CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern hits the road for Big South Conference play this weekend as the Buccaneers make the trip to Buies Creek, N.C. and Jim Perry Field for a three-game series against Campbell University. First pitch on Friday afternoon is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+, while Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN3.

Weekend Schedule
Game One – Friday, April 9, 2021
Charleston Southern at Campbell
5 p.m. * Buies Creek, N.C. * Jim Perry Stadium * Live Stats * ESPN+
Projected Starters: CSU RHP R.J. Petit (2-3, 3.16 ERA) vs. CU RHP Thomas Harrington (2-1, 3.00 ERA)

Game Two – Saturday, April 10, 2021
Charleston Southern at Campbell
2 p.m. * Buies Creek, N.C. * Jim Perry Field * Live Stats * ESPN3
Projected Starters: CSU LHP Sam Massey (1-0, 1.26 ERA) vs. CU LHP Ryan Chasse (3-2, 2.62 ERA)

Game Three – Saturday, April 10, 2021
Charleston Southern at Campbell
45 minutes following first game * Buies Creek, N.C. * Jim Perry Field * Live Stats * ESPN3
Projected Starters: CSU RHP Daniel Padysak (2-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. CU TBA

Charleston Southern Game Notes vs. Campbell

On the Road Again
Charleston Southern hits the road for just the second time in the 2021 spring season this weekend as the Buccaneers make the trip up to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on preseason favorite Campbell. The Bucs will continue their four-game road trip with a midweek contest at South Carolina (April 13). CSU's first road trip of the season spanned March 16-27 and included trips to PC (twice), Gardner-Webb, and Winthrop with the Bucs posting a 3-5 record over the two-week stretch.

Bucs In Big South Play
Charleston Southern continues to sit among the conference leaders through the Bucs' first 17 games of the conference season this spring. CSU is currently fifth in the standings with a 9-8 record in Big South competition to sit just outside the top-four nearing the midway point of the spring season. Gardner-Webb (10-4) leads the way, while USC Upstate (11-6) and Campbell (9-5) are also in the hunt for the top overall seed. The top four teams in the Big South standings will advance to the conference's postseason tournament held at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C. on May 27-29.

Big South 40-Flex-10
The Big South Conference announced prior to the start of the season that the schedule would be a "40-flex-10" model this season featuring 40 conference games, while allowing for up to 10 nonconference contests on the year. The Bucs only play single series against High Point, USC Upstate, Campbell, and Radford this season, while matching up against the other conference foes multiple times on the year.

Recapping Last Weekend
Charleston Southern claimed its fourth Big South series win of the 2021 spring season this past weekend as the Buccaneers rallied back from a day-one defeat to visiting High Point to sweep the Friday doubleheader at Nielsen Field at the CSU Ballpark. The Bucs utilized a highly-explosive offensive highlighted by a pair of the Big South's weekly award recipients to bounce back from a 10-5 defeat on Thursday to claim the 10-7 and 15-4 wins on Friday against the Panthers.

In Thursday's opener, Charleston Southern was unable to hold off a late High Point rally in the eventual 10-5 loss to the Panthers. High Point took advantage of a five-run ninth inning highlighted by a trio of bases-loaded walks in the frame to hold off stand-out performances at the plate Connor Aldrich (3 RBI) and a strong start from R.J. Petit (6 IP, 4 K).

Friday's doubleheader saw the Bucs jump ahead early and often throughout the day as CSU took both wins. In the first game, CSU put together a four-run third-inning to take the early lead and pushed across five more runs late in the contest in support of a strong relief outing from Sam Massey to take the 10-7 win.

The finale saw the Bucs score a combined 11 runs over the fifth and sixth innings highlighted by a five-RBI outburst from Reid Hardwick in the win. CSU took advantage of seven High Point walks and five wild pitches to take control of the game early, while reliever Jordan Bridges picked up his first win of the season with a strong appearance out of the bullpen.

Last Time Against Campbell
Campbell took three of the four contests against Charleston Southern in the last time the two programs met back in the 2019 season. The Camels took two of the three games during the regular season and topped the Bucs, 20-7, in the winner's bracket at the 2019 Big South Tournament held at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C.

In the conference tournament matchup, the Bucs scored first on Jason Miller's RBI double in the top half of the opening inning, but the Camels took control from there scoring five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Miller, Ryan Stoudemire, and Javon Martin all posted multi-hit games in the loss as Campbell went on to win the contest, 20-7.

