Palmetto State Baseball team of the week, May 12-18: USC Upstate

USC Upstate (3-1 for the week)
(lost to College of Charleston; went 3-0 vs. UNC Asheville)

Whenever the Spartans play, the scoreboard operator is going to be busy.  USC Upstate bookended its weekend sweep of UNC Asheville by scoring 16 and 14 runs. It marked the 22nd and 23rd times the Spartans had scored 10 or more runs in 56 games this season. They're averaging 9.6 runs per game.

The Spartans won 12 of their last 14 games of the regular season, including their last eight in conference play. That allowed them to catch - and pass - High Point to claim the Big South Conference regular-season championship and top seed for this week's conference tournament.

First-year head coach Kane Sweeney has a potent lineup. The team is hitting .318 with five regulars at .329 or better. Upstate has hit 90 home runs. Five players have 10 or more homers, with the coach's younger brother, Johnny Sweeney, and Scott Newman sharing the lead with 17. Johnny Sweeney is tied for third nationally with 78 RBI

Up next: Big South Conference Tournament

Also considered
Coastal Carolina (3-0) - 6 straight Sun Belt Conference series sweeps
College of Charleston (3-1) - winning streak reached nine
Florence-Darlington Tech (1-0) - advanced to NJCAA World Series
The Citadel (3-1) - series win over East Tennessee State

Previous winners
Jan. 24-Feb. 2: Claflin

Feb. 3-9: Francis Marion

Feb. 10-16: Coastal Carolina

Feb. 17-23: Coker
Feb. 24-March 2: Clemson

March 3-9: Lander

March 10-16: Florence-Darlington Tech

March 17-23: USC Upstate

March 24-30: USC Sumter

March 31-April 6: Francis Marion

April 7-13: North Greenville
April 14-20: Charleston Southern

April 21-27: Limestone

April 28-May 4: Coastal Carolina

May 5-11: College of Charleston