Due up: USC Upstate. On deck: UNC Asheville.

For the only scheduled time this season, Furman baseball has a pair of mid-week games this week. The Paladins travel to USC Upstate Tuesday for a 4 p.m. game, then host UNC Asheville Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Furman coach Brett Harker said Monday that USC Upstate's Harley Park plays much bigger than Latham Stadium, and that's reflected in stats thus far this season. While both teams are off to impressive offensive starts, the Paladins have outhomered the Spartans 12-3.
Furman (5-2) is batting .336 as a team with 59 runs scored, while USC Upstate (3-4) is hitting .310 with 57 runs. Sky Overton (.440/1 HR/4 RBI), Brandon Elmy (.433/3/8) and Landon Kay (.412/2/7) have led the way offensively thus far for Furman.
The Spartans have been sparked by Charlie Carpenter (.500/2/10), Brendan Brundage (.367/0/9) and J.J. Shimko (.355/0/10).
Hunter Baker (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who tossed seven shutout innings at Presbyterian in his Furman debut last week, is scheduled to start Tuesday. He should be opposed by USC Upstate freshman Will Wheeler (0-0, 5.79).
UNC Asheville (3-4) travels to Western Carolina on Tuesday before heading to Furman on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have been led offensively by Brandon Lankford (.355/3/8) and Justin Woods (.300/2/10).
Injury report: Harker said Monday that starting shortstop Bret Huebner (sprained ankle) has healed quicker than anticipated and could return this week. ... Freshman outfielder David Webel, who started the first four games this season, is dealing with a tight left shoulder that's making for a painful swing.

Game 7: Furman 10, Monmouth 6

The hits just keep on coming for Furman baseball. Every Paladin in the starting lineup had at least one hit Sunday as Furman piled up 15 total in a 10-6 win over Monmouth. The victory clinched the series win for the Paladins (5-2).
Furman starter Matthew Quarles took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Monmouth's Ryan Bailey broke it up with a one-out home run that cut the Paladins' lead to 3-1.
Furman answered with its most prolific inning of what's been an heavy offensive season in the bottom of the inning. The Paladins sent 11 men to the plate and scored five runs to push their lead to 8-1. The big blow came on a three-run home run by ninth-place hitter Chadwick Word for his first collegiate homer.
The Hawks got back in it with two runs in the sixth and Dan Shea's three-run homer in the seventh cut Furman's lead to 8-6.
Landon Kay provided some insurance in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run homer. Furman relievers Nolan Mullen and Jake Crawford secured the victory with scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Quarles (1-0) allowed just the one run and one hit in five innings for the win. He had four walks and seven strikeouts.
Sky Overton had three hits to lead Furman, while Kay, Crawford and Word each had two. After moving up to the leadoff spot in the lineup, Carter Grote scored three runs.
Through seven games this year, the Paladins have scored 59 runs, hit 12 homers and are batting .336 as a team. Meanwhile, Furman opponents are batting .236.
Furman will look to keep the momentum going this week with a pair of mid-week games. The Paladins travel to USC Upstate Tuesday for a 4 p.m. game, then host UNC Asheville Wednesday at 6 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 6: Furman 12, Monmouth 5

A day after having its offense held in check for the first time this season, Furman responded in a big way Saturday afternoon at Latham Stadium. The Paladins piled up 17 hits in a 12-5 win over Monmouth to even the weekend series
Landon Kay, Brandon Elmy and Cameron Whitehead each had three hits and two RBIs to lead the way for Furman (4-2). Sky Overton, Trent Alley and Chadwick Word added two hits apiece. Alley, a freshman from Charlotte who was making his collegiate debut, added two runs and two RBIs.
After Monmouth's Pete Papcun hit a solo home run in the top of the second, Furman answered in the bottom of the inning when Elmy singled and Whitehead belted his third homer this season to give the Paladins a lead they never relinquished.
Furman added three more runs the next inning, highlighted by Brandon Elmy's two homer, his third this season.
Being staked to a 5-1 lead through three innings allowed Furman starter Grant Schuermann to settle back and throw strikes. He allowed four home runs, but got the win after giving up five runs on six hits in seven innings. Schuermann (2-0) had one walk and six strikeouts and 56 of his 75 pitches went for strikes.
Freshman reliever Andrew Holweger tossed a scoreless inning in his collegiate debut.
Saturday extended Elmy's torrid start. He's batting .462 with four doubles, three homers and eight RBIs. Coming off season-ending injuries in 2016, Elmy and Whitehead have already surpassed their combined home run total from a year ago.
Elmy had one homer in 31 games last season, while Whitehead had four in 28 games.
The Paladins will go for the series win Sunday at 1 p.m.

