HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team travels to Johnson City, Tennessee to take on East Tennessee State in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 26.

First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday as the series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. The finale will be played Sunday at 1 p.m.

Links to live stats for all games are available at NKUNorse.com. An audio broadcast will be available for Saturday and Sunday's games and is set to begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch. Live updates will also be available on Twitter at @NKUNorseGameday.

Gameday Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (0-4) at East Tennessee State Buccaneers (1-2)
Thomas Stadium | Johnson City, Tenn.
Friday, Feb. 26 – 3 p.m.
NKU: Jr., RHP Justin Watts
ETSU: Jr., RHP Blake Smith
Saturday, Feb. 27 – 2 p.m.
NKU: So., RHP Pat Kelley
ETSU: Jr., RHP Victor Gonzalez
Sunday, Feb. 28 – 1 p.m.
NKU: Fr., RHP Jordan Menfee
ETSU: So., RHP Ryan Simpler
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Buccaneers, now a member of the Southern Conference, are a familiar opponent for the Norse as the squads were both members of the Atlantic Sun Conference during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. ETSU leads the all-time series, 6-2, with the first meeting coming in 1978 when the NKU baseball program was in its sixth season. The last meeting fell on March 28-30, 2014 at ETSU when the Buccaneers took two games off NKU in a three-game set. NKU won game three of the series, 13-11, after Logan Spurlin went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored to help fuel a Norse offense that posted 17 hits.

SCOUTING ETSU: The Buccaneers last competed on Tuesday falling to Virginia Tech on the road, 11-0. They are 2-1 on the year after splitting a rain-shortened series with Bowling Green in the opening weekend. Trey York, who had a team-best .355 batting average last season, shined throughout ETSU's first three games, going 6-for-13 with two doubles and two RBI. Kevin Phillips enters the weekend with a team-best five RBI.

Righty Blake Smith is projected to start on the mound on Friday after tossing 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs in his first start last weekend. Righty Victor Gonzalez is slated for the Saturday spot and is coming off his first outing of the year where he tossed six scoreless frames against BGSU to pick up the win. Ryan Simpler is expected to start on Sunday with an inning of work under his belt.

LAST WEEKEND: NKU opened the season 0-4 after taking on Troy, who posted 30 wins last season. The Norse fell in the season opener, 10-3, after the Trojans distributed 10 runs across six different innings and NKU struggled to cross the plate until the seventh frame. The Norse fell in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday by scores of 5-0 and 6-1, before dropping game four, 4-2, after holding a 2-1 lead through the top of the sixth.

COMING IN HOT: Freshman Will Haueter batted .400 last weekend after going 6-for-15 at the plate with a .533 slugging percentage. The Canton, Ohio, native went 3-for-4 in game three against Troy and opens the year on a four-game hit streak. Haueter launched a pair of doubles and scored one run after getting the starting nod in each of the four games. Meanwhile, sophomore Mike Moffatt was productive at the plate, belting a home run in the series finale and driving in a pair of runs after appearing in two games. 

BULLPEN DEBUTS: A pair of Norse made strong appearances out of the bullpen in opening weekend with senior Alex Bolia distributing 2.0 scoreless innings across two appearances. Bolia struck out three and walked none while allowing just one hit, a single. Charlie Jerger, a transfer out of Heartland Junior College, tossed 4.0 frames in two appearances, which included a scoreless inning of work in the series finale at Troy. Jerger allowed one run on the weekend for a 2.25 ERA.

ON THE MOUND: Right-hander Justin Watts is slated to make his second-consecutive Friday start for NKU. Watts threw 4.0 innings against Troy where he allowed just one hit across his first three innings of work. Pat Kelley twirled 5.1 frames last weekend and held the Trojans to one run and two hits across the first five innings. Kelley ended his outing with two runs allowed and three strikeouts and is expected to start on Saturday. Freshman right-hander Jordan Menfee rounds out the rotation on Sunday and has 5.0 innings of work under his belt.

UP NEXT: Following the three-game set at East Tennessee State, NKU plays host to Western Illinois in a pair of doubleheaders on March 5 and 6 for the home opener. Both twinbills are set to begin at noon at Bill Aker Baseball Complex.