BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State Softball opens its 2019 campaign at Elon University for the Elon Softball Opening Weekend Tournament Feb. 8-10. The Mountaineers look to start off the season with four wins against opponents Longwood, Elon and Eastern Kentucky.
The Apps improved their overall record last season to 17-35 with a 4-20 Sun Belt record, doubling the number of conference wins of any previous season since joining the Sun Belt in 2014. The team also improved offensively in seven categories from the 2017 season to the 2018 season, including an impressive 107 more hits and 48 more stolen bases.
"We're really excited about this season," head coach
Shelly Hoerner said. "We're very competitive, and you know, when you're competitive, good things will happen."
The Apps' participation in this weekend's tournament begins with a 12:15 p.m. first pitch against Longwood on Friday, Feb. 8, followed by a 2:30 p.m. matchup against tournament-host Elon. On Saturday, Feb. 9, App State will face Eastern Kentucky at 12 p.m. and wrap up against Elon on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 1:15 p.m.
Longwood University
The Longwood Lancers rounded out the 2018 season with a 38-16 overall record. Finishing second in the Big South with a 17-4 conference record, the Lancers return 13 players to their roster and add six newcomers. The Lancers were selected as the 2019 Big South favorite. Senior catcher Kaylynn Batten was named preseason Player of the Year, and senior pitcher Sydney Gay was named preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year.
Head coach Kathy Riley is beginning her 22
nd season with the Lancers. In each of her seasons as head coach, Riley has led the Lancers to a .500 record or better. Most recently, Longwood earned the title of Big South Tournament Champions in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Elon Phoenix
Elon wrapped up 2018 with a 24-28 record, finishing seventh overall in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 7-14 conference record. As a former Southern Conference opponent, the Apps have faced the Phoenix for a total of 46 games with 21 contests resulting in Mountaineer wins. This weekend will be the first time App State has played Elon since 2014.
Elon returns 11 players, seven of which are seniors. The Phoenix also add eight newcomers to the 2019 roster. Head coach Kathy Bocock begins her eighth season at Elon as head coach of the Phoenix.
Eastern Kentucky
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels finished with a 45-21 overall record in 2018. In the Ohio Valley Conference, EKU finished first in the regular season with a 19-3 conference record. The Colonels return 16 to their roster and add five newcomers.
Under the direction of Head coach Jane Worthington, EKU is expected to come out on top in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2019. Worthington is EKU's first and only head softball coach in program history. She begins her 27
th season in 2019.
The 2019 season is sponsored by AutoStar Nissan of Boone. To view the full schedule,
click here.
