BOONE, N.C. – App State Baseball will play its final weekend series of non-conference play this weekend against the Charlotte 49ers at Hayes Stadium.
First pitch on Friday is set for 1 p.m. Saturday will feature a 2 p.m. first pitch, and the series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m. The first two games will be broadcast on CUSA.tv, with the finale airing on ESPN+.
SCOUTING APP STATE: The Mountaineers (5-6) had their mid-week contest against Davidson, which was scheduled to be played at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, postponed due to inclement weather. Previously, App State took two of three from UNCW at home last weekend, highlighted by a 12-11 walk-off win on Saturday after heading to the bottom of the eighth trailing by seven. The Mountaineers also took two of three games from Campbell to open the season.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE: The 49ers are 8-4 on the season following an 8-4 win over Longwood on Tuesday, helped by three home runs in the contest. The 49er bullpen also allowed only two earned runs over the final seven innings of the contest. Charlotte has won four straight and six of its last seven, starting with a win over West Virginia on Feb. 26.
ON THE BUMP:
Friday: LHP
Tyler Tuthill (1-2, 7.53) vs LHP Spencer Giesting (0-0, 2.40)
Saturday: RHP
Xander Hamilton (1-1, 4.00) vs RHP Cameron Hansen (1-1, 3.21)
Sunday: RHP
Jason Cornatzer (0-0, 1.42) vs LHP Will Lancaster (2-0, 2.45)
SERIES HISTORY: It will be the 26
th meeting all-time with the 49ers holding a 15-9-1 advantage all-time. Last year, Charlotte got the better of both matchups, winning 15-5 in Kannapolis on March 23 and 11-8 in Boone on April 20.
MOUNTING A COMEBACK: Facing an 11-4 deficit in the eighth, the Mountaineers scored four in the eighth, capped by
Hunter Bryson's two-run home run, his third home run of the season, to cut the deficit to 11-8.
In the ninth, the Mountaineers loaded the bases without hitting a ball out of the infield, benefiting from a wild pitch on a strikeout, a walk and an infield single.
Andrew Terrell walked home a run, and then
Dylan Rogers tied the game with a two-run single. Later in the inning, Terrell scored from third on a wild pitch to win it for App State.
App State has had a knack for late-game rallies this season. In their first win of the season on Feb. 19 over Campbell, the Mountaineers scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth, after leading just 1-0 through seven innings, ultimately winning 5-1. The following day, they went to the eighth trailing 4-3 before Bryson clocked a two-run homer, which proved to be the game-winner.
BUILDING BLOCKS: Under the direction of
Kermit Smith, App State went 11-10 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games last season to post the sixth-best record in the 12-team league. It was the program's first winning record and best Sun Belt finish since joining the league in 2015. The Mountaineers also earned their first-ever Sun Belt tourney win with a 1-0 victory against Texas State.
With the Sun Belt ranking as a top-10 league (out of 31 Division I conferences) in each of Smith's first five seasons, the Mountaineers are 32-33 in their last 65 Sun Belt regular season games after winning nine times in 45 Sun Belt regular season games during Smith's first year and a half of rebuilding.
BASHIN' BRYSON: Redshirt freshman
Hunter Bryson has made an instant impact in his first action for App State. Through 11 games, he leads the team with three home runs, which have accounted for half of his six hits. He is also tied for the team lead with 8 RBIs, including a first-inning grand slam against South Carolina on March 1. His three homers are tied for fifth most among Sun Belt hitters.
RACKIN' UP THE K's: In three starts for the Mountaineers this season,
Xander Hamilton has overpowered opposing hitters, striking out double-digits in each outing, and totaled 32 strikeouts on the season, which leads Sun Belt pitchers. He also ranks tied for second in innings pitched (18.0). In contrast, he has walked only three batters this season.
WHERE THEY RANK: Andrew Terrell and
Austin St. Laurent are tied for tops in the Sun Belt with two triples each so far this season.
Hayden Cross has posted a .476 on-base percentage, which ranks 9
th among Sun Belt hitters.
NEXT UP: App State will travel to Greensboro on Tuesday to face North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m.
The 2022 App State baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
