Winners of four of its last five games, Appalachian State University softball will travel for a mid-week doubleheader at Radford on Thursday that is slated to start at 4 p.m.
The Mountaineers' (17-23, 5-9 SoCon) continue to swing hot bats with 37 runs scored last week at ETSU and Elon with two run-rule victories. Dani Heichen finished the week 13-for-20 at the plate in the lead off spot for the Apps and was honored by the Southern Conference with 'Player of the Week' honors.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
Radford comes into the doubleheader with a 17-20 overall record, including an 11-4 mark in the Big South Conference. App State is 8-11 all-time against Radford in 19 meetings. App State took two games last spring from the Highlanders to finish a perfect 18-0 at home in 2013.
Jessie Hutchens leads Radford with a .381 batting average and 13 home runs and 38 RBI so far this season. Hutchens also has an impressive .800 slugging percentage. Whitney Davis is the other player hitting above ,300, hitting at a .301 clip. Davis is third on the team with seven home runs and second in RBI with 23.
As a team, Radford has hit 42 home runs and scored 160 runs. The Highlanders are also 36-for-40 in stolen base attempts this season and are led by Nia Chiles who is 10-for-11.
Sophomore pitcher Rachael Walters is 7-9 in 18 starts this season. Walters carries a 3.12 ERA in 92 innings pitched with 91 strikeouts. True freshman Abby Morrow is 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA in a team-high 97 innings and has fanned 95 batters.
Notes: Dani Heichen is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak ... in the last five games, Heichen is hitting .650 and is 13-20 in that span ... The junior has put together four-straight games in which she has gone 3-for-4 and raised her batting average 52 points up to .333 ... The Apps now have four players hitting .300 or better this season, Sarah Warnock (.364), Cynthia Gomez (.340), Heichen (.333) and Cara Parker (.317) ... The Mountaineers have hit 17 home runs in their last 19 games ... Parker leads the team with seven long balls ... Warnock is now fourth all-time in career doubles with 30 ... With 235 career punch outs, Alissa Schoelkopf is two strikeouts away from fifth all-time on the career strikeout list ... App State has stolen 34 bases in its last 19 games ... Heichen is 16-for-18 and leads the team and conference ... Her 46 career stolen bases are tied for eighth all-time ... Head coach Shae Wesley is closing in on 100 victories at Appalachian with 96 wins in her fourth season.
- appstatesports.com -
- @appstate_sports -
- @AppStateSB -
