BOONE, N.C. — Moving forward from a series win at Winthrop, App State continues its 2021 season with a midweek game at ETSU.
First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 3 p.m. There will be no video or radio stream, but fans can follow the live stats by
clicking HERE.
Right-handed pitcher
Cam Roberts is expected to start on the mound for the Mountaineers (2-1), while right-hander Nathanial Tate is the projected starter for the Bucs (2-1). They went 12-3 during the abbreviated 2020 season and took two of three games from Northern Kentucky in Johnson City over the past weekend, splitting a pair of one-run games.
App State took the first two games at Winthrop, and a 10-9, walk-off loss in Game 3 ended an eight-game winning streak dating back to last season for the Mountaineers. They are 13-7 since the start of the 2020 season, and four of the losses have been one-run, walk-off defeats on the road.
Roberts made one start in six appearances last season and threw 74 pitches while going at least five innings in both of his victories — a relief appearance against UNCG and a start against Siena. Tate is scheduled to make his first career start — he led ETSU relievers with a 1.29 ERA in 7.0 innings last season, when he was named a preseason All-SoCon second-team selection, and had a 1.21 ERA in 29.2 innings as a freshman in 2019.
Offensively, second baseman
Luke Drumheller and right fielder
Phillip Cole hit tiebreaking homers in the seventh and sixth innings, respectively, of the 4-0 and 4-1 wins to begin the Winthrop series. Cole has a team-leading five hits in 10 at-bats with four runs scored through three games, while center fielder
Alex Leshock (.333 average, .538 on-base percentage) and utility threat
Andrew Greckel (.300 average, .429 on-base percentage) have both started strong at the plate.
Defensively, with some fine plays by shortstop
Bailey Welch, the Mountaineers allowed no unearned runs in Rock Hill, S.C.
App State holds a 78-58-1 lead in a series that dates back to 1955. The Mountaineers and Bucs were long-time rivals in the Southern Conference before App State moved to the Sun Belt Conference.
