BOONE, N.C. – App State Baseball continues their homestand this weekend, as they face off with Old Dominion in a three-game series. It will be the first meeting between the Mountaineers and Monarchs as Sun Belt members. Friday's game is set for 6 p.m. with a 3 p.m. start on Saturday, and a 1 p.m. first pitch in the finale on Sunday. Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while the final two games on the series will be audio broadcasts on appstatesports.com.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
App State (17-17, 7-7) is looking to rebound after a mid-week loss to UNC Asheville. It was a back-and-forth ballgame, with the Mountaineers coming back to tie on three separate occasions before falling, 7-6. App State has dropped six of their last seven games, after winning their first three series of Sun Belt play, taking two of three from Marshall, Georgia State, and Louisiana prior to dropping series to ULM and Georgia Southern. App State is led at the plate by
Luke Drumheller who is hitting .326 on the year, and has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games.
Hayden Cross leads the squad with 12 doubles and 34 RBIs in 34 games, and has reached base safely in 23 straight contests. On the mound, App State is led by Friday night ace
Xander Hamilton, who has accounted for six of the Mountaineers 17 wins, and leads the Sun Belt in strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
Old Dominion (25-11, 9-6) is coming off a mid-week victory over VMI, as head coach Chris Finwood defeated his alma mater for the second time this season. Last weekend, the Monarchs dropped their series to Coastal Carolina, falling in the rubber game in 10 innings on Sunday. ODU has posted series wins over ULM, Marshall, and Georgia Southern this season. At the plate, the Monarchs are led by Hunter Fitz-Gerald who is batting .338 with 15 home runs, the second most by a Sun Belt player this year. He is one of five regulars in the ODU batting order with an OPS over 1.000, while the Monarchs as a team are batting .305 on the year. Saturday starter Sam Armstrong has led the Monarchs with six wins this season to go along with a 3.40 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. John Holobetz and Robert Cook split closer duties for ODU.
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend's series will mark the first meeting between the Mountaineers and Monarchs as Sun Belt members. The two teams have faced off five times prior, dating back to 1997, with the Monarchs winning all five meetings. The programs most recently met in 2016 with Old Dominion winning 12-3 in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
RECORD ATTENDANCE
App State baseball welcomed a record crowd last 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.
MR. 600
Head Coach
Kermit Smith recorded his 600
th career victory last Friday night against Georgia Southern. Prior to his arrival in Boone, Smith won 244 games at Lander and 228 at Belmont Abbey, taking each to the Division II College World Series. He has since won 128 games in seven seasons with the Mountaineers. After passing Frank Lovrich's 125 wins earlier this year, Smith now ranks third on the Mountaineers wins list, trailing only Jim Morris (611) and Chris Pollard (244).
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Xander Hamilton will start the opening game of the series for the Mountaineers. The junior right-hander has been incredibly impressive this season, winning the Sun Belt pitcher of the week award three weeks ago, following a career-high 13-strikeout performance against Louisiana, the most by a Mountaineer in recorded history. Hamilton leads the Sun Belt with 70 strikeouts this season, coming in 50.1 innings of work. Hamilton is tied for second in the conference with six wins this season, and the Mountaineers are 7-2 when he starts. Hamilton has struck out nine batters or more in five of his nine starts this season. App State has also given him tremendous run support, scoring an average of 9.1 runs in his outings, compared to 6.0 runs in games he does not start.
BEAT THE DRUM
Fifth-year senior
Luke Drumheller is among the most experienced players in all of college baseball. He has started 190 consecutive games for the Mountaineers at second base and has played a total of 207 games in his career, which is tied for 21
st among active Division 1 players. Drumheller is slashing .326/.428/.430 in 34 games, including 12 multi-hit contests, highlighted by a four-hit game against Campbell on March 10. Drumheller is riding a 7-game hitting streak (10-for-28, .357), and has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games. Drumheller has not gone hitless in consecutive games all season, hitting safely in 28 of 34 games. Drumheller was a first team All-Conference selection at second base in 2021.
UP NEXT
App State will face off with Wake Forest on Wednesday, in the second of a home-and-home series with the Demon Deacons. The contest will be played at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C., home of the American Legion World Series. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
