LYNCHBURG, Va. - Gardner-Webb will face Winthrop in the opening round of the 2018 Big South Conference Baseball Championship, beginning Tuesday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed after finishing the regular season with a 29-25 overall record and 14-13 in Big South play.
 
Winthrop earned the No. 4 seed, finishing with an overall record of 24-29 and 15-12 in league action.
 
Corey Howard paced GWU offensively throughout the season, batting at a .353 clip with a team-best 15 doubles.  Howard drove in 33 runs throughout the season and was 7-for-8 in stolen bases.
 
Chandler Redmond led the team with 14 home runs and 47 RBI, and Mason Fox led the team with 19 stolen bases.
 
The Eagles were led at the plate by Mitch Spires, who posted a .325 batting average with seven home runs.  Tyler Halstead drove in a team-high 32 runs.
 
Gardner-Webb will start its ace on the mound Tuesday night, as Bradley Hallman has posted a team-best 3.53 ERA in 89.1 innings pitched with a 5-2 record.
 
Winthrop will start Nate Pawelczyk, who enters the contest with a 3.95 ERA, working 82.0 innings with a 7-5 record.
 
Tuesday evening's game is slated for an approximate start time of 8:00 pm, with live coverage on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).
 
For more information on the 2018 Big South Conference Baseball Championship, please visit www.bigsouthsports.com.