Monmouth outduels Furman in series opener

In a matchup of reigning conference pitcher of the years, Friday's game between Furman and Monmouth had the makings of a pitching duel and it delivered. In a game that took just 2:16 to play, Monmouth handed Furman ace Will Gaddis his first home loss in nearly two years as the Hawks won 4-2.
Monmouth's top two hitters from last season gave the Hawks the lead five pitches in Friday. Leadoff man Grant Lamberton, who hit .341 in 2016, doubled off the left field fence and Shaine Hughes singled him home. Hughes came around to score after a pair of wild pitches sandwiched around a groundout to second.
Furman catcher Cameron Whitehead cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on his second home run of the season.
Hughes singled leading off the third and later scored on a sac fly by Tom Jakubowski to make it 3-1. Hughes, who went 3-for-4 Friday, hit .385 last season.
"I thought they came out and put some really good swings on Will early. They played really well defensively. Their first baseman made some incredible scoops to get them out of jams, so my hat's off to Monmouth," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We were a little off. ... We never really played Furman baseball and that's disappointing."
After giving up six hits and three runs over the first three innings, Gaddis tossed four shutout innings. The 2016 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year allowed just one hit over the final four frames and retired the final seven batters he faced.
The Paladins (3-2) scratched a run closer in the sixth when Brandon Elmy doubled the opposite way into a big gap in right-centerfield to score Sky Overton.
Facing a Monmouth lineup with seven left-handed batters, Furman lefty reliever Billy Greenfield allowed just an unearned run over the final two innings to keep the Paladins within striking distance.
Furman lost a chance to score in the eighth when a controversial call ended the inning. After a one-out single by Jake Crawford, the sophomore advanced to second on a passed ball. Sky Overton hit a fly ball down the first base line that Monmouth first baseman Aidan Favia made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch of in foul territory. Crawford tagged up and took third and then was stunned when he was called out for leaving second too early on an appeal by Monmouth.
Harker argued the call and questioned why the first base umpire who made the ruling wasn't watching the catch rather than the baserunner.
"It shouldn't come down to something like that," Harker said. "If we play like we're capable of, that's an irrelevant call in the game."
While not as overpowering as Gaddis, Monmouth starter Ricky Dennis (1-1) was slightly more effective. Against a Furman team that had 35 runs over its first four games, the 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He had two walks and three strikeouts.
Justin Andrews allowed two hits over the final three innings for his first save for the Hawks (1-3).
For the game, Gaddis allowed three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings. He had eight strikeouts, no walks, and 68 of his 89 pitches went for strikes.
Gaddis' previous last loss at Latham Stadium came in a 1-0 defeat against The Citadel on May 16, 2015.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Due up: Monmouth

Furman will look to build off a solid start to the 2017 season when the Paladins host Monmouth for a three-game series this weekend at Latham Stadium.
Furman (3-1) is coming off a season-opening series win and a shutout of Presbyterian on Tuesday. Monmouth (0-3) opened the season by getting swept at Florida Atlantic.
The Hawks are coming off a 30-27 season in 2016, including a 16-8 mark and third-place showing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Friday's series opener, which is set for a 4 p.m. start, is scheduled to feature a pair of reigning conference pitchers of the year in Furman's Will Gaddis (1-0, 1.50 ERA) and Monmouth's Ricky Dennis. Dennis, a 6-foot-8 senior, was 9-5 with a 3.78 ERA in 2016.
The Hawks return their best three hitters this season in seniors Grant Lamberton, Dan Shea and Shaine Hughes. Lamberton hit .341 and scored a team-high 50 runs, while Shea hit .312 with a team-highs in home runs (8), RBIs (53) and stolen bases (8). Hughes hit a team-best .385 with 15 doubles and 34 RBIs.
Monmouth freshman Danny Long earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors after coming up a single shy of hitting for the cycle in Sunday's series finale at FAU.
The Paladins will look to stay hot offensively after scoring 35 runs over the first four games. Brandon Elmy (.471/2/5), Carter Grote (.462/0/3) and Sky Overton (.357/1/4) have led the way offensively for Furman.
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Grant Schuermann and Matthew Quarles are scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, for Furman. Those games are each scheduled for 1 p.m.
Injury report: After spraining an ankle last Saturday, Furman starting shortstop Bret Huebner is expected to miss at least two more weeks.

Game 4: Furman 6, Presbyterian 0

Making his Furman debut, Hunter Baker tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the Paladins to a 6-0 win at Presbyterian Tuesday afternoon.
Baker (1-0), a 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior, allowed just two hits - a leadoff bunt single and a third-inning single - two walks and struck out two. Baker is a transfer from Spartanburg Methodist, where he had 33 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings last year.
The Blue Hose (1-3) biggest threat came in the eighth when they loaded the bases against Furman reliever Heath Hawkins with one out. Hawkins got a pop out and a strikeout to escape the jam, and Jake Crawford needed just nine pitches in a perfect ninth to complete the shutout.
Baker became the first Furman pitcher to earn a win in his Paladin debut since Tyler Wood, who tossed eight innings of one-hit ball in a 7-0 win over Ohio, in 2011.
The game was scoreless until the fifth when Walters State transfer Jason Costa was hit by a pitch to start the inning and came around to score on Carter Grote's two-out single.
The Paladins (3-1) padded the lead with a three-run sixth. Sky Overton and Cameron Whitehead each walked to begin the inning. One out later, Furman had consecutive singles by Costa, freshman Logan Taplett, Chadwick Word and David Webel. It marked the first RBIs as a Paladin for Costa, Taplett and Webel.
Overton had two hits, two runs and three stolen bases to lead Furman.
The Paladins return to action Friday opening a three-game home series against Monmouth at 4 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Five homers not enough as Paladins drop series finale

On a windy day at Latham Stadium, five Furman home runs weren't enough as Dayton held on for a 12-11 win to salvage the final game of the series Sunday. The Flyers (1-2) hit three homers as well, none more critical than Mitch Coughlin's second of the day that pushed Dayton's lead to 12-9 in the ninth.
The Paladins (2-1), who chipped away at Dayton leads seemingly all afternoon, continued to rally in the ninth. With two out, pinch-hitter Landon Kay hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to 12-11. Freshman David Webel followed with a walk to bring Carter Grote to the plate as the potential winning run. After a ball bounced in the dirt a few feet away from Dayton catcher Matt Poland, Webel took off for second. He made it safely, but overslid the bag and was tagged out to end the game.
"He's trying to get in scoring position and obviously we love having Grote up there," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "That's a freshman getting after it. I said (to Webel), 'you need to get in scoring position. Don't hang you're head over that.'
"What a great baseball game just from seeing two teams relentlessly battle. ... We gave up six in an inning, but we had the winning run at the plate in the ninth. That's impressive. They just never thought they were going to lose until the umpires left the field."
For the third time in as many games, Furman jumped out on top early. Home runs by Jake Crawford and Cameron Whitehead, along with a two-run single by Dillon Love, helped the Paladins build a 4-1 lead through two innings.
But Dayton answered in the fourth as the Flyers sent 10 men to the plate in a six-run inning highlighted by Tate Hagan's three-run homer. Dayton added three more runs in the fifth to take an 11-5 lead.
While Furman reliever Billy Greenfield shut out Dayton for the next 3 2/3 innings, the Paladins tried to come back. Brandon Elmy and Sims Griffith hit solo homers in the fifth and sixth, respectively, and the Paladins scored a pair of runs in the eighth to cut the lead to 11-9.
Greenfield was the only Furman pitcher that didn't allow a run Sunday. He also didn't allow a hit, struck out three and walked one.
"Greenfield was the player of the game," Harker said. "He put up zeros when zeros didn't look like they could be put up."
Elmy went 3-for-5 with three runs scored for the Paladins to continue his hot start. Elmy was 8-of-13 (.615) in the series with two homers and five RBIs. In an injury-shortened 2016 season, Elmy hit .328 with one homer in 31 games.
"Elmy's always been a warm-weather guy," Harker said. "I joked about it with him on opening day. I said 'Hey Brandon, it's already hot so let's skip the whole being cold your first month,' and boy has he."
Furman next plays at Presbyterian Tuesday at 2 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 2: Furman 9, Dayton 7

