Upstate Baseball 4-4 After First Week

The 2026 college baseball season began a week ago and the 2025 Big South Conference Champion USC Upstate Spartans are 7 games into their campaign to make it back to back league titles and appearances in the NCAA tournament. Kane Sweeney’s team returns a solid core of players from last season – most notably among them being 5th year senior infielder Johnny Sweeney, senior outfielder and leadoff man Henry Zenor, redshirt sophomore Catcher Tyler Lang, redshirt senior infielder Jake Armsey, senior Catcher Preston Lucas, senior infielder Gage Griggs. The Spartans also bring back pitchers Chris Torres, Max Bianchini, and his fellow Max – Kaplan. The returning experience more than makes up for the loss of Amp Phillips (now at South Carolina), Vance Sheahan (Miami Fl), Cooper Ellingworth (Troy), and Darin Kuskie (Old Dominion).

The roster also features a ton of newcomers that are expected to make a big impact this season. Redshirt sophomore Maloy Heaghney has been one of the biggest factors for Upstate so far this season with 10 hits in 21 plate appearances – 3 of which were doubles, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs in 5 starts. Redshirt freshman outfielder Trey Bentley is just 4 for 13 at the plate this young season, but he has walked 4 times and scored 6 runs in addition to the 2 he has driven in during his three starts. Junior infielder Clayton Campidilli is 5 for 18 at the dish so far in 5 starts as a Spartan and has 2 home runs – one of which came against Georgia this past Wednesday night, part of the 6 he has driven in and 4 scored so far this year. Junior pitcher Brent Stukes, who was playing division II ball for Landon Powell at North Greenville in 2025, has already been given a start and gotten his first win– striking out 6 in 5 innings with 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs last Saturday at South Alabama. Redshirt junior Max Eichenberger has made 2 appearances already – one out of the bullpen in relief of Stukes last Saturday and the start Wednesday night against UGA. In total, he has tossed 5 and a third, struck out 7, walked just 2, and given up 4 earned on 8 hits.

Last weekend, on the road in Mobile, Alabama and taking on one of the favorites in the Sun Belt Conference, the Spartans started off the season with a series loss. However, they were not without some offensive firepower, scoring 20 runs over the course of three games, including a 10-7 victory in game two to force a rubber game on Sunday. The Spartans rode that momentum to a 13-run 2nd inning onslaught to shutout Western Carolina at Harley Park on Tuesday behind 5 RBIs from Jake Armsey and 3 from Campidilli and a combined 10 strikeout, 3-hit shutout from Max Kaplan and Jacob Kirby. The following day down in Athens, Georgia took a 5-0 lead in the first three innings, and despite a three run shot from Campidilli in the 4th, the Bulldogs plated 5 more in the 6th to give them enough cushion for a 12-6 victory. That set the stage for the first weekend at home for the annual One Spartanburg Inc Classic in which the Spartans would host Northern Illinois, Valparaiso, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Friday, Chris Torres took to the bump against the NIU Huskies and got jumped on early. After both teams went down in order in the opening frame, Husky catcher Ian Dahlberg crushed the first pitch of the top of the 2nd so high and deep to right that nobody in the field bothered to turn. The ball landed in the gully beyond the fence for a 1-0 Northern Illinois lead. Torres bounced back with a strikeout and a liner to center, but with 2 strikes on Husky DH Caden Robertson, he sent another solo blast to right to extend the lead. After Upstate squandered a 1 out walk to Preston Lucas in the ensuing half inning, Owen Ross led off the top of the 3rd with a double to the gap in right center, taking third on a sacrifice fly to right. Charlie Parcell followed that with yet another home run to up the ante to 4-0 in favor of NIU heading to the bottom of the inning.

Upstate finally broke through with their first hit of the game in loud fashion when Armsey lofted his 2nd home run of the week out of right field to lead off the home half of the third. The Spartans bats really got into gear in the bottom of the 4th, sending 9 men to the plate after Torres turned in his 2nd three up three down frame. With one out, Preston Lucas drew his 2nd walk of the game and with 2 down, Wylie Waters lifted a ball to right that barely carried over the right field fence, cutting the deficit to 1. Armsey and Griggs kept the line moving  with a single and a double back to back to set the stage for a Henry Zenor homer that gave the Spartans a 6-4 lead heading to the 5th.

Torres gave way to Kirby after 4 innings with 4 earned on 5 hits with just as many strikeouts and no walks. Kirby ran into some early trouble after a single and a double to start the frame, but he pulled off quite the Houdini act to hang a big zero, inducing a grounder to third to get the lead runner at the plate on a fielder’s choice 5-2. After a fly out to left, he caught the new lead runner at 2nd leaning and picked him off to retire the side. Upstate would add 2 more in the bottom of the 6th on a Heaghney RBI knock and a sac fly from Johnny Sweeney that cashed in a walk sandwiched between two singles to start the half inning to make the lead 8-4. That score held as Kirby escaped jams in both the 7th and eighth, but it would not come without some drama. Nathan Hook came on to start the ninth and got into a bases loaded 1 out jam after a single, a walk, and a defensive miscue on a force play at 2nd. Hook was taken down for Juan Reyes, who after getting a huge K for the 2nd out, walked in a run after getting ahead in the count 1-2 to bring the go ahead run to the plate. Reyes rebounded by getting another ground ball to third that was smothered and tossed to 2nd for a game-ending forceout, sealing an 8-5 Upstate victory.

