GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team is set for its first test against a ranked opponent this season, facing No. 13 Wake Forest on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

All regular season baseball home games are free admission. Although Carolina's Finest Food Truck will be in attendance, general concessions will not be open for this game and outside food is permitted aside from alcohol. Once general concessions open up, outside food will not be permitted.
 

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS

• UNCG won its opening weekend series against Creighton two games to one with 5-3 and 3-0 victories in Friday's doubleheader before falling, 17-1, in Sunday's series finale.
• Sam Murchison pitched six complete innings with nine strikeouts to earn the win as the Spartans' starter in game one on Friday.
• Jay Miller was the starting arm for UNCG in game two Friday night and pitched seven complete frames with only two hits against and nine strikeouts. As a result, he was named The Southern Conference (SoCon) Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
• The Bluejays handed the Spartans their first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, 17-1. Malachi Gales batted in the lone run with his first collegiate hit in the seventh inning.
• Zachary Walsh led the Spartans offensively during the three-game series, batting .375 (3-for-8) with one home run in Friday's first game. He walked three times, was hit by a pitch and only struck out twice.
• Walsh played in center field for all three games, totaled two RBI, three runs scored, slugged .750 and stole two bags.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

• UNCG is off to a 2-1 start overall after winning the first two games of a three-game series over the weekend against Creighton at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
• The Spartans are coming off a historic season where they posted an overall record of 33-21, marking their 19th 30-win campaign in the program's 34-season history. Additionally, UNCG captured its third SoCon Regular Season Championship behind a conference record of 15-6.
• UNCG led the SoCon a season ago in ERA (5.19), fewest runs allowed (297) and lowest opponent batting average (.267).
• Entering the SoCon Tournament as the top seed for the first time since 2018, UNCG ended the 2024 campaign with losses to Wofford, 5-2, and ETSU, 10-7, at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.
• The Spartans were voted to finish first in The Southern Conference (SoCon) 2025 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• UNCG collected three first-place votes and 40 points to finish on top of the SoCon's Preseason Poll. Samford was a close second, receiving three-place votes and 38 points.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Rob Ready was named one of two preseason pitchers of the year by the league. The other was Michael Harpster of ETSU.
• In addition, a total of six Spartans were recognized on Preseason All-SoCon Teams. They were Ready (SP), Grant Aycock (RP), Luke Holland (OF) and Trey Truitt (DH), who were named to the first team, while Hunter Shuey (SP) and Danny Thompson Jr. (RP) rounded out the list on the second team.
• Sophomore southpaw hurler Noah Chapman is also back after being named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in 2024.
• The Spartans' baseball roster is made up of 38 student-athletes, including 23 returners, eight newcomers and seven transfers.
• Head Coach Cody Ellis is in his second year at the helm of the UNCG baseball program after leading the Spartans last season, who were projected to finish sixth in the conference, to a regular season championship.
• He was named the 2024 SoCon Coach of the Year and had an interim tag removed following the season on May 28.
• Ellis has been at UNCG since was first hired as assistant coach in the fall of 2022, leading the charge in recruiting and as the outfield coach before being promoted to interim head coach in January 2024 and head coach in May 2024.

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS

• Wake Forest is 4-0 to start the season after posting four convincing wins over Long Island (LIU) and Marist at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, over the weekend.
• The Demon Deacons first defeated LIU, 14-2 in seven innings, on Friday afternoon before taking down Marist, 11-4, in the evening. They then beat LIU, 14-0 in seven innings, on Saturday and took down Marist one more time, 24-6, on Sunday.
• In the four games, the Demon Deacons outhit their opposition, 54-20, and outscored them, 63-12.
• Marek Houston is pacing the team after the first weekend, batting .714 (10-for-14) with three home runs, a double and 13 RBI.
• A Third Team All-ACC selection as a sophomore, Houston led the team with a .326 batting average and recorded 72 hits, 39 RBIs, and eight home runs in 2024. Additionally, Houston was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and as a D1 Baseball First Team Preseason All-American. He was also listed a Second Team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game and The Athletic. Lastly, his name can also be found on Third Team Preseason All-American lists for Baseball America and the NCBWA.
• Matthew Dallas and Logan Lunceford each own perfect ERAs and are the only on the roster so far to do so with four or more innings pitched. Opponents are batting .071 against both pitchers.
• Ethan Conrad joined the Deacs from Marist where he hit .335 with 45 extra-base hits as a sophomore and took home the 2024 Summer Breaker Prospect for his performance in the Cape Cod League by D1 Baseball.
• Wake Forest was voted to finish fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll with 171 points after finishing the 2024 campaign fifth in the ACC Coastal Division and tied for eighth with Georgia Tech in the league as whole.
• Tom Walter completed his 15th season as the head coach of Wake Forest baseball in 2024.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE DEMON DEACONS
This will be the 66th all-time meeting between the Spartans and Demon Deacons. Wake Forest leads the series, which dates back to the 1992 season, 48-17.

Last season saw UNCG upset then-No. 1 Wake Forest, 4-3, in Greensboro on Feb. 20 before later falling on April 2 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 9-2.

The Spartans will travel to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest one other time this season on April 8 at 6:00 p.m.

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UP NEXT
The Spartans will head to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies from Friday to Sunday. First pitch for the series at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park goes out at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.