BOONE, N.C. – App State Baseball wraps up non-conference play on Tuesday, playing the finale of a home-and-home series with ETSU. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
App State (21-19, 11-9) has now won a program-best five Sun Belt series this season, following a walk-off home run from
CJ Boyd on Sunday, to lift the Mountaineers over JMU in extra innings. App State got a strong start from
Xander Hamilton in the opener, as he won his seventh game of the season, while
Golston Gillespie slugged a pair of home runs in the series.
Andrew Terrell was a major cog in the App State offense, going 9-for-12 in the series with a homer and two doubles. On the season, App State is led at the plate by
Hayden Cross, who is batting .333 on the year, with 41 RBI in 40 games, and has reached base safely in 29 straight contests. On the mound, Hamilton leads the Sun Belt in strikeouts with 79, which also ranks 29
th nationally.
Seth Whitley will make his first career start against the Bucs on Tuesday night.
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS
ETSU (20-21, 6-9) is coming off a series win over Western Carolina, sweeping a doubleheader Saturday to take two of three in the set. The Bucs scored nine runs in the first inning of game one of the twin-bill, and made it hold up late in a 14-13 win. ETSU has posted a pair of Sun Belt wