BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State softball heads to Montgomery, Ala. for the Black and Gold Tournament Feb. 16-18 hosted by Alabama State.
The Mountaineers enter into the tournament with two games on Friday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. EST vs. Akron and 6 p.m. EST vs. Nicholls State. On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Apps face Holy Cross at 3 p.m. EST and Alabama State at 8:30 p.m. EST. The weekend will finish with a competition against UT Martin on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. EST.
The Mountaineers look to improve their overall record this weekend after a 1-3 opening weekend at Mercer. Two returning sophomores,
Alisha Josey and
Keri White, stood out on offense. Josey batted .462 in four games with one homerun. White batted .625 in two games. She went 4-5 in the Apps' win against Morehead State.
Katie Williford aims for another win in the circle this weekend after her winning game against Morehead State.
Akron Zips
The Akron Zips started their season with five losses in the Stetson Lead Off Classic. 2018 will be the Mountaineers' first time on the dirt facing the Zips. Julie Jones enters her 11
th season as head coach at Akron.
Laura Lakins, a junior first baseman, batted .364 to lead the Zips' offense last weekend. Sydney Jascoe, a redshirt freshman, was close behind batting .308. Both players have four hits apiece so far this season. Mikayla Newland, a freshman pitcher, pitched over 18 innings for Akron for three losses.
Nicholls State Colonels
This weekend will be the Colonels' first games of the season after their opening tournament, the Lion Classic, was cancelled in Louisiana last weekend. App State is 0-2 all-time against Nicholls State, and their last meeting was in 2002.
Samantha Mracich returns as a sophomore for the Colonels. Last season she led the team with a .393 batting average with 191 at-bats, 75 hits, and one homerun. In 2017 Megan Landry, a returning junior pitcher, threw 188 innings for a record of 16-8 with a 2.72 ERA.
The Colonels' head coach is Angel Santiago in his seventh season.
Holy Cross Crusaders
The Crusaders begin their season under Head Coach Jen Lapicki this weekend. The Crusaders ended their 2017 campaign with an overall record of 13-30 and 8-10 in the Eastern College Athletics Conference (ECAC).
Mandy McCarthy returns for her senior year with the Crusaders. She finished last season with a .347 batting average, highest among returning players. Two upperclassmen pitchers enter another season for Holy Cross – Alexandra Held and Katy Watson. Held threw 134 innings for an ERA of 4.28 and a 9-11 record. Watson threw 91 innings with a 4.75 ERA last season.
Alabama State Hornets
Alabama State hosts the tournament this weekend under the direction of Head Coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. The Hornets are 1-2 overall this season with their first win against Tennessee State last weekend. They finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 22-35. App State is 1-0 against Alabama State in series history with their win in 2012.
Charlene Castro tops the offense with a .625 batting average after their first weekend. In three games, she had five hits, two of which were doubles. Justine Jean and Vanessa Bradford shared the mound last weekend. This season Bradford holds a 1.91 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched; Jean, a 6.75 ERA in 9.1 innings.
UT Martin Skyhawks
UT Martin holds a 2-2 record so far in 2018. Sunday will be the Apps first time facing the Skyhawks in program history.
Jodie Duncan led the Skyhawks through their first four games of the season with seven hits and four RBIs for a .500 average. Alli Fulcher contributed six hits f or a .462 batting average with five RBIs. Pitching for the Skyhawks was headed by Hannah Ridolfi and Caitlin Karo, each throwing at least nine innings with a 2.90 and a 3.50 ERA respectively.
Weekend schedule and locations:
| Date/Time |
Opponent |
Location |
| Friday, Feb. 16 / 1 p.m. EST |
Akron |
Dean Fain Park |
| Friday, Feb. 16 / 6 p.m. EST |
Nicholls State |
Barbara Williams Softball Complex (ASU campus) |
| Saturday, Feb. 17 / 3 p.m. EST |
Holy Cross |
Dean Fain Park |
| Saturday, Feb. 17 / 8:30 p.m. EST |
Alabama State |
Barbara Williams Softball Complex (ASU campus) |
| Sunday, Feb. 18 / 11 a.m. EST |
UT Martin |
Dean Fain Park |
The address to Dean Fain Park is 8700 Minnie Brown Rd, Montgomery, AL 36117.
To follow your App State Mountaineers, visit
www.appstatesports.com or follow @AppStateSB on Twitter and Instagram.
