BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State softball head coach
Shelly Hoerner announced the 2018 fall schedule that includes four road contests and three home contests.
This weekend, the Mountaineers will travel to Rock Hill, S.C., on Saturday to take on host Winthrop at 12:30 p.m. and Wingate at 3 p.m. On Sunday, the Apps will face Duke for a doubleheader with a 1 p.m. first pitch in Durham.
"I'm excited to finally play outside competition," Hoerner said. "This fall, we are looking to see what kind of chemistry we can build on the field and what combinations will work best so we can build for the spring. Our work ethic and energy levels have definitely been raised with this new team."
App State will be at home on Sept. 30 for a doubleheader that starts with a 2 p.m. game against local opponent Lees-McRae. The Apps' final contest will be a 10-inning game against Lenoir-Rhyne in Boone on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m.
Hoerner and her team will look to schedule an additional doubleheader to wrap up the off-season schedule this fall.
New Mountaineers
With seven freshmen and three transfer student-athletes, the Mountaineers have quite a few new faces this year. "When it comes to adjusting to the college level, I've learned it is a much faster-paced game," freshman catcher Taylor Thorp said. "Having supportive teammates who push you every pitch has made the adjustment fairly easy."
Leadership
Haley Stewart, a redshirt senior infielder, said it's a bittersweet feeling to be in her final year of softball. "The coaches look to the seniors to help lead the team. It comes with a lot of responsibilities, but it's a lot of fun."
"Being upperclassmen, we try to help the team as much as possible and help them understand our standard," said
Gabby Buruato, a junior outfielder. "We have Mountaineer partners to go to if underclassmen and transfer players have questions. We try to be like big sisters at all times."
Creating a Winning Culture
This fall season, App State Softball has worked hard to create and maintain a positive culture. "We have worked the most on creating good team chemistry," Stewart said. "We have really focused on our core values as a team and creating a winning culture. All of this stuff off the field will help us win ball games on the field."
When asked what the team needs the most this fall, Thorp said, "We just need to focus on energy and a winning mentality. We have a lot of talent on the team. As long as we keep our energy up and compete to win every pitch, we will come out on top."
"The girls are setting a new standard daily, so it should be a lot of fun to watch how we produce in live games as we open fall play this weekend," Hoerner said.
2018 Fall Schedule:
| Sept. 22 |
12:30 p.m. |
Winthrop |
Rock Hill, S.C. |
| Sept. 22 |
3 p.m. |
Wingate |
Rock Hill, S.C. |
| Sept. 23 |
1 p.m. |
Duke (DH) |
Durham, N.C. |
| Sept. 30 |
2 p.m. |
Lees-McRae (DH) |
Boone, N.C. |
| Oct. 7 |
2 p.m. |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
Boone, N.C. |
