagles have fared much better within the friendly confines of The Winthrop Ballpark, owning a 16-7 home record compared to a 7-20 road record.

-The Eagles don't let opponents back in – Winthrop is 20-2 when leading after six innings.
 
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
-Senior Mitch Spires leads the Eagles and is fifth in the Big South with a .337 batting average. In only conference games, Spires is hitting a league-high .400 and is second in the Big South with 38 hits. His 67 hits overall on the year ranks fourth in the conference. Spires also leads the Eagles in runs scored (38), on-base percentage (.399), stolen bases (10), multiple hit games (19), triples (4), and home runs (7). Spires has reached base in 22-straight games, the longest streak on the squad. Spires' team-high 109 total bases is also best in the conference.

-Senior Tyler Halstead continued to raise his batting average with a 4-of-10 performance at Campbell, now at .302, third on the team. Halstead leads the squad in RBI (31) and doubles (15) and is second in hits (49).

-Junior RHP Nate Pawelczyk is allowing an opposing batting average of .232, fourth in the Big South Conference. Pawelczyk is third in the league in innings pitched (78.0) and fourth in strikeouts (71). Of the 67 hits the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year has given up so far this season, only 15 have been for extra bases (11 doubles, four home runs, no triples).  

-Sophomore RHP Zach Peek leads the team and the Big South Conference in strikeouts with 87 on the season, and was the first pitcher in the league to surpass the 50 mark. Of the 87 Ks, 25 are of the looking variety, good for third in the conference. With nine strikeouts at ETSU, he fell just one short of having three-straight games with double-digit strikeouts (10 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, 12 vs. Kent State.) Peek was named Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 26 after hurling a complete game shutout, the first of his career, against Longwood, and overall has earned the weekly honor three times this season. Peek is second in the league in innings pitched (81.0) and second in opposing batting average (.226). His ERA (3.44) ranks third in the league.

-Senior RHP Daniel Willcutt has settled into his weekend starter role and is set for his fourth weekend start. Willcutt posted two complete games in his first two Sunday outings. His 3.50 ERA is fourth-best in the conference.

-The Eagles have been without impactful junior outfielder Matthew Mulkey since game one against Longwood on Fri., Mar. 23 due to injury. Mulkey continues to lead the Eagles in slugging percentage (.595) and remains second in on-base percentage (.389), batting average (.304) and home runs (5). Junior infielder Grant English (fifth in batting average, .277) and sophomore catcher Alex Raines (fourth in batting average, .287) are also out due to injury.
 
UP NEXT
Winthrop will prepare for the Big South Conference Tournament, with play beginning on Tues., May 22 at host Liberty in Lynchburg, Va.