BOONE, N.C. — Atop the Sun Belt's East Division standings with a 6-3 league record, App State (15-16) will play a fifth straight nonconference game on Tuesday when 19th-ranked Charlotte (25-10) makes its first visit to Boone since 2006.
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the game will be available on ESPN+.
App State enters Tuesday having won three of its last four weekend series, thanks to a 9-5 victory Friday in 11 innings at Lipscomb (the Mountaineers overcame a 5-0 deficit and went ahead on Phillip Cole's two-run double) and a 4-3 victory Sunday (the Mountaineers led 4-0 in the ninth inning). That series followed a midweek home game against Wake Forest last Tuesday.
In the last 21 games, outfielder Kendall McGowan is batting .309 with 14 RBIs and seven extra-base hits. Alex Leshock and Bailey Welch have done well turning over the order, as their on-base percentages this season stand at .398 and .407, respectively. They are a combined 11-for-11 on stolen bases, as well.
The 49ers have moved into the top 25 thanks, in part, to a 14-2 record in Conference USA.
App State and Charlotte have played 24 times prior to this matchup, with the 49ers' 15-5 win on March 23 in Kannapolis being the first meeting in 15 years. The last meeting in Boone ended in a 13-13 tie at Red Lackey Field, the Mountaineers' home before Smith Stadium's 2007 opening — the game was called after 3 hours, 54 minutes due to darkness.
The last ranked team to visit Boone was Coastal Carolina (No. 16 to end the 2018 season, with App State winning the finale 11-7), and the last ranked nonconference foe in Boone was Wake Forest in 2017.
Tuesday's starter is RHP Trey Tujetsch (TOO-ish). After appearing in four games last season at South Carolina, he made a Sunday start at ECU on March 7 and also started last week against Wake Forest. He struck out six batters in 4.1 innings, retiring 11 of the 15 batters he faced through four innings.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
In compliance with North Carolina Executive Order No. 195, there are limited seating options available for the remaining home baseball games this spring at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. The executive order currently permits up to 30-percent capacity for outdoor athletic venues.
At all App State venues, six feet of social distancing between seating pods is required, and face coverings are required for all guests and game day staff.
Options for fans include small-group seating areas at picnic tables and on grass hill pods on the first-base side of home plate.
Pricing is on a per-game basis, and seating is based on availability. To purchase or obtain more information about available options, contact Elizabeth Probst in the App State ticket office at probstef@appstate.edu.
App State will be offering concessions that are available through cashless transactions only (Visa, Mastercard and Discover). Available items include hot dogs, candy, nachos, popcorn and Pepsi products.
OUTFIELD FIRE PITS
Each fire pit space comes with four Black & Gold Adirondack chairs, and bike racks will separate the three available fire pits into socially distanced spaces.
Cost: $110 per fire pit (includes free popcorn vouchers for concessions)
SMALL GROUP AREAS
Pet-friendly picnic table seating area for up to six fans.
Cost: $100 (per table)
Grass hill pods for up to four fans with pets.
Cost: $30 per pod
