BOONE, N.C. – App State begins a four-game homestand at Smith Stadium on Tuesday, as they welcome the College of Charleston Cougars to Boone. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and an audio broadcast of the game will be available on appstatesports.com.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
App State (10-8, 2-1) took two of three from Marshall over the weekend to open conference play.
CJ Boyd led the offense with six hits, including two doubles and two home runs, while
Golston Gillespie also homered in back-to-back games. App State also stole 12 bases in the series.
Xander Hamilton struck out nine on Friday night to earn his third victory of the season, while
Jackson Steensma picked up a clutch save on Saturday, recording the final seven outs of the ballgame. App State has now won series over Queens, North Carolina A&T, and Marshall so far this season.
Hayden Cross leads App State with a .389 batting average, and clubbed his first home run of the season on Sunday.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
College of Charleston (13-6, 4-2) opened their campaign with a signature victory, defeating 14
th ranked Virginia Tech on February 17. They have since posted wins over Coastal Carolina and Michigan State, and have won series against William & Mary and Stony Brook to begin CAA play. The Cougars have played six one-run ballgames this season, going 5-1 in those contests, with the lone loss coming at Clemson last Tuesday. Will Baumhofer leads the team in batting at .377, whole Joseph Mershon has hit seven doubles and three home runs, while driving in a team-best 17 runs on the year. William Privette has been a major cog in the Cougars bullpen, allowing just two runs over nine outings, while striking out 25. Alex Lyon has also yet to allow an earned run in six outings in relief.
SERIES HISTORY
The Mountaineers and Cougars have faced off 46 times in a series that dates back to 1993. Charleston leads the series 34-12, but the two squads have not faced off since 2013, when they split a rain-shortened two-game series in South Carolina. App State took game one, 5-2, behind a Jaylin Davis two-run home run and a quality start from Jamie Nunn.
BOYD IS BACK
After missing 11 games due to injury,
CJ Boyd returned to the Mountaineers lineup last week and was a major addition to the offense over the weekend. In the series win at Marshall, Boyd homered in each of the first two games, including a four-hit, five-RBI game on Saturday in which he added two doubles. He finished the weekend going 6-for-11 and also worked two walks and stole two bases. On the season, Boyd is batting .342 with three home runs and five doubles in ten games played. The sophomore from Lillington, N.C. transferred to App State this season after beginning his career at ECU.
SUPER STEENSMA
Freshman reliever
Jackson Steensma has been terrific out of the bullpen to begin his Mountaineer career. On Saturday against Marshall, he recorded a seven-out save to secure the series with a 9-8 win. Steensma entered with runners at the corners in the seventh and was able to strand both on base. He then stranded a runner at second in the eighth, and escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth to seal the win. The Byron Center, Mich. native has allowed just one earned run through eight outings, striking out 11 in 9.1 innings of work. Steensma earned his first career win against Gardner-Webb on March 4, recording the final two outs in the ninth inning, ahead of App State's walk-off win. On opening night, Steensma struck out the side in the ninth to record his first career save against Queens.
UP NEXT
App State will play their first home games of conference play this weekend, as they welcome Georgia State to Smith Stadium for a three-game series. Friday's game will get underway at 6 p.m., with Saturday's contest set for 3 p.m., and the finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
