GREENVILLE, N.C. — The third-seeded Campbell University Fighting Camels will take on the second-seeded NC State Wolfpack to open up the NCAA Greenville Regional Friday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for noon as Campbell makes its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, fourth all-time.
All games will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 with live stats provided through the NCAA. Additionally, all of Campbell's games will feature a live audio stream via the Campbell Digital Network with Evan Budrovich and Cole Hallum on the call.
With a 35-19 overall record, the 13th-best strength of schedule in all of NCAA Baseball, and a pair of victories over ranked opponents (ECU and NC State), Campbell received a final RPI ranking of 56 and was awarded its first No. 3 seeding in program history.
Tickets for single sessions (games) - priced at $15, $12 and $10 - will go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone by calling (800) DIAL-ECU or (252) 737-4500 during normal business hours. More information about the Greenville Regional, including tickets, parking, and a full schedule, are at the bottom of this release.
THE ROAD TO GREENVILLE
At the 2019 Big South Championship over the weekend, Campbell defeated Charleston Southern, then Winthrop twice, including once in the "winner-take-all" championship game, to secure the Big South's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
In the title game, Matthew Barefoot launched the go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Camels to an 8-6 win over Winthrop, good for Campbell's second-straight sweep of the Big South regular-season and tournament titles.
Koby Collins, the Big South Championship MVP, finished Campbell's three games with a .700 batting average (7-for-10) with two home runs and a trio of doubles for a 1.900 slugging percentage. Collins was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Barefoot, Tyler Anshaw and Zach Minnick.
HOT TEMPERATURES, HOT CAMELS
Campbell enters the NCAA Tournament batting .376 over its last six games with an average of 12.8 runs and 13.1 hits over that stretch. Additionally, the Fighting Camels have hit a home run in each of their last six games, including four multi-home run games for 14 long balls by eight different players. Matthew Barefoot and Tyler Anshaw lead the team with three dingers since May 16.
The Campbell pitching staff owns a 3.17 ERA over Campbell's six-game streak, holding opponents to a .236 average. The Fighting Camel arms have combined to strike out 65 batters as compared to 23 walks over their 54.0 innings. Michael Horrell leads the way on the mound recently, with a 2-0 record in two starts with 15 strikeouts and just two walks over his 13.0 innings.
CAMELS VS. NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD
During the regular season, the Camels faced six of the 64 teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament field: Coastal Carolina, Duke, ECU, NC State, North Carolina and UNCW. Campbell earned wins over Duke (12-6), ECU (7-6) and NC State (5-3).
HISTORY VS. GREENVILLE REGIONAL TEAMS
Campbell faced both ECU and NC State twice during the regular season, splitting the home-and-home series with the Pirates and Wolfpack. On February 20, Campbell handed then-No. 9 ECU its first loss in a 7-6 walk-off victory in Buies Creek. On May 7, the Camels defeated then-No. 17 NC State, 5-3, in Raleigh. Luis Gimenez hit the walk-off RBI single to defeat ECU, while Grant Harris cranked the three-run, go-ahead home run to outlast NC State.
Campbell last faced Quinnipiac in a three-game series in Buies Creek from Feb. 24-26, 2017. The Camels took two of three from the Bobcats that weekend. On March 1-2, 2019, Campbell swept Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member Fairfield in a three-game set. Quinnipiac defeated Fairfield in the MAAC Championship title game, 6-5, to secure the MAAC's automatic bid.
CAMELS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Fighting Camels own a 1-6 overall record in the NCAA Tournament, earning their first-ever NCAA Tournament win against Old Dominion in 2014 (4-1, 12 inn.) as the four seed in the Columbia, S.C. regional. Last season, at the Athens Regional, the No. 4 seeded Camels went 0-2, falling to top-seeded Georgia and No. 2 Duke.
ALL-BIG SOUTH CAMELS
Michael Horrell was named the Big South Pitcher of the Year, and Ryan Chasse was honored as the Big South Freshman of the Year. The pair were also named First Team All-Big South, alongside redshirt-junior outfielder Matthew Barefoot and senior shortstop Luis Gimenez. Junior infielder Collin Wolf picked up Second Team All-Big South honors, while junior right-handed pitcher Wyatt Tyson represented the Camels on the Big South All-Academic Team.
UP NEXT FOR CU
Campbell will continue NCAA Regional action Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium against either No. 1 seed ECU or No. 4 seed Quinnipiac (the full schedule is below).
For the most up-to-date information on Campbell baseball, follow @GoCamelsBSB on Twitter.
GREENVILLE REGIONAL INFORMATION
Gate Opening Times:
Gates will open 1 hour prior to each session. The stadium will be cleared in between sessions.
General Ticket Information:
If available, All-Session tickets will go on sale to the General Public on Wednesday, May 29, at 9 a.m. Individual session tickets, if available, will go on sale to the General Public on Friday, May 31 at 11:00 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ECUPirates.com or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 252-737-4500 or 1-800-342-5328.
All-Session Ticket Pricing:
Chair Back: $90
Reserved Bench Back: $72
Outfield (General Admission): $60 (There are no seats in the outfield)
Individual Session Pricing:
Chair Back: $15
Reserved Bench Back: $12
Outfield (General Admission): $10 (There are no seats in the outfield)
Game Day Parking:
Public parking will be available in the Belk and Lower Minges lots. Parking is $10 per day per vehicle (cash only) in these lots. A link to the Regional Parking map is at the top of this release.
2019 GREENVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 31
Game 1 – No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 Campbell @ 12 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 2 – No. 1 ECU vs. No. 4 Quinnipiac @ 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, June 1
Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 @ 11 a.m.
Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 @ 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 2
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 @ 12 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4 @ 6 p.m.
Monday, June 3
Game 7 – If Necessary @ 1 p.m.