For the second consecutive day, Furman jumped on top of Dayton early and made the lead hold up Saturday at Latham Stadium. Carter Grote and Brandon Elmy each had three hits to help the Paladins post a 9-7 win.
After missing all of the 2016 season following Tommy John surgery, Furman left-hander Grant Schuermann was greeted back with a leadoff home run by Dayton's Nick Ryan.
The Paladins answered in their half of the first when Cameron Whitehead delivered a two-run double with two out.
Another two-out hit pushed Furman's lead to 3-1 in the second on an RBI-single by Grote.
Dayton did some two-out hitting of its own in the third. The Flyers had three straight singles with two out and an error on the last one made it a three-run inning.
Furman took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 7-4 lead. The eventful inning featured four hits, including an RBI-single by Sims Griffith, an RBI by Landon Kay on a sac fly foul ball to first, two wild pitches, a passed ball and an error.
Brian Wood's pinch-hit, two-run double cut Furman's lead to 7-6 in the sixth, but the Paladins once again answered in their half. After Jake Crawford was hit by a pitch to start the inning, Sky Overton belted a home run to left.
With Furman holding a 9-7 after eight innings, Crawford retired Dayton in order in the ninth for his first save. Crawford struck out a pair.
Schuermann, Heath Hawkins, Billy Greenfield and Crawford combined for 11 strikeouts and just one walk. Schuermann (1-0) allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings to get the win.
Furman will go for the series sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.

Harker earns coaching win No. 1

Furman first baseman Brandon Elmy celebrated his return to the lineup in a big way Friday to help Brett Harker win his first game as a head coach. Elmy drove in four runs and Will Gaddis allowed one run in six innings as the Paladins defeated Dayton, 9-3, in the 2017 season opener at Latham Stadium.
While Harker was thrilled to get past the first game with a win, the Fountain Inn native said the view wasn't much different from his new seat in the dugout.
"It just felt like a normal game. It's something we've been doing our whole life," Harker said. "I have a great coaching staff. It felt oddly normal and the guys played really well."
Harker said any Opening Day nerves were soothed early when Furman scored three runs in the first and added another in the second. Elmy, who missed the last month-and-a-half of the 2016 season with a broken wrist, provided the big early hit with a two-run single with two out in the first.
While Gaddis didn't have the type of electric stuff he's displayed often in the past, the reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year was still effective. He gave up one run on four hits (all singles) in six innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Three of those hits and one walk came in Dayton's third inning. The Flyers loaded the bases twice in the inning but only got one run on a sacrifice fly by their top hitter, Robbie Doring. The only other hit off Gaddis came in the fifth, but he got Doring to bounce into an inning-ending double play to maintain Furman's 4-1 lead.
"That's what makes him special. To be honest with you, he didn't have much," Harker said. "He just found a way to grind it out and make some big pitches."
After the Paladins scored three runs in the fifth, Elmy helped put the game out of reach with a two-run home run with two out in the seventh.
"That was the biggest swing of the game going from 7-1 to 9-1 because screwy things can happen at the end of games," Harker said. "I thought that could be two really big runs for us there and sure enough, they were."
Dayton cut the lead to 9-3 in the eighth, then loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Jake Crawford came on to quickly end any comeback hopes of the Flyers. The sophomore from Honea Path had a three-pitch strikeout then got Doring to pop up the first pitch to end the game.
The teams play game two of the series Saturday at 1 p.m.

Due up: Dayton

Furman opens the 2017 season against Dayton with a weekend series scheduled for Latham Stadium beginning today at 4 p.m. The Paladins swept a three-game series against the Flyers last February.
Dayton is coming off a 19-36 season in 2016 and finished 11th in the Atlantic 10 Conference at 8-16. The Flyers were picked to finish 12th in this year's preseason A-10 poll.
Senior outfielder Robbie Doring, who started every game last season, looks to lead Dayton offensively. In 2016, Doring hit .264 and led the Flyers in runs (40), doubles (13), home runs (8), RBIs (36) and stolen bases (10).
The lone returning weekend starter for Dayton is sophomore right-hander Austin Cline, who was 4-4 with a 4.00 ERA last season. Also back is sophomore left-hander Tyler Henry, who led the Flyers in ERA (3.06) and went 4-1 in 22 appearances (three starts) last year. Cline and Henry shared the team lead in wins.
Saturday and Sunday games are each scheduled for 1 p.m.

Happy Opening Day!

