The West Virginia Mountaineers have earned a spot in the NCAA regionals, where they will travel to Clemson, South Carolina, this weekend. They open the tournament by taking on the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday.
The hosting Clemson Tigers and the University of South Carolina Upstate are the other two teams in the bracket that face off on Friday. Depending on the outcomes, WVU could likely face USC Upstate on Saturday. Read more: What USC Upstate Brings to the Table
USC Upstate’s Path to Clemson
USC Upstate (36-23) enters the Clemson regional coming off their first Big South Tournament trophy in program history. This also marks their first appearance in an NCAA Regional.
Their season has been met with ups and downs, but an impressive record in conference play propelled their season (19-5). On the other hand, their non-conference matchups leave a little to be desired.
They opened their season in a three-game series against Boston College, where they won one out of two—the second game was cancelled. Even so, Upstate showed potential with scoring 10 and nine runs, respectively, in those two games.
One of their notable non-conference losses was against a foe they will soon see again, Clemson. In their first matchup, Clemson won decisively with a 7-0 finish.
Related: Mountaineers Open Regional Play with SEC Test in Kentucky
Upstate’s other premier non-conference matchup was against Troy University. At the time of playing, Troy was ranked No. 16 in the nation. Upstate captured a 5-4 victory, but fell 11-9 and 14-7 to round out the series.
While these games didn’t all go in their favor, Upstate proved that they can hang with bigger D1 schools. This is something they must do if they want to make it out of Clemson.
What to Expect From USC Upstate
Every team brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the table, and if there’s one thing that Upstate brings, it’s elite-level hitting.
With a team batting average of .319, Upstate ranks No. 7 in the nation. Seven of their players are batting over .300 for the season, with one batting at .400. And these are not just the occasional singles; Upstate also ranks No. 6 in doubles.
They have also shown the ability to hit the ball out of the park at a high rate. With 99 home runs in the season, Upstate sits at No. 14 in the nation in that category.. Coincidentally enough, they sit at the same spot in slugging percentage (.530).
Related: What West Virginia Can Expect If They Face Clemson
Upstate is also taking advantage of these hits, scoring the nation’s second-best 573 runs. If the Mountaineers want to avoid an upset, they are going to have to tame the hot bats that Upstate has to offer.
Key Players To Watch
If there’s one player for Upstate that the Mountaineers will have to be wary of, it’s Scott Campbell. The junior slugger is leading the team with a .400 average. He has 11 home runs to go along with 54 RBI.
Johnny Sweeney is another player to watch out for. He’s second in the team with 17 home runs, but his team-leading 81 RBI make him a threat whenever there are runners on base.
On the pitching side, Upstate has two efficient starters that they lean on, Amp Phillips and Chris Torres.
Related: WVU Baseball’s Path in the Clemson Regional
Torres leads the team with an 8-4 record. His 4.72 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 76.2 innings prove that he is capable of keeping Upstate in the game whenever he steps foot on the mound.
Phillips has the edge slightly with a 3.58 ERA in 78 innings. He has a record of 7-2 and two saves to showcase his versatility.
How WVU Can Come Out on Top
If West Virginia matches up against Upstate, it will surely be a day that the hitters shine. Both teams have shown the ability to rack up hits and take advantage of them.
The two factors that put WVU over the edge in this matchup are experience and a deeper pitching staff. West Virginia has been on this stage before, just last year in fact. Upstate, however, has not. The experience of West Virginia should allow them to make fewer mistakes and not crumble under the big lights.
The Mountaineers’ deeper pitching staff will also provide them more options in attempting to limit Upstate’s high-power offense. Easier said than done, but WVU has the arms to do it.
Upstate will take on Clemson on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.
What USC Upstate Brings to the Table
