BOONE, N.C. – App State will face of with West Virginia in a two-game mid-week series this week, in the final games before the start of conference play on Friday. Tuesday's game will be played at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. The teams will reconvene in Boone on Wednesday for an education day tilt, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Audio streams of both games will be available at appstatesports.com.
SCOUTING APP STATE
App State (8-5) will look to snap a four-game losing streak, after falling in a pair of games to No. 24 Campbell this past weekend at Smith Stadium. The Mountaineers fell on Friday, 16-15, despite scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth and putting the tying and winning runs on base. The teams combined for 36 hits and eight home runs in the ballgame. App State dropped Saturday's contest, 12-6, with
Golston Gillespie hitting a home run for the second time in the series.
Austin St. Laurent also enjoyed a career-game on Friday, recording five hits, five RBIs, and four runs scored, all of which were career-highs. App State is led this season by
Hayden Cross who is batting .436 with 18 RBIs in 13 games. On the mound freshman reliver
Jackson Steensma has yet to allow a run through six outings.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia (10-4) has won four straight games, following a weekend sweep at home over Minnesota. The
other Mountaineers also have posted non-conference road wins this season at Georgia Southern, No. 13 Maryland and took two of three from Arizona. West Virginia was picked sixth in the Big12 preseason poll, following a 33-win campaign in 2022. They are led offensively by JJ Wetherholt who is batting .446 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 14 games. Gavin Van Kempen will make his second start of the season on Wednesday for WVU, sporting a 1-0 record and a 1.42 ERA so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY
App State and West Virginia have met just once prior. It came in the 1995 season when App State shut out West Virginia, 6-0, in Columbus, Ohio, before a series with Ohio State.
BEAT THE DRUM
Fifth-year senior
Luke Drumheller is among the most experienced players in all of college baseball. He has started 169 consecutive games for the Mountaineers at second base and has played a total of 186 games in his career, which is tied for 24
th among active division 1 players. Drumheller was a first team All-Conference selection in 2021. Drumheller has gotten off to a hot start in 2023, slashing .358/.452/.491 in 13 games. Drumheller enjoyed a four-hit game against the Camels on Saturday.
CLUTCH CROSS
Fifth-year senior catcher
Hayden Cross has enjoyed a sensational start to his 2023 campaign, highlighted by a walk-off two-run double last Saturday against Gardner-Webb. Cross ranks third in the Sun Belt in batting (.436), and is tied for second in doubles (8) and triples (2), and fifth in hits (24). Cross has tallied seven multi-hit games in his first 13 games played. Cross was named a second team All-Conference catcher last season, slashing .305/.399/.429 with 16 doubles and 33 RBI in 49 games. Cross finished the campaign with 15 multi-hit games, compared to 14 hitless games, while throwing out 37% of base stealers to rank third in the Sun Belt.
SUPER STEENSMA
Freshman reliever
Jackson Steensma has been terrific out of the bullpen to begin his Mountaineer career. The Byron Center, Mich. native has not allowed an earned run through six outings, striking out eight in six innings of work. Steensma earned his first career win on Saturday, recoding the final two outs in the ninth inning against Gardner-Webb, ahead of App State's walk-off win. Steensma struck out the side in the ninth to record his first career save on opening night against Queens.
UP NEXT
App State will open conference play on the road this weekend, as they face off with Marshall in a three-game series. It will be the first matchup with the Herd since they joined the Sun Belt. Friday and Saturday's games will be played at 7 p.m. with the finale on Sunday set for 1 p.m. The games will be played at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Marshall is 8-5 on the season and will host Ohio State in a mid-week game on Wednesday.
