BOONE, N.C. — Moving forward from a 9-7 win to close a conference road series at Troy, Appalachian State (16-21, 8-9 Sun Belt) plays host to Radford (20-19, 12-6 Big South) on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
App State has a 13-8 record against Radford in a nonconference series that began in 1985. Four weeks ago, the Highlanders posted a 5-0 home shutout of App State by jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and getting a tone-setting start from Hunter Williams, who gave up three hits in 3.2 scoreless innings.
Williams and App State sophomore
Cameron Kepley are the probable mound starters in the rematch, which will be another $2 Tuesday with $2 tickets at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
App State Baseball would like to thank AutoStar Nissan of Boone for serving as the presenting sponsor of the 2019 season.
TAKING THE MOUND
App State's 3-6 midweek record includes a 6-3 win at FAU, which is 14-4 in Conference USA and 27-12 overall with four NCAA regional appearances in the last six seasons, as well as a 13-0 home win against N.C. Central and an 8-2 road victory against UNC Asheville.
After beginning 2019 as the team's Sunday starter, sophomore
Cameron Kepley has made midweek starts vs. Miami (March 6, after a Sunday with no game), Wake Forest (April 2) and East Tennessee State (last Tuesday). Kepley allowed one run on two hits in 2.2 innings and struck out four batters vs. an ETSU team that is currently 27-11, including 21-4 at home. His weekend starts came against Tennessee (three runs in 6.0 IP), Manhattan, Michigan State (five Ks in 4.0 IP) and Georgia State.
DELIVERING BY DALTON
Freshman designated hitter
Dalton Williams went 5-for-12 with a pair of 2-for-4 games in the Troy series over the weekend. His nine multi-hit games are tied with
Kendall McGowan for second on the team —
Luke Drumheller has 17.
BEATING THE DRUM
Freshman infielder
Luke Drumheller, who has hit safely in 28 of his last 31 games, leads the Sun Belt in average (.380, No. 56 nationally) while also ranking second in hits per game (1.49, No. 56 nationally) and second in doubles (14, No. 50 nationally). He leads the team with 32 RBIs.
Drumheller broke a school and Sun Belt record on March 10 with a five-double game, which was voted the national Performance of the Week by the Golden Spikes Award. He became just the seventh Division I player to hit five doubles in a game and the first since Western Carolina's Aaron Attaway in 2012.
PEPPERING FROM PAPP
App State moved forward without 2018 closer
Luke Watts, who had a team-leading 2.29 ERA in 30 appearances, but the Mountaineers brought back
standout right-handers
Kaleb Bowman and
Andrew Papp.
Papp has a 3.86 ERA in 18 appearances with three saves, a 1-1 record and 34 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Eliminating a rain-soaked eighth inning against ULM in which the two teams combined for 10 runs in difficult pitching conditions that led to a pair of lengthy delays, Papp has a 3.07 ERA this season.
Papp entered the finale at Troy in the sixth inning with a 5-3 lead, one out and two runners in scoring position. He retired the next two batters without allowing a run and had two strikeouts while stranding a runner on second in the seventh.
