BOONE, N.C. – The Appalachian State softball team opens its 2018 season on the road in the Mercer Invitational in Macon, Ga., Feb. 9-11. Opponents will include Mercer, Central Michigan, Buffalo and Morehead State.
App State finished their 2017 season with a 14-34 overall record. In the Sun Belt Conference, the Mountaineers were 2-22 with their two victories against the UT Arlington Mavericks for their first SBC series victory.
"We are excited to get out on the field this weekend and play someone other than ourselves," Head Coach
Shelly Hoerner said. "We look forward to growing as a team and seeing what is in store for us. Our energy and passion will be fun to watch."
The Mercer Invitational will begin for the Mountaineers on Friday, Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. against the tournament host, Mercer. The Apps will follow immediately with a game against Central Michigan at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 10, App State faces Buffalo at 9:30 a.m. and Morehead State at 11:45 a.m. before finishing the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 11 against Central Michigan at 11 a.m.
Mercer Bears
The Bears are coming off of a 26-31 season in the Southern Conference. They finished fifth in the regular season with a 9-9 record in conference play. The Mountaineers are 1-1 all-time with the Bears with their last meeting in 2001, App State softball's inaugural season.
Current senior Meghan Rud returns this season after ranking second in 2017 in the Southern Conference in batting average with a .393 average. Pitchers Megan Bilgri, a senior, and Stella Preston, a sophomore, led the Bears in the circle last season, ranking second and third in the SoCon with a 2.25 and 2.58 ERA.
Head Coach Stephanie Defeo enters her second season as sole head coach at Mercer. She arrived in the fall of 2013 as a co-head coach. Defeo was a co-head coach for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Central Michigan Chippewas
The Central Michigan Chippewas wrapped up their 2017 season with an overall record of 37-15 and a Mid-American Conference record of 18-5, earning them the regular-season conference title. This weekend will be App State's first meeting with Central Michigan in program history.
Allison Curtis, a junior outfielder, leads returning players in batting average from the 2017 season with a .377 batting average. Taylor Weaver is a top returning pitcher for the Chippewas. She finished with a 1.44 ERA, ranked second in the MAC. She appeared in 38 games with 30 starts for Central Michigan.
Head Coach Margo Jonker has been at Central Michigan for 38 seasons with a 1,224-754-6 record with the Chippewas.
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls, a member of the Mid-American Conference, ended their 2017 season 9-46 overall with a 3-21 conference record. The Bulls and Mountaineers have met twice before for a 1-1 record. The last meeting of the two programs was in 2007.
The 2018 season is Head Coach Mike Roberts' first with the Bulls.
Morehead State
The Morehead State Eagles were 26-22 at the end of the 2017 season. Their conference record in the Ohio Valley Conference was 6-12. App State and Morehead State have met for a total of three games, the last being in 2016. The Mountaineers are 2-1 against the Eagles.
Head Coach David Williams has been with the Morehead State Eagles for seven years.
