Appalachian State looks to improve to 3-1 in midweek in-state road games when it faces Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Boiling Springs.
The Mountaineers (5-16) won at Western Carolina (13-3) and North Carolina Central (6-0) before losing 7-3 at Wake Forest last week.
App State's probable pitcher, junior right-hander Brandon Boone, has started in four of his five appearances this year. He has a 3.44 ERA in a starting role, as he's allowed seven earned runs through 18.1 innings. He allowed five hits, recorded seven strikeouts and issued no walks in six scoreless innings against N.C. Central and allowed three hits while striking out seven batters in five innings against Wake Forest.
Boone allowed one earned run and struck out five batters over four innings against UNCW in his first career start for App State. He gave up two earned runs in 3.1 innings against Marshall the next weekend.
Boone went 7-0 with a 2.48 ERA, 75 strikeouts (10.33 per game) and 65.1 innings pitched last year as a sophomore at Brunswick Community College.
The probable pitcher for Gardner-Webb (13-13) is right-handed junior Mason Fox (1-2, 5.30 ERA). In his five starts, he's allowed 27 hits, walked 12 batters and struck out 16 in 22.1 innings.
RECAPPING THE SERIES HISTORY
Appalachian State has won 25 of its 41 games against Gardner-Webb in a series that dates back to 1977.
The Mountaineers swept a road series against Gardner-Webb last season, winning by scores of 5-4, 4-2 and 5-1 in Boiling Springs.
Travis Holden held Gardner-Webb scoreless through five innings of the 2017 opener between the two teams. He allowed one run on seven hits and struck out four batters in 5.2 innings. Reed Howell had 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, and Drake Zupcic hit a home run for a 3-0 lead.
In the second game, Colin Schmid allowed two runs and struck out seven batters in 7.1 innings. Will Herman closed the eighth inning, and Howell picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. Zupcic and Calev Grubbs had two hits apiece.
In the finale, Luke Watts allowed one run and struck out seven batters in 7.0 innings. Herman struck out two of the three batters he retired in the eighth, and Grubbs finished with two hits.
CONNECTING THE COACHES
Kermit Smith is in his second season at App State following a successful stint at Lander from 2009-16.
Rusty Stroupe, who is in his 16th season as Gardner-Webb's coach, played at App State from 1983-86 and helped the Mountaineers make NCAA appearances in 1984 and 1986. He worked as an Appalachian State assistant in 1990 and was Lander's head coach from 1997-2002.
Smith and Stroupe rank first and second, respectively, on Lander's all-time wins list.
TAKING A BOW OUT OF THE BULLPEN
Right-handed relief pitcher Kaleb Bowman, a junior transfer from Spartanburg Methodist, has allowed no runs, given up five hits and totaled 11 strikeouts in 6.2 innings over his last five appearances.
Bowman struck out five batters and allowed two hits in two scoreless innings of the series opener at Georgia Southern.
Last year as a sophomore at Spartanburg Methodist, Bowman had a 4.58 ERA and 5-4 record on the mound with 53 strikeouts in 57 innings.
WEATHERING THE STORM
App State has played 18 of its first 21 games away from home, with a three-game home series against Marshall occurring after seven straight road games to open the season, and 23 of the team's first 26 games are currently scheduled to be played outside of Boone.
All told, App State is now scheduled to play 36 of its 55 regular-season games in North Carolina.
Unusually severe winter weather prevented App State from playing home games originally scheduled against UNC Asheville (March 7), Wake Forest (App State traveled to Winston-Salem on March 20 and batted last) and Georgia Southern (last weekend's series was moved to Statesboro, Ga.). App State was also set to be the "home" team for a rained-out March 6 game against South Carolina in Charlotte.
