BOONE, N.C. – The App State softball team opens its 2021 season on Saturday, making the trip to Charlotte to take on the 49ers in a three-game series. First pitch is set for Noon on Saturday, followed by the second game of the doubleheader. The final game of the weekend will be played Sunday at 1PM.
App State is coming off a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the remainder of the season was canceled, the Mountaineers tallied 13 wins, including a Sun Belt win over South Alabama and a 1-0 win over ACC opponent Virginia to start the season. App State returns all but four members of the 2020 squad, including an experienced pitching staff.
"I'm really excited about our pitching staff this year. We've got two senior pitchers back with us,
Sydney Holland and
Kenzie Longanecker. They've been the backbone of our team the past few years and we're excited that they're back for a fifth year with us," head coach
Shelly Hoerner said.
"I think their experience is not only going to help our new pitchers but also the returning pitchers on our staff. We have a very deep pitching staff which is going to help us when we're playing teams multiple times."
Holland returns to the circle for the Mountaineers after having a hot start to 2020. The senior finished the shortened season as the leader in ERA (1.78), opponent batting average (.168) and record (8-2), and gave up only 36 hits in her 59 innings of work. She also threw her first career no-hitter, and the first for App State since 2009, in the 2-1 win over UNCG, accompanied by four strikeouts on the day.
Another starter for the Mountaineers is
Kenzie Longanecker who ended the shortened season with a 4-5 record, making 12 appearances with nine starts and 63 innings pitched. The senior led the team in strikeouts with 51 which was good for 5th in the Sun Belt. Her 19 strikeouts looking also ranked 5th in the conference. The right-hander also notched her first save of the season in a 4-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana on March 11.
Freshman
Delani Buckner has made an impact on the mound during the fall and will see significant time this spring. The West Virginia native was named the 2018 and 2020 West Virginia Gatorade Softball Player of the Year. She was also named the 2019 West Virginia Sportswriter Player of the Year. Buckner posted a 52-3 record as a pitcher through her senior year and registered a 0.53 ERA and victories in the last three Class AA state championship games. The right-hander was named First Team All-Conference as a freshman, sophomore and junior and named Second Team All-State as a freshman and First Team All-State as a sophomore and junior.
"We're excited about the depth of the entire staff. They're very cohesive which I think is awesome because they complement each other and they want each other to do their very best for the team," Hoerner said. "I think they have a really good bond which is only going to help the team mentality."
Sophomore
Camryn Brazile and junior
Taylor Nichols also return for the Mountaineers and will see time in the circle this spring. Brazile appeared in four games as a rookie, while Nichols finished the season 1-1, making five appearances.
The Mountaineers also added two more freshman pitchers in
Amala Clawson and
Lindsey Manhart. Clawson is a North Carolina native, attending T.C. Roberson High School where she was named All-State, All-District and All-WNC. Manhart joins the Mountaineers all the way from California, where she attended Trabuco Hills High School, earning All-League honors as a sophomore and junior. She ended 2019 ranked sixth in strikeouts in Orange County.
