BOONE, N.C. — Confidence is contagious.
Just ask Appalachian State softball head coach
Shelly Hoerner, who helped the Mountaineers match the school's single-season record for wins (31) during her second year at the helm and post the longest winning streak in school history with eight straight victories.
Appalachian qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time in program history, finishing with a conference mark of 13-13, and swept its first two conference series against Georgia Southern and Louisiana Monroe, another program first.
Hoerner knew there was something special about the 2019 team during an early season tournament in Charleston, S.C. App State went 5-0 in the Holy City Showdown, defeating Dartmouth, College of Charleston, Radford, Iowa State and Marshall.
"We played together, and we played for each other," Hoerner said. "Everybody was making plays. We were passing the bat down. It was contagious.
"I think that just built up our confidence as a team going into conference play."
That confidence began to show as the Mountaineers opened up Sun Belt play 10-2, the best start in school history. App State finished fifth in the conference with 13 league wins, four more than the total from the past four seasons combined.
Playing as a team instead of individuals was a big part of that success.
"It didn't matter who got the credit, and I think that was really key this year," Hoerner said. "Give your all for your teammates. It's not about you individually, it's about the person next to you and across from you. We win and we lose as a team."
That team mentality helped the Mountaineers earn their first-ever postseason bid. App State was selected to play in the National Invitational Softball Tournament following its record-breaking season.
"We went out there to win every single game," Hoerner said. "We didn't look so much in the future — we were looking at what was at hand, which was winning every pitch and every inning. The team knew what was at stake, and our mindset overall as a team changed with the competitiveness that we had instilled starting last year and with the competitiveness we had in the fall. Competition breeds success."
Another first for the program came on the mound, as
Kenzie Longanecker was the first player in program history to be named All-Sun Belt first team. Longanecker consistently ranked among the top Sun Belt pitchers all season while posting a 2.40 ERA with a 14-9 record and 95 strikeouts.
Keri White earned All-Sun Belt second-team honors after leading the Mountaineers with a .347 batting average, 38 runs, 11 doubles and two triples.
With a strong group of returners and seven incoming freshmen, the Mountaineers look to continue building the program as they set their sights on the 2020 season.
"We are here for a reason — we belong in this conference, and we showed what we can do," Hoerner said. "At the end of the day, we've got to continue to build this program. I'm very proud of what we accomplished this year, but as a team, we know that we have to continue to get better to perform in this competitive softball conference."
