ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Winthrop University baseball team flies to the west coast for a four-game road trip, first a mid-week matchup against Pacific, then a three-game series against Sacramento State to polish the trip off.
| Winthrop Baseball Game Information |
| Matchup |
Winthrop (14-6, 3-0 Big South) vs. Pacific (8-11, 0-0 WCC)
Winthrop (14-6, 3-0 Big South) vs. Sacramento State (7-13, 0-0 BWAC) |
| Date/Time |
Tuesday, Mar. 17 | 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, Mar. 19 | 9:00 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 20 | 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 21 | 5:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Stockton, Calif. | Klein Family Field
Sacramento, Calif. | John Smith Field |
| Live Video |
ESPN+ (Tuesday)
ESPN+ (Thursday)
ESPN+ (Friday)
WAC (Saturday) |
| Live Stats |
Sidarmsports (Tuesday)
Statbroadcast (Thursday)
Statbroadcast (Friday)
Statbroadcast (Saturday) |
| Shop |
Find all your needs for Winthrop gear – ShopWinthropeagles | ShopWinthropGear |
| Social Media |
Youtube (Winthrop Athletics) | @WinthropBSB   | @WinthropBaseball  | Facebook (WinthropBaseball)  #EverStand #ROCKtheHILL |
ON DECK
- The Eagles will be facing both squads for the first time in program history.
- Winthrop leads the nation in hit by pitches with 65 total.
- Josh Skowronski currently sits at 7th in the nation in total walks, with 25.
- Gabe Natividad is first in the NCAA in hit by pitches, with 16.
- Tompkins earned Big South Co-Starting Pitcher of the Week, delivered a dominant outing in his lone appearance of the week. Drawing the start in Game One against Princeton, he worked eight innings while allowing just one hit and striking out a career-high seven. Tompkins carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before finishing with one of his strongest performances of the season.
- McGuire was tabbed as Big South Rookie of the Week swung a hot bat throughout the week, recording a hit in all five games for the Eagles. He batted .455 with 10 hits, two doubles, eight RBIs and 12 total bases while reaching base in half of his plate appearances and posting a .545 slugging percentage. McGuire also played a key role in Winthrop's first Big South opening weekend sweep since 2019, tallying seven hits and six RBIs in the three-game series, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance with two doubles and three RBIs in the finale.
- Winthrop comes off the heels of sweeping Radford in its Big South opening series, the Eagles first sweep to open conference play since doing so against Charleston Southern in 2019.
- The Eagles went to back-to-back extra inning affairs against the Highlanders, walking off both games.
- Winthrop most recently split a two-game series against Princeton.
- Winthrop snapped a skid with the spilt, after dropping four of their last five.
- Mason Tompkins pitched a gem in the second game, going 8.0 innings with only one hit allowed. Tompkins has a no-hitter working until 6.2 innings of work, when he let up a single up the middle.
- Luke Earnhardt and Brayden Gilley were both named to the initial National Pitcher of the Year Award watch list, as presented by the College Baseball Foundation.
- The Eagles earned a Power 4 win against Michigan State last week, beating the Spartans for the first time since 1996.
- The Bullpen trio of Garrett Byrd, Colby McNeely and Walker Brodt pitched 8.0 scoreless innings of one hit ball, to help the Eagles secure the victory.
- Winthrop is off to its best start through 11 games since the 2009 season, with a 9-2 record.
- Jaylen Hernandez took home Big South Player of the Week honors for the Week of Mar. 3. Hernandez had a standout week at the plate, batting .538 (7-for-13) with seven hits, two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and 18 total bases. He posted a slugging percentage of 1.385 and an on-base percentage of .667 while extending his hitting streak to eight games.
- Winthrop swept the Black Bears, plating 23 runs.
- In the series against Morehead State, Winthrop plated 33 runs.
- The Eagles went toe-to-toe with #17 NC State on Tuesday, leading for a portion of the game. Josh Skowronski reached base three times in that contest, going 2-of-4 with a walk.
- Luke Earnhardt got the nod for Game Two, also going five innings with eight strikeouts.
- Brayden Gilley got the start for Winthrop on opening day, pitching five innings of one run ball, leading to Harrison Wilson to come in a get the four-inning save, with five strikeouts.
- Winthrop Redshirt Junior second baseman Gabe Natividad was ranked as the No. 19 second baseman in D1, and the No. 4 Mid Major 2B by D1Baseball.
- Five Eagles were named on NCWBA Stopper of the Year Watchlist, pitchers Walker Brodt, Shane Keup, Colby McNeely, Ben Rehkow, and Harrison Wilson.
- A trio of Eagles were named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference team, Gabe Natividad, Josh Skowronski, and Harrison Wilson.
- In the Big South Preseason Poll, Winthrop received 60 points in the poll, and one first-place vote for the highest preseason ranking for the Eagles since 2021.
- Winthrop returns nearly 70% of its production at the plate last season, headlined by the quartet of Natividad, Hernandez, Benhardt, and E. Wilson, as all had 60+ hits.
- There will be some new faces toeing the rubber, as the Eagles only return around 50% of their strikeout total, with Harrison Wilson the only one back with 50+ punch outs.
- Winthrop sees only 16 returning players from last year's roster, with 22 new additions to the roster.
- McGuire returned to the Winthrop baseball program last season after serving as head coach at USC Upstate the last five seasons. This marks McGuire's third stint with the Eagle program as he spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach from 1997-2002 and again in 2006-11.
- McGuire is just the fourth head coach in program history.
2026 HONORS
Gabe Natividad
- Preseason All-Big South Conference
- Ranked #19 second Baseman in NCAA D1 by D1Baseball
- #4 ranked Mid Major second baseman by D1Baseball
Josh Skowronski
- Preseason All-Big South Conference
- Named as MLB Draft Gem by Baseball America
- Ranked as the #8 prospect in the Big South for the 2026 draft by D1Baseball
Harrison Wilson
- Preseason All-Big South Conference
- Listed on NCBWA Stoppers of the Year Watchlist
Shane Keup
- Listed on NCBWA Stoppers of the Year Watchlist
Walker Brodt
- Listed on NCBWA Stoppers of the Year Watchlist
Colby McNeely
- Listed on NCBWA Stoppers of the Year Watchlist
Ben Rehkow
- Listed on NCBWA Stoppers of the Year Watchlist
Randy Guzman
- Ranked as the #5 prospect in the Big South for the 2026 draft by D1Baseball
Evan Vandenbosch
- Ranked as the #12 prospect in the Big South for the 2026 draft by D1Baseball
Dylan Hansen
- Ranked as the #5 prospect in the Big South for the 2027 draft by D1Baseball
Colin Crowley
- Ranked as the #10 prospect in the Big South for the 2027 draft by D1Baseball
Brayden Gilley
- Big South Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 23)
- Named to National Pitcher of the Year Award watch list
Jaylen Hernandez
- Big South Player of the Week (Mar. 2)
Luke Earnhardt
- Named to National Pitcher of the Year Award watch list
Mason Tompkins
- Big South Co-Pitcher of the Week (Mar. 16)
Grant McGuire
- Big South Freshman of the Week (Mar. 16)
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
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SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE ON SALE
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