Saturday’s game against Valparaiso started off with the Spartans in an early hole. Brent Stukes struggled to find the zone after getting the first hitter of the game to fly out to center on his first offering. He then proceeded to give up a walk and a single to the next two batters, clearing the way for a 2-run double to left. After taking a liner off the right ankle that went for an infield single to put runners on the corners, a ground ball to 2nd got the 2nd out but cost a third run. The Beacons added a 4th run on an RBI single to right before a pop up to Stukes finally got him out of the frame with Upstate once again looking at a 4-run hole to climb out of.

After going down in order in the bottom of the opening frame, that hole only got deeper. Stukes gave up a leadoff single. He struck out the next batter, but after a stolen base an RBI double extended the lead. Fortunately, that was all the damage as a hard hit grounder to short ended in the lead runner being run down 6-5. The batter that reached on that play was picked off at first 2 pitches later to retire the side.

Upstate got their first hit of the game on a 1 out comebacker up the middle from Tyler Lang, but he was erased on an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Micah Coleman. The ensuing half inning, Stukes finally managed to settle into a rhythm, recording back to back three up three down frames in the 3rd and 4th. But he was not given any run support with the bats mustering just one hit in that stretch – a 1 out double from Jake Armsey in the third after which he was left on third. Eventually, trouble found Brent again when he plunked the leadoff man in the top of the 5th. Valpo capitalized on it with a 2 run homer to right to extend their advantage to 7-0. Another hit batsman following a strikeout forced Kane Sweeney’s hand and he brought in Brad Benton who picked off the runner at first and got his first batter to pop up to third to get Stukes off the hook after 4 and a third innings with 7 earned runs on 8 hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Upstate’s offense finally cracked the scoreboard in the 5th with a little help from the Beacons’ defense. Tyler Lang led off the bottom of the 5th with a single. With one out, Wylie Waters reached on a throwing error on the third baseman on an attempted force at 2nd. Jake Armsey singled to 2nd, but was erased on a force off the bat of Alex Ritzer, scoring Lang. Back to back RBI singles from Henry Zenor and Maloy Heaghney later cut the deficit to 7-3, but Johnny Sweeney grounded out to 2nd to end the inning. But, the hopes of a comeback took a hit in the ensuing half inning when the Beacons got a run back in the top of the 6th via a 2 out RBI single and 2 more in the top of the 7th on a 2 out 2-run knock that ended Benton’s outing. He gave way to Ben Chuttey, who held Valpo at bay for the next inning and a third, striking out 2 along the way. Jack Gibson relieved Chuttey and tossed another scoreless frame to give the Spartans a shot at a ninth inning rally.

That rally came to fruition as each of the first three hitters reached – back to back walks to Lang and Micah Coleman and a single from Waters. After a pitching change, both Armsey and Ritzer went down on strikes, but Zenor delivered a clutch 2 run single to cut the deficit in half. However that would be as close as it would get as Heaghney struck out swinging to end the game in a 10-5 defeat.

Sunday’s finale to the weekend against New Jersey Institute of Technology was moved up an hour due to the impending blizzard bearing down on the northeast. It was decided to be in the best interest of NJIT for travel safety in getting back home after the game. Max Bianchini got the nod on the bump for the Spartans and once again, Upstate found themselves in an early hole. The game started with a leadoff single and a hit batsman. After Max struck out the next batter, he got a tailor made double play ball on a grounder to 2nd to get out of the inning. But, the throw to first from Heaghney was wild and that allowed the lead runner to score unearned. Heaghney got a chance to redeem himself with another grounder to him, and he won the race to the bag to get the force to retire the side.

The Spartans offense got things going in the bottom of the 2nd after Bianchini’s first three up three down frame. Johnny Sweeney started the rally by drawing a leadoff walk on a full count. That was followed by three straight singles from Armsey, Waters, and Kenan Bowman – whose hit scored Sweeney. Trey Bentley grounded to 2nd, but beat the rap at 1st to stay out of the double play, plating Armsey. Gage Griggs laid down a bunt up the first base line that the pitcher fielded and tried to flip to the plate to force Waters to get the 2nd out, but it was late and all hands were safe. Henry Zenor hit the third straight ground ball, this one to the first baseman, who threw it to 2nd to force Griggs for the 2nd out. On a windy day where home runs would be difficult, it died down at just the right moment for Maloy Heaghney, as he delivered a huge blow with his first home run as a Spartan – a three run blast to make it 6-1. NJIT made a pitching change and he got Preston Lucas to fly out to center to end the inning, but Upstate had blown it open.

Bianchini tossed another 1-2-3 inning before USC Upstate added on in the bottom of the 3rd. Armsey drew a 1 out walk and advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, later to score on a 2 out triple from Kenan Bowman. Upstate threatened to add on when Trey Bentley drew a walk and later swiped 2nd, but they would end up leaving them on when Griggs grounded to the pitcher to end the inning with the Spartans up 7-1 heading to the 4th.

As Bianchini continued to keep the Highlanders at bay, ending his day after 6 innings with 1 unearned run given up on 3 hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts, USC Upstate continued to add on, scoring one in the 5th and putting together another big inning in the home half of the 6th. The Spartans sent 13 men to the plate, hanging a 9-spot to take a 17-1 lead to the 7th inning. Jack Morris came on in relief of Bianchini, recording his first strikeout as a Spartan as he ended up striking out the side to strand a couple of walks sandwiched in and lock down the run-rule victory.

With the 2-1 weekend and 3-2 week, the Spartans moved to .500 at 4-4 on the young season with another 5 game week on deck. This week, Upstate will hit the road to take on North Florida on Tuesday night with a 6:00 first pitch. They’ll have back to back midweek games, heading to Stetson on Wednesday at 6:30 before coming back up to Statesboro for a 3-game weekend set with Georgia Southern. First pitches in that series will be set for 6:30, 2:00, and 1:00, respectively.