***SCHEDULE UPDATE***:
Due to forecasted inclement weather, this weekend's series schedule has been changed: 
Friday, 2 p.m. first pitch
Saturday, doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. 
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ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop baseball is set to welcome the Penn Quakers of the Ivy League to the Winthrop Ballpark this weekend for a three games series. Winthrop comes into the weekend 5-6 overall on the season having won their last two games, with midweek victories over UNC Greensboro and The Citadel. Penn enters the weekend 2-3 overall, coming off a sweep of two games against #22 Duke. 

  

Penn (2-3,0-0) at Winthrop (5-6, 0-0) – The Winthrop Ballpark
Date	Friday, March 8	Saturday, March 9	Sunday, March 10
First Pitch	6:00 p.m. ET	3:00 p.m. ET	1:00 p.m. ET
Live Stats	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here

 







Probable Pitching Matchups:

Friday:
RHP Christian Scafidi (0-0, 1.38 ERA) vs. LHP Thad Harris (0-1, 7.00 ERA)

Saturday:
LHP John Alan Kendrick (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Peek (1-1, 7.04 ERA)

Sunday: 
RHP Mitchell Holcomb (0-0, 11.25 ERA) vs. RHP Nate Pawelczyk (2-1, 1.50 ERA)

* Silent Success: Despite an overall record of 5-6, the Eagles are proving to be a quality club going up against a brutal early-season schedule. Four of Winthrop's six losses have come against SEC, three of which were at the hands of the Florida Gators, who were ranked third nationally prior to last weekend's series. The Eagles are 5-2 against all other opponents, including a 4-2 mark at the Winthrop Ballpark.

* Stellar Starters: The Eagles have gotten great outings out of their last three starting pitchers, from both likely and unlikely suspects. Senior Nate Pawelczyk gave the Eagles a great chance to win in the series finale at Florida, allowing only one earned run over six innings. This week, freshman Braxton Foley and sophomore Cody Whitten impressed in their midweek outings. Foley was solid for five innings in his first career start against UNC Greensboro, holding the Spartans to three runs over five innings. Whitten was the most impressive of all, tossing eight-plus dominant innings of one-run ball against The Citadel on Wednesday, allowing only four hits and earning his first win of the season. 

* Packing a Punch: The Eagles rank at or near the top of the Big South Conference of several power hitting categories through eleven games. Winthrop leads the Big South with 20 doubles, and ranks a close second in slugging percentage (.389), trailing only Radford. Winthrop is tied for the second in the conference in home runs with 7, and is second in runs batted in with 58.

* Swingin' Spencer: A hot bat for the Eagles that hasn't attracted as much attention is catcher Spencer Yankle. Coming into this weekend's series, the junior college transfer leads the Eagles in batting average at .371 (13-35 on the season)Yankle also ranks second on the team in on base percentage (.436) and slugging percentage (.486). Yankle has become a great middle of the order asset that can provide additional protection to hitters in front of him, such as Matthew Mulkey and Grant English. 

* Dual Door Slammers: While the Eagles have not selected a full time closer, there are two early season candidates that have performed well in the role. Right handers Mason Groves and Tyler Jones have impressed out the bullpen, with Groves allowing only one earned run through 4.1 innings (2.08 ERA) with two saves, and Jones has yet to allow an earned run across 4 appearances and 4.2 innings.