BOONE, N.C. – App State Baseball hits the road this weekend, as they travel to Statesboro for a three-game series against Georgia Southern. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m., with Saturday's game set for 2 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. in the finale. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
App State (16-14, 6-5) is looking to snap a three-game losing skid, after falling to No. 2 Wake Forest on Tuesday. The Mountaineers took a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning, but the Demon Deacons scored five in the fifth to pull away to a 10-4 win. App State previously dropped a pair of games last weekend against ULM. Prior to that, the Mountaineers had won their first three series of Sun Belt play, taking two of three from Marshall, Georgia State, and Louisiana. App State is led at the plate by
Hayden Cross, who is hitting .333 on the season with 12 doubles and 31 RBIs in 30 games.
Luke Drumheller is also batting .325 on the year, while
Golston Gillespie has belted a team-high 10 home runs on the season and boasts an OPS of 1.108. On the mound, freshman reliever
Jackson Steensma has made a team-high 15 appearances this season, striking out 21 batters in 18.1 innings to go along with an ERA of 2.95. Friday night starter
Xander Hamilton leads the Sun Belt with 61 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern (16-17, 6-6) is coming off a, 5-4, mid-week win over Jacksonville on Wednesday. The Eagles have endured a really tough schedule to begin conference play, sweeping South Alabama to begin the season, before dropping series against Southern Miss., Old Dominion, and No. 17 Coastal Carolina. Jesse Sherrill leads the Eagles with a .357 average, and has walked more than he has struck out, while Noah Ledford has belted 10 home runs and boasts a 1.006 OPS. Ty Fisher is the Eagles' Friday night starter, and holds a 4.76 ERA through eight outings. Jay Thompson leads the Eagles bullpen, having made a team-high 17 appearances this season, recording a Sun Belt best seven saves.
SERIES HISTORY
The Mountaineers and Eagles have met 100 times in the history of this program, dating back to 1967 and their days as rivals in the Southern Conference. The Eagles lead the series 76-24. Last season Georgia Southern took two of three in the regular season. App State salvaged the finale behind a strong start from
Trey Tujetsch, who fanned a career-high nine in six innings of work. The Eagles then defeated the Mountaineers in the Sun Belt quarterfinals, 7-1, on their way to hosting an NCAA regional.
RECORD ATTENDANCE
App State baseball had a record crowd on hand Tuesday night against No. 2 Wake Forest. 1,376 fans attended the contest, eclipsing the previous high of 1,116 against Georgia Southern on April 16, 2013. App State also announced record season ticket sales ahead of the 2023 season, the sixth consecutive year of growth.
CLUTCH CROSS
Fifth-year senior catcher
Hayden Cross has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games, tallying 19 hits, 12 walks, and three hit by pitch during that stretch. Cross has enjoyed a sensational 2023 campaign, slashing .333/.420/.521. His 12 doubles on the campaign are seventh in the Sun Belt this year. Defensively, Cross has also thrown out 13 runners, which leads the conference, and he has not committed an error in Sun Belt play.
SUPER STEENSMA
Freshman reliever
Jackson Steensma has been terrific out of the bullpen to begin his Mountaineer career. The righty has recorded five saves this season, which is tied for third most in the Conference, while his three saves in Sun Belt play is tied for first. Steensma has made a team-high 15 appearances this season. He did not allow a run in eight of his first nine outings, and currently holds a 2.95 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work, and has also won two games in relief this year. Steensma's season has been highlighted by a seven-out save at Marshall, followed by a four-out save against Charleston, in which he struck out the side in the ninth.
ROAD WARRIORS
App State has been strong on the road this season, going 9-5 in road contests, including series wins over Marshall and Louisiana, and a non-conference sweep at North Carolina A&T. Most recently, App State defeated UNC Asheville on the road, 7-3, on April 4, scoring the final five runs of the ballgame.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
App State is 14-0 this season when leading after seven innings of play, and 14-1 when tied or ahead after six innings. When the Mountaineers score at least seven runs they are 12-1 on the year. Conversely, App State is just 4-13 when scoring six runs or fewer.
UP NEXT
App State will return home to Smith Stadium on Tuesday where they will host UNC Asheville in the second game of their home-and-home series. It will kick off a four-game homestand where they Mountaineers will also host Old Dominion in a three-game weekend set.
