The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) baseball team will start its Southern Conference schedule with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro, beginning March 19. All games are set to be broadcast on ESPN+, with the first pitch scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.
This series marks the opening of conference play for ETSU, which enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak. The Buccaneers have recently completed a four-game sweep of Bradley, improving their season record to 14-5. During this streak, ETSU has outscored opponents by a combined total of 65-9.
Last season, ETSU secured its first outright Southern Conference Regular Season Championship with a record of 14-7 in league play. The team won five out of seven conference series and had an overall run differential of 183-93 against SoCon opponents.
Ferguson has been one of the team’s most reliable hitters this year, reaching base in all 19 games so far. He leads the Buccaneers in batting average (.420), hits (29), and walks (16), and is tied for the team lead with seven stolen bases.
On the pitching side, Bell ranks fifth among qualified pitchers in the conference with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.09. Harpster has pitched at least five innings in four starts and holds a career record of 17-5 as a Buccaneer. Jones will make his third collegiate start and has not allowed a run over his first 12.1 innings pitched.
UNC Greensboro enters the series with a record of 10-12 after facing several teams from major conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. The Spartans have demonstrated speed on the bases with 49 stolen bases and rank second nationally in triples with ten.
Historically, UNCG leads the all-time series against ETSU, holding a record of 42-25. The Spartans are also the only Southern Conference team that ETSU has not won a series against over the past two seasons. The Buccaneers aim to secure their first series win in Greensboro since 2021.