The regular season contests in Buies Creek saw Campbell take the first and third games of the series, while the Buccaneers took the middle contest, 9-3. In CSU's win over the Camels, the Bucs had five players post multi-hit games, while R.J. Petit retired 14 of the final 16 batters in a 4.2 inning relief appearance to earn the win.

All-Time Series Against the Camels
Campbell holds the 39-28 all-time series advantage against the Buccaneers dating back to the programs' first meeting back in the 1970 season. The Bucs took the inaugural contest, 1-0, in one of two 1-0 contests between the two programs.

Dominant pitching has been the name of the game between the two programs with a combined 14 shutouts recorded over the series between the two teams. Included among the shutouts is a five-game stretch in the 1989 and 1990 seasons where CSU shut out the Camels twice and Campbell responded by blanking the Bucs twice.

In recent history, the series has tilted toward the Camels with Campbell winning eight of the last nine matchups dating back to the 2017 season. The Bucs' lone win during the stretch came on May 4, 2019, with a 9-3 victory in Buies Creek.
CSU's longest winning streak of the series came back in 1981-82 when the Bucs took three consecutive games against the Camels. It is one of two three-game streaks CSU has posted throughout the series against CU.

About Campbell
The two-time defending champion Campbell Camels were selected as the Big South's preseason 2021 baseball favorite as voted on by the league's head coaches prior to the start of the season. Additionally, redshirt senior infielder Collin Wolf was named the conference's preseason Player of the Year. Campbell received six first-place votes and 89 total points to secure the top preseason ranking.

Wolf is the third Campbell player to be voted the Big South's Preseason Player of the Year in the award's 16-year history, and second in three seasons. He has started every game the past two seasons (74 consecutive) and had 17 hits and 13 RBI in the 16 games played in 2020. Wolf also had five doubles, one triple and one home run a season ago.  In 2019, he earned Second-Team All-Big South honors after leading the Camels with 48 RBI and 33 walks, while ranking second on the squad in on-base percentage (.411) and home runs (7).  He slugged .466 and batted .293 overall and hit .327 in conference games.

The Camels currently sit third overall in the conference's Big South standings nearing the midway point of the season. Campbell has posted a 14-8 overall record, 9-5 in conference play, and 12-4 at Jim Perry Stadium on the year. The Camels have posted Big South series wins over Gardner-Webb, USC Upstate and Winthrop heading into this weekend, but fell in road series at Asheville and in a single game at High Point.

Campbell enters the weekend series after taking four consecutive games from Winthrop over a five-day span, including a 28-11 win on Tuesday night against the Eagles. In the Camels' win, freshman Bryce Arnold posted an eight-RBI contest on a 3-for-6 night to highlight the most runs the program has scored in the last 20 years.

Matthew Christian (.388) and Connor Denning (.377) pace the Campbell bats on the season as the duo lead six regulars in the lineup hitting above .300 on the season. The duo also have six home runs apiece on the year, while Christian's 31 RBI paces the team. Waldy Arias leads the Camels with 30 runs scored and eight stolen bases.

Thomas Harrington and Ryan Chasse will be toeing the rubber for the first two games of the weekend series. Harrington boasts a 3.00 ERA over his 30 innings on the mound, while Chasse has a 2.62 ERA and a 36:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year. Overall, Campbell's pitching staff has surrendered just a .242 opponent batting average on the season.

Big South Players of the Week
Charleston Southern has claimed five Big South weekly honors this season with Reid Hardwick (Player) and Connor Aldrich (Freshman) adding to the Bucs' totals this past weekend. The Bucs' duo joined R.J. Petit (Starting Pitcher), Dylan Stewart (Freshman), and Houston Parker (Player) who previously claimed honors earlier in the 2021 season.

Hardwick reached base in seven of his eight at-bats over the final two games of the series against High Point to pace the Bucs with a scorching .714 batting average over the weekend series. He kept his on-base streak alive throughout the weekend running it to eight consecutive games, while also scoring runs in all three contests against the Panthers.

Connor Aldrich was the Bucs' most consistent hitter at the plate throughout the weekend as the freshman opened the weekend with a three-hit contest on Thursday night, while carrying the hitting streak throughout all games against the Panthers. The Jacksonville, Fla. native drilled a two-run single in the fourth inning of the first game to put the Bucs ahead 3-1 early against the Panthers. He added another RBI single in the sixth of the same contest to again put CSU back in the lead in the opener.
Aldrich sparked the Bucs' rally in the second game of the weekend with a bases-loaded two-run single in the bottom of the third sparking a four-run inning as the Bucs took the lead for good. He added two runs scored and a RBI single in the series finale.

Petit, a two-time Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year, showcased why his name is expected to be called early in June as he used just 94 pitches to get through the Longwood lineup in his first collegiate complete-game effort. Petit carried a perfect game into the fifth inning and did not allow a runner to pass second base in the Bucs' 7-0 win over the Lancers.

Stewart earned Freshman of the Week honors for the first time after the Goose Creek, S.C. native paced the Bucs' offense over the weekend. Stewart opened the weekend with a pair of RBI triples on his way to a .556 batting average over the three-game series with the Lancers. He capped off the weekend with the game-winning RBI sacrifice fly in the Bucs' 6-5 win in the series finale.

Parker paced the Bucs in hits, runs, RBI, and added a team-best three extra-base hits in the Bucs' series win over UNC Asheville. Parker provided CSU's offense in the opener against UNC Asheville on Friday as the junior connected on two of CSU's eight hits in the game and added two RBI in the Bucs' 15-3 loss. On Saturday, Parker connected on the Bucs' first home run of the 2021 season with his two-run shot putting the Bucs back in the lead in the bottom of the third inning in the eventual 15-5 win. He scored two of CSU's runs in the Bucs' win in the series finale.

Toughest to Strikeout
Charleston Southern boasts two of the toughest players to strikeout in the Big South Conference and one of the toughest in the nation heading into this weekend's matchup against the Camels. Christian Maggio (2nd Big South, 12th NCAA) and Kyle Sandstrom (7th Big South) are both among the nation's best at avoiding the walk back to the dugout from the batter's box on the year.

Maggio (48 AB, 3 K) is currently 12th in the NCAA averaging just one strikeout per 16 at-bats on the season as the catcher has posted a .250 batting average on the season. He entered the week sitting ninth overall in the NCAA among the toughest players to strikeout among players who have lined up in a minimum 15 games. He has posted hits in six of his last nine games and is coming off a 2-for-3 day with a pair of RBI against High Point.

Sandstrom (79 AB, 9 K) is also among the top-10 players in the category in the Big South. The Bucs' leadoff batter throughout a majority of the season saw a career-high 24-game on-base streak come to an end earlier this season, but he leads the team with 14 walks drawn and has hits in 12 of his last 14 games entering the weekend against the Camels.

Welcome Sam Massey
Freshman left-hander Sam Massey is projected to take the mound in game two of this weekend's contest for the Buccaneers as the Evans, Ga. native makes his second start of the 2021 season. Massey has been among the many bright spots in the bullpen for CSU on the year as he enters the weekend with a 1.26 ERA over his six appearances, while adding a 16:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

In his lone start of the 2021 season, Massey went 3.1 strong innings in the Bucs' 8-2 win over the Blue Hose. Massey surrendered just two hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out a pair before turning it over to the bullpen in CSU's eventual win.

The Augusta Christian School graduate has posted back-to-back 3.0 inning relief appearances over his last two outings against Winthrop and High Point. He entered the game in the first inning against Winthrop back on March 23 and surrendered just two hits and one run while striking out three to stall the Eagles' offense in the midweek matchup. This past weekend against High Point, he went three innings in scoreless relief and struck out four in picking up his first collegiate win in CSU's 10-7 victory over the Panthers.

Petit and Padysak Dealing
CSU starters R.J. Petit and Daniel Padysak continue to sit among the conference's top weekend options as we near the midseason in Big South competition. Petit (2-3, 3.16 ERA) and Padysak (2-2, 3.86 ERA) have been among the conference leaders in opposing batting average, innings pitched, strikeouts, and starts on the year.

Petit is the headliner in the bunch as the two-time Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year sits fifth in the conference in ERA (2.48), fifth in opposing batting average (.213), and third in strikeouts (34) in conference-only competition on the season. He already has posted a 94-pitch complete-game shutout this season over Longwood, while adding a pair of double-digit strikeout performances on the mound.

Padysak is third in the conference in innings pitched (29.2) and fifth in strikeouts (27) in Big South play this season as the Czech Republic freshman continues to deal on the year. Padysak posted a four-game stretch where he pitched at least five innings, including a six-inning, 10-strikeout game against Gardner-Webb this season. He surrendered three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts and has not walked a batter in his last two games.

On-Base, Hitting Streaks
At the middle of the season comes upon us, it's no surprise that Charleston Southern's bats have started to heat up. Three Buccaneers have already posted double-digit on-base streaks, while six players have accumulated five-game hitting streaks on the season as CSU nears the midway point of conference competition.

Kyle Sandstrom drew the attention early in the year as the senior outfielder/reliever continued his 10-game on-base streak to end the 2019 season by reaching base in 14 consecutive games to start 2021 play, before seeing his stretch come to an end earlier this year. Houston Parker has surpassed Sandstrom's streak this season as the junior infielder is currently on a 15-game on-base streak dating back to March 6 against Longwood. Connor Aldrich (13 games) has also reached double-digits on base this season.

Although CSU's current longest hitting streak is four games shared by Sandstrom, Tyrell Brewer, and Andrew Bullock, the Bucs have also seen their share of streaks stretch across two weeks this season. Sandstrom and Aldrich both boast team-high eight-game hitting streaks, while Johnny Oliveira posted a seven-game stretch which included his two-triple game against UNC Asheville. Parker (6), Brewer (6), and Reid Hardwick (5) also have significant hitting streaks for the Bucs this season.

Bridges from the Pen
The CSU coaching staff is quickly turning to the right arm of Jordan Bridges this season as the junior has posted a team-high 10 appearances on the mound this season. Bridges has been one of the most effective relievers in the Big South on the year with nine appearances in conference play while posting a 3.18 ERA and a .167 opposing batting average.

The Myrtle Beach, S.C. native has seen action in nearly every single conference series this season and posted a seven-game scoreless stretch from March 6-March 27. He surrendered just two hits over the span while posting four strikeouts as Bridges has continually pitched the Bucs out of jams throughout the spring season.

Bridges saw action in both games in Friday's doubleheader against High Point and went 1.2 innings in effective relief against the Panthers. In the opener of the doubleheader, Bridges went 1.0 inning and surrendered just one hit, but HPU pushed across two inherited runners in the Bucs' eventual 10-7 win. In the second game of the doubleheader, he shut down the Panthers in the top of the fifth inning getting the final two outs of the frame in CSU's 15-4 win and picked up his first win of the season.

Sandstrom Hurling, Hitting
Kyle Sandstrom has been one of the top two-way players in the Big South this season as the senior outfielder has also doubled as the Charleston Southern closer for 2021. The Ferndale, Wash. native leads the Bucs with a 0.00 ERA over his six appearances on the mound, while adding a .282 batting average from the plate and sitting second on the team with 13 RBI.

Sandstrom already posted a 24-game on-base streak on the season and sits among the team leaders with an eight-game hitting streak on the year. He is second on the team with 14 runs scored and 13 RBI, while also pacing the Bucs with nine stolen bases. Highlighting his offensive output on the year includes a pair of three-hit games, while he enters the weekend coming off a three-RBI appearance against High Point in the Bucs' 15-4 win over the Panthers.

On the mound, Sandstrom boasts a 1-0 record and also has CSU's lone save on the season in CSU's 7-4 win over Gardner-Webb. He's allowed just two hits and four base-runners on the year, while opponents are hitting just .105 from the plate against the left-hander.

Bucs Among Big South Leaders
Charleston Southern continues to put up big numbers in Big South Conference play as the Buccaneers have placed several players among the leaders in the conference-only statistics on the season.

• Batting Average – Houston Parker (.359, 5th)
• Runs Scored – Houston Parker/Kyle Sandstrom (14, T-4th)
• Hits – Houston Parker (23, 2nd), Connor Aldrich (21, T-5th)
• RBI – Connor Aldrich (17, T-3rd)
• Triples – Johnny Oliveira (3, 1st), Dylan Stewart (2, T-2nd)
• Total Bases – Houston Parker (33, T-2nd)
• Stolen Bases – Kyle Sandstrom (8, 1st)
• ERA – R.J. Petit (2.48, 5th)
• Opposing Batting Avg – R.J. Petit (.213, 5th)
• Innings Pitched – Daniel Padysak (29.2, 3rd)
• Strikeouts – R.J. Petit (34, 3rd), Daniel Padysak (27, T-5th)
• Appearances – Jordan Bridges (9, T-1st)

Coming Up on the Schedule
Charleston Southern dives into Big South play as CSU is scheduled to remain in conference competition throughout the remainder of the 2021 spring season with the exception of a midweek contest against South Carolina on April 13.

Next Five Series

• April 13 at South Carolina
• April 16-17 vs. USC Upstate
• April 20 vs. Winthrop
• April 23-24 at UNC Asheville
• April 30 – May 1 vs. Gardner-Webb

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