PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
ASU Fr. RHP Jamie Nunn (3-0, 1.67 ERA) vs. HPU Jr. RHP Jared Avidon (1-3, 8.68 ERA)

Appalachian State University baseball looks to close its final extended homestand of the season on a high note when it hosts in-state rival High Point on Tuesday at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Fresh off of sweeping the Southern Conference men's and women's outdoor track and field championships, Appalachian director of track and field and cross country John Weaver will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Tuesday's game. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking HERE or at the Smith Stadium gate ($5 reserved seats, $3 general admission - cash only).

For fans that can't make it out to the ballpark, Tuesday's game can be seen live on GoASU TV. Additionally, the Appalachian IMG Sports Network's radio broadcast can be heard locally on WATA 1450 AM and worldwide by clicking HERE.

Appalachian (28-9, 13-5 SoCon), which is 20-1 at home this season, is currently scheduled to play just five of its remaining 15 contests at Smith Stadium, beginning with Tuesday's matchup versus High Point (23-20, 8-7 Big South). The Mountaineers are attempting to replace at least some of the four games that they have had rained out in the past month, which began with a washout at High Point on March 20. That game has been officially cancelled with the teams unable to find a mutually agreeable makeup date and HPU declining to extend a grueling road stretch with a doubleheader on Tuesday at Smith Stadium.

While Appalachian is closing a four-game homestand, High Point is wrapping up six-straight road contests, comprised entirely of matchups versus opponents ranked among the nation's top 50 in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) projections according to WarrenNolan.com. The Panthers are 1-4 in the first five games of the grueling road stretch, having dropped non-conference duels at North Carolina and Elon last week and lost 2-of-3 games at Big South leader Coastal Carolina this past weekend. In all, the Panthers have lost nine of their last 12 games after a 20-11 start to the campaign.

Appalachian rebounded from its first slump of the season by sweeping a three-game Southern Conference series from visiting Furman this past weekend. Prior to outscoring the Paladins, 34-7, en route to the convincing three-game sweep, the Mountaineers had dropped four of their previous five contests. During the 1-4 stretch, the Apps hit just .254 as a team and averaged four runs per game but they rebounded to hit .426 as a club and average 11.3 runs per contest in the three-game romp over Furman.

Appalachian will send right-hander Jamie Nunn to the mound on Tuesday. The true freshman has been the Mountaineer most affected by the recent spate of rainouts, as three of his last five scheduled starts have been washed out. Despite the inconsistent schedule, the rookie boasts a 3-0 record and 1.61 ERA in 11 appearances, including four starts.

The Mountaineers and Panthers have met 50 times since 1956 and squared off on a home-and-home basis each of the past four seasons. Appalachian had won nine-straight games in the series before dropping both contests last season — a rain-shortened, five-inning 10-6 loss at HPU and a 6-5, 10-inning setback in Boone. Despite the two-game skid, Appalachian still leads the all-time series between the two clubs, 27-23.