CONWAY, S.C. – Appalachian State (30-20, 12-11 SBC) is on the road for their final Sun Belt series of the regular season this weekend. The Mountaineers will take on Coastal Carolina (33-18, 11-13 SBC) in a matchup that will play a major role in the seeding for the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
APP STATE OFFENSE
The Mountaineers have managed a consistent .244 team batting average this season, relying on hitting in the moments when needed the most to lift them throughout the year.
From the leadoff spot,
Keri White is hitting with a team-best .345 batting average through 171 at bats this season. With 59 hits on the season, White is fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in total hits bringing along with her 22 RBIs and 78 total bases.
Alison Durrence carries a .641 slugging percentage and 12 home runs so far this year, currently tied for second in the Sun Belt.
Jenny Dodd continues to hold on to a conference and team-best 42 walks this season alongside a .429 on-base percentage.
White is also a perfect 12-12 in stolen bases this season helping the Mountaineers dominate the base path as they are currently 43-52 in stolen bases this year.
APP STATE DEFENSE
The Mountaineers are now third in conference with a 2.78 team ERA and 195 strikeouts through 50 games.
Sydney Holland has seen the most action recently, ending the weekend with a 2.18 ERA. Holland has a 13-9 record on the year with 68 strikeouts.
Kenzie Longanecker goes into the weekend with a 14-5 record and 2.10 ERA, good for third in the Sun Belt. She currently sits at fourth in strikeouts in program history with 89 on the season and 303 in her career.
The Mountaineers have put together a fifth ranked Sun Belt defense with a .967 fielding percentage.
Caylie Kifer and
Sidney Russell hold the keys to the heart of the infield as the Black and Gold have turned 17 double plays this season.
Baylee Morton has held it down behind the plate as she has caught 10 runners stealing so far this season, good for fourth in the Sun Belt.
THE LAST TIME THEY PLAYED
App State is 6-12 in program history against Coastal Carolina through 18 meetings. In 2018, the Mountaineers took the final game of the series 6-4 at home.
After the Chanticleers scored two in the top of the third, the Mountaineers responded scoring three runs on three hits and taking the lead.
CCU would tie the game in the next inning but the black and gold were too much to handle in the sixth.
Heather Josey led the inning off with a solo home run to get the juices flowing. Following close behind,
Haley Stewart,
Ally Walters,
Avery Wheatley and
Laura Sales each hit a single to score three and put the Mountaineers up 6-3.
Coastal would score one in the seventh but could do no more as the Mountaineers put them away for their final game of the season.
SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Coastal Carolina heads into the weekend ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference, just below the Mountaineers.
The Chanticleers are coming off a tough series Louisiana. CCU was swept after dropping the series finale 2-3.
As a team, the Chanticleers are batting with a .252 batting average. Courtney Dean is leading the way hitting .325 with 49 hits on the season. Kassidy Smith leads both the team and the Sun Belt Conference with 14 home runs on the year and a team-high .664 slugging percentage.
Dean follows close behind with 12 home runs and a .636 slugging percentage of her own.
In the circle, Kaitlin BeasleyPolko is the go-to. With a 21-12 record and a 3.10 ERA, BeasleyPolko is ranked seventh in the Sun Belt conference and has 156 strikeouts on the season, good for third in conference.
Ashley Guillette will also see some time this weekend as she enters the series with a 3.66 ERA and 12-6 record. Guillette has 105 strikeouts on the year.
