FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb baseball team is set to begin its journey towards the Big South title as the No. 3 Runnin' Bulldogs face No. 2 USC Upstate Thursday evening in the opening round of the 2021 Ingles Big South Conference Baseball Championship at SEGRA Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C.
 
Gardner-Webb (28-21, 27-13 Big South) enters the postseason after finishing third in the regular season standings, the best finish in the program's Division I history.  At the plate, the Runnin' Bulldogs have been paced by second-team All-Conference selection Eric Jones with a .354 average, which ranks sixth among Big South batters.  Keiji Parkhurst leads the team with 14 home runs, while first-team All-Conference selections Patrick Ferguson and Cam Pearcey lead the team with RBI (45) and stolen bases (17) respectively.
 
Mason Miller, a first-team All-Conference honoree, leads the GWU pitching staff after leading the league in strikeouts (109) and opposing batting average (.211).  In 13 starts, Miller has a 7-1 record with a 3.40 ERA.  Reliever Isaac Campbell was named second-team All-Conference, recording a team-high six saves with 37 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA from the bullpen.
 
USC Upstate (37-14, 28-12 Big South) enters this week's tournament as the No. 2 seed as the Spartans had the best season in their Division I history.  All-Conference members Jason Matthews and Julian Rip each have a .350 batting average to lead the Spartans, while Rip and Jack Gallagher are tied with a team-best four home runs and Devin Buckner has a team-best 46 RBI.
 
On the mound, USC Upstate is led by Big South Pitcher of the Year Jordan Marks, who finished the regular season with a 10-1 record with a 2.01 ERA and 100 strikeouts.  Reliever Kevin Davis, also a first-team All-Conference selection has a 1.73 ERA with 11 saves in 21 appearances.
 
The two teams met on three occasions during the regular season, with the Runnin' Bulldogs rallying in game one to take an 8-5 decision.  In game two the following day, GWU held a 7-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning when play was halted due to rain.  When play resumed the next day, the Spartans would score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 9-8 result and Upstate would take the final game of the series by a 13-2 score.
 
Campbell (33-14, 28-9 Big South) earned the league's regular season title.  The Camels have been paced by Big South Player of the Year Zach Neto with a .418 batting average.  All-Conference selection Matthew Christian leads the team with 15 home runs, while All-Conference member Spencer Packard has driven in a team-best 60 RBI.
 
Thomas Harrington, a second-team All-Conference selection, leads the Camels on the mound with a 2.94 ERA with a 5-2 record and 67 strikeouts.  Second-team All-Conference member Ryan Chasse follows with a 3.88 ERA with a 6-2 record and 68 strikeouts.
 
Gardner-Webb faced Campbell six times during the regular season, with a weekend series taking place at each team's ballpark. GWU opened Big South play in Buies Creek, N.C. on March 5, taking the Friday night matchup, 6-2, before dropping both games the following day, 7-3 and 14-6. In Boiling Springs, the Camels took the Friday matchup on April 16 by a 10-6 score before the Runnin' Bulldogs bounced back to take the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, 10-8.  GWU dropped the series finale, 10-1.
 
 
Presbyterian (19-21, 18-16 Big South) finished fourth in the Big South regular season standings.  Kyle Decker leads the Blue Hose with a .308 batting average, with second-team All-Conference member Eric Toth leading the team with 32 RBI.  Zacchaeus Rasberry, a honorable mention All-Conference selection, and Sean Klein lead PC with eight home runs.
 
On the mound, Duncan Howard leads the Blue Hose with a 4.44 ERA in 10 starts with a 3-2 record while striking out 29 batters.
 
Gardner-Webb took two of three against Presbyterian in the regular season, opening the weekend with a 10-2 win and the second game of the series by a 10-6 score before falling in the series finale, 9-3.
 
Tickets for the 2021 Ingles Big South Conference Baseball Championship are on sale and can be purchased via the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.  The tournament begins Thursday, May 27 with two games scheduled, continues with three games on Friday, May 28, and concludes Saturday, May 29 with two potential Championship contests starting at 12:00pm.  Games on May 27 will be carried on ESPN3, Friday's action will be available on ESPN+, and Saturday's Championship game will air on ESPNU at 12:00pm.  An "if necessary" Winner-Take-All title game will be at 4:00pm on ESPN+.  The Big South's Tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Baseball Regionals.  The Championship schedule is as follows and is subject to change due to weather:

Thursday, May 27 (Games 1-2)
Game 1: No. 1 Campbell vs. No. 4 Presbyterian, 3:00pm – ESPN3
Game 2: No. 2 USC Upstate vs. No. 3 Gardner-Webb, 7:00pm – ESPN3

Friday, May 28 (Games 3-5)
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:00am (elimination game) – ESPN+
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:00pm – ESPN+
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:00pm (elimination game) – ESPN+

Saturday, May 29 (Championship Day)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 12:00pm – ESPNU
Game 7: If Necessary: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 4:00pm – ESPN+