BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State Baseball opens its 2019 home schedule Saturday at 4 p.m. with the start of a three-game series against Manhattan. The series is scheduled to conclude Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
Season tickets for App State's 28-game home schedule are available at a cost of just $85 for adults, $75 for App State staff/faculty (limit of two) or senior citizens (limit of two) and $45 for youth (ages 3-12). Additionally, there is a Family Four Pack plan that includes two adult season tickets and two youth season tickets for $235 ($25 off the regular price for all four).
App State is close to breaking the season ticket record that was set last year, and season tickets for 2019 can be purchased by
clicking HERE, by calling the Appalachian State athletics ticket office at (828) 262-2079 or by going to the ticket office, located at the Holmes Center, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
To purchase single-game baseball tickets online,
click HERE, and there's also a package for all Saturday home games that's available by
clicking HERE.
Among the new amenities being offered this season, Hatchet Coffee will be sold in the concession stand, and, in addition to the main gate at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium, fans with tickets will also be able to enter the stadium by the fire pit area on the first-base side.
The promotional schedule for fan giveaways at App State home games in February and March was announced recently.
— Saturdays: Winter Gear Collectible Day
A free winter gear item that changes each weekend will be given to fans each time they attend a Saturday home game.
— Sundays: Sunday Funday
The first 100 fans to enter the gates each Sunday will receive a free biscuit courtesy of App State Athletics. Members of the Faith community can also bring a Sunday program to the ticketing area to buy a game ticket for only $3, and those tickets can be purchased in advance by using the online promo code: FAITH
— Fridays: Fire Pit Fridays and Smores Family Packs
A Smores Family Pack includes four tickets with complimentary Smores for $12. To purchase in advance, go online and use the promo code: SMORE
— Tuesdays: $2 Tuesdays
Game tickets are only $2 for Tuesday home games. To purchase in advance, go online and use the promo code: 2DOLLAR
App State Baseball would like to thank AutoStar Nissan of Boone for serving as the presenting sponsor of the 2019 season. The Mountaineers have welcomed 17 newcomers and returned 16 letterwinners from a 2018 team that went 8-7 over its last 15 league games in the nation's seventh-ranked conference.
PREVIEWING APP STATE VS. MANHATTAN
According to the record books, this will be the first baseball meeting between the Mountaineers and Jaspers. It will be App State's earliest home opener since a Feb. 18 game in 2013.
Manhattan (1-2) lost 12-7 against Sam Houston State and 15-3 against Virginia Tech before winning 5-2 against Stetson.
Appalachian returns to action after opening the season at Tennessee, which played low-scoring games against the Mountaineers before winning 18-0 against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday. A road game scheduled for Wednesday against North Carolina Central in Durham was postponed.
STARTING OFF ON A NEW FOOT
Last weekend at Tennessee, newcomers
Phillip Cole (freshman outfielder),
Luke Drumheller (freshman second baseman),
Hayden Cross (freshman designated hitter) and
Robbie Young (junior first baseman) started all three games. Cole, Young and Drumheller combined for six hits and two doubles.
Freshman pitcher
Tyler Tuthill started Game 2, and freshman outfielder
Kyle Decker started the finale. Infielder
Andrew Terrell, pitcher
Jack Hartman and pitcher
Cam Roberts also made their D1 debuts.
PROJECTING THE WEEKEND
Will Sprinkle, who ranked second on the team with a 2.96 ERA last season, is the likely Game 1 starter against Manhattan. He had a 2-1 record in his five Sun Belt starts last season with road wins against ULM (4-1) and UTA (6-4). He left with a lead with two away in the fifth inning of an 11-7 victory against Coastal Carolina to close the season.
Tyler Tuthill, a left-handed freshman from Clayton, N.C., is the projected Game 2 starter. The projected Game 3 starter is sophomore right-hander
Cameron Kepley, who made two starts in 2018 and had 29 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. In his second start, he recorded eight strikeouts and gave up one run on four hits in 4.1 innings against Western Carolina.
Last weekend at Tennessee, Sprinkle held the Volunteers' offense in check through five innings, allowing a single run on a third-inning sacrifice fly. Making his college debut, Tuthill finished with five strikeouts and one run allowed on two hits in four innings, and Kepley allowed three runs on four hits while striking out four batters in six innings.