Well the 2017 college baseball season is finally here and like every other fan, I'm very excited.
Also excited to see how this blog develops. This is my first attempt at blogging. Depending on how this goes I may expand to other sports and leagues I'm interested in.
The basic reason for this blog is simply because I love watching, talking and writing about baseball. Growing up here in Greenville, I've followed Furman since I was a child and was blessed to get the chance to cover the program for a few years with The Greenville News.
If you're reading this you're probably already familiar with the links I have on this page, but just in case you aren't I highly recommend them.
Rudy Jones inspired this blog. His Palmetto State Baseball blog is basically the "Baseball Reference" of college baseball blogs for South Carolina. The work he does to cover college baseball in every corner of this state is truly remarkable.
Dan Scott is the voice of Furman athletics as the school's radio man for football, basketball and baseball. While he's excellent at all three, a listener to one of his baseball broadcasts can quickly realize the passion he has for it. He also hosts a show on Facebook live that typically broadcasts each weekday morning from 10 a.m.-11 a.m., which can be accessed with the link. He will have plenty of coverage of Furman baseball on the daily show throughout the season.
The other two links provided are for the official home of Furman athletics and Furman baseball. The job Furman SID Hunter Reid and his staff do at keeping Paladin fans informed is second to none. Part of the reason I love baseball, as well as other sports, is that I'm a self-admitted nerd when it comes to stats and Furman's are always up to date and in-depth.
While I won't be able to attend each Furman game this season, I will strive to keep the blog updated on a regular basis throughout. I'll be live tweeting the many games I do attend, so be sure to check in at my Twitter feed here or follow me @Scott_Keeler.
I hope you enjoy the blog this season.
Play ball!

A new era for Furman baseball

It will be an odd sight in Furman's dugout Friday when the Paladins host Dayton in the 2017 season opener. For the first time since 1993, Ron Smith won't be there guiding the Paladins.
After 23 seasons and 580 career wins as head coach, Smith resigned last June.
A month later, Brett Harker was selected as Furman's new head coach. Ever since Harker's promotion, there's been an excitement level within the program that goes beyond what's typically experienced after a new coaching hire.
Perhaps the most exciting offseason news came when Harker announced that Leo Mazzone had joined the program as a special advisor.
From 1990-2005, Mazzone helped the Atlanta Braves win 14 division titles as the pitching coach. With the Braves, he coached Baseball Hall of Famers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. Mazzone, who wrapped up his major league career as pitching coach of the Baltimore Orioles in 2006-07, was named the No. 1 assistant coach of all-time by ESPN.com.

Harker added pitching coach Kaleb Davis and volunteer assistant Geoff Kimmel this offseason, while retaining Taylor Harbin, who joined Smith's staff prior to the 2016 season.
Improvements to Latham Stadium continued this offseason with the addition of a 13x38-foot video scoreboard, which was previously used by the Greenville Drive. It was also announced that approximately 880 new chair-back seats will be installed in March. They will replace the current 250 seats and cover nearly all of the stadium's concrete stands.
There's plenty of reason for excitement between the lines this year as well. Furman returns 13 pitchers with collegiate experience, headlined by reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year Will Gaddis. Gaddis, who's scheduled to start Friday's opener, went 10-3 with a 3.45 ERA and had 92 strikeouts and 20 walks in 101 2/3 innings last season.
Sophomore left-hander Grant Schuermann, who missed all of the 2016 season following shoulder surgery, is scheduled to start Saturday's game. Senior Matthew Quarles, a Greenwood native, is slated to start Sunday's series finale.
The Paladins return 11 position players with experience, including eight who started at least 28 games last season. Five of those players hit at least .308 last year led by 2016 SoCon Freshman of the Year Jabari Richards. Despite missing a month of action, Richards led Furman in batting (.343), home runs (10), triples (3) and stolen bases (10).
Gaddis and Richards were each named to this year's preseason All-SoCon first team, while sophomore third baseman/pitcher Jake Crawford made the second team. Crawford hit .308 with a homer and 31 RBIs last season, and posted a 1.47 ERA with five saves over his final 10 pitching outings.
Furman returns three key players who suffered season-ending injuries in 2016: senior catcher Cameron Whitehead (.340, 4 HR, 20 RBI), senior outfielder Carter Grote (.318/6/28) and junior first baseman Brandon Elmy (.328/1/21).
Following the loss of Elmy last season, Deon Sanders was pressed into duty at first base and shined at his new position. In addition to solid defense, Sanders provided some mammoth home runs and tied for second on the team with six homers in 109 at-bats.
Unfortunately the Paladins will be without Sanders this season. Sanders, a running back on the football team, tore knee ligaments last August forcing him out of the 2016 football season as well.
Furman was a consensus fourth-place pick in the SoCon preseason poll and picked up one first-place vote in the media poll.
First pitch for Friday's game is 4 p.m., while games Saturday and Sunday are each scheduled for 1 p.m.