BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb baseball team will play its first games of the 2018 season at the friendly confines of John Henry Moss Stadium this weekend, hosting Siena in a four-game series beginning at 5:00 pm on Thursday afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb (3-1) is coming off a successful opening weekend, which saw wins over Navy, Georgetown, and Wake Forest. 
 
The Runnin' Bulldog bats were hot throughout the weekend, as the team averaged .333 at the plate with 45 hits, including six doubles, two triples, and four home runs.  GWU currently leads the Big South Conference in batting average, runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
 
Chandler Redmond paced the 'Dogs at the plate, batting .533 with a pair of home runs and a triple in eight base hits.  He also has a Big South best 1.067 slugging percentage.
 
The pitching was stellar throughout the first four games as well, posting a low 2.90 ERA with 30 strikeouts, while allowing just ten earned runs.  Gardner-Webb also had the only shutout win of any Big South team this past weekend, a 12-0 victory on Friday over Navy.
 
Mason Fox, Isaac Campbell, and Jarrett Thompson each have 0.00 ERAs, with each earning a win on the weekend.  Fox tossed 5.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in Friday's shutout win over the Midshipmen, while Campbell fanned five batters in 4.0 innings of work, allowing an unearned run in GWU's 15-1 win over Georgetown on Saturday.  Thompson hurled the final 4.0 innings of Gardner-Webb's 6-3 win over Wake Forest on Sunday night, striking out a team-high seven batters en route to the victory.
 
Siena (0-3) enters this weekend after taking on the top team in the country and defending National Champion Florida, dropping all three contests by scores of 7-1, 10-2, and 19-2 respectively.
 
Friday evening, the Saints tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth before the Gators scored two runs in each of their final three frames.  Starting pitcher Brendan White retired nine of the first ten batters he faced and had six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
 
Joe Drpich has a team-best .364 batting average after the first three games of the season for Siena, going 4-for-11 for the weekend, including a double and a home run.  He also has a team-best three RBI to go with a .727 slugging percentage.
 
The series begins on Thursday evening at 5:00 pm at John Henry Moss Stadium, and will continue Friday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 3:00 pm.  The two teams will wrap up action on Saturday with one game set for a 2:00 pm start time.
 
Thursday and Friday's games can be viewed live on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com), available for free and can be viewed computers, smartphones and tables, as well as Roku devices.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday, 5:00 pm - LHP Isaac Campbell (GWU) vs. RHP Brendan White (Siena)
Friday, 3:00 pm - RHP Mason Fox (GWU) vs. LHP Tommy Miller (Siena)
Friday, 6:00 pm - RHP Bradley Hallman (GWU) vs. RHP Matt Pierce (Siena)
Saturday, 2:00 pm - RHP Landon Mitchell (GWU) vs. TBD (Siena)