BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State looks to improve to 5-2 in midweek road games when it plays North Carolina A&T (16-15) in Greensboro's War Memorial Stadium on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
App State has won midweek games at Western Carolina (13-3), N.C. Central (6-0), Gardner-Webb (8-4) and Radford (5-1). The only losses were to ACC programs Wake Forest (7-3) and North Carolina (4-1 on Tuesday).
HOLDING HIS GROUND
Today's probable pitcher, senior right-hander Travis Holden, is 2-2 with a 6.23 ERA after being 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA through two starts. Holden gave up one unearned run in five innings of a Game 3 win to end the season-opening series at UNCG. He allowed two earned runs, struck out six batters and issued no walks in six innings of a 13-3 win at Western Carolina.
Holden allowed four earned runs in 5.2 innings at Elon, which led 3-0 heading to the sixth inning. He also made March starts at Texas State and Georgia Southern.
Holden will be making his 31st career start, as he started 11 games as a freshman and 13 as the Friday pitcher for the Mountaineers in 2017. He made 13 of his 14 appearances in relief as a sophomore.
HITTING THE ROAD AGAIN
Appalachian State returned home and arrived in Boone at close to 1 a.m. after playing in Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.
The Mountaineers held a lead until the 12th-ranked Tar Heels used a three-run fifth to pull ahead. Joel McDaniel's RBI double in the fourth inning brought home Kendall McGowan, who had advanced to second on a two-out single by Conner Leonard, and Beau Myers contributed a 4-for-4 night at the plate.
App State pitchers Brandon Boone, Luke Watts, Tristan Helms and Andrew Papp limited UNC to six hits.
RECAPPING THE SERIES HISTORY
In a series dating back to 1983, Appalachian State has a 51-6 record against North Carolina A&T.
The Mountaineers won 7-6 in Greensboro and 10-9 in Boone two seasons ago, with Reed Howell picking up the victory in relief on the road. That game was tied after eight innings, and Drake Zupcic scored the tiebreaking run after pinch-running for Conner Leonard, who had hit a leadoff single.
LEADING THE WAY
With 151 career starts to his credit, senior first baseman Conner Leonard has accounted for three of the team's 12 home runs, increasing his career total to 16.
Leonard went 5-for-10 in the Troy series and is 8-for-18 in Appalachian State's last six games.
REACHING BASE CONSISTENTLY
Junior third baseman Drew Beck has reached base in 11 straight games, as he's recorded a hit in six of those games and drawn a walk in seven of the games.
Last year at Howard College in Texas, he hit .419 with eight HRs, 59 RBIs and 21 doubles.
