BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State (2-4) returns to action Tuesday with a 4 p.m. road game against Western Carolina (1-6).
App State's Travis Holden (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Western sophomore Blake Therrian (0.00 ERA in two appearances as a right-handed reliever) are the projected starters on the mound.
SETTING THE STAGE
This will be the 132nd meeting between Appalachian State and Western Carolina, as the Mountaineers have 48 total wins and two straight victories in the series.
Appalachian will be playing a home-and-home series with Western for the first time since 2015.
STARTING STRONG ON THE MOUND
With only nine earned runs allowed in a combined 32.1 innings this season, App State's starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 2.51.
Travis Holden, the projected starter at Western Carolina, gave up one unearned run in five innings when he improved to 1-0 with a Game 3 start to close the season-opening series at UNCG.
Friday starter Andrew Vaccacio has a 2.92 ERA with four earned runs allowed over 12.1 innings, and Saturday starter Colin Schmid has a 3.27 ERA with four earned runs allowed over 11.0 innings. Brandon Boone made his first career start Sunday at UNCW and gave up one earned run over four innings.
RANKING HIGHLY IN THE SUN BELT
App State junior Colin Schmid's 11 strikeouts Saturday at UNCW are tied for the most by a Sun Belt pitcher this season, the Mountaineers are tied for second place with only 17 walks from their pitching staff.
ASSESSING APP STATE
Led by second-year head coach Kermit Smith, the Mountaineers have 13 returning players and 18 newcomers following a 19-36 season in which they stood at 18-24 overall and 7-12 in Sun Belt play before closing against South Alabama, Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina.
There are six seniors among the 13 returnees, and the 18 newcomers are split evenly between nine freshmen and nine transfers, including eight from the junior college level. The team's three home runs have come from newcomers: freshman Kendall McGowan, freshman CJ Brown and transfer Drew Beck.
After beginning the 2018 season with seven straight road games, App State's first home game is scheduled for Friday, the start of a three-game series against Marshall. The Mountaineers will play South Carolina in Charlotte's BB&T Ballpark next Tuesday, and they are scheduled to play 40 of their 56
regular-season games in the state of North Carolina this season.
PUTTING THE SEASON IN PERSPECTIVE
In its 55 innings played this season, App State has held the lead after its at-bat 22 times, been tied after 20 of its at-bats and trailed after only 13 of its at-bats.
It trailed after only seven of its at-bats in Wilmington, as it took the lead for good in the second inning of Game 2 and was tied after nine of its at-bats in a 10-inning loss in Game 3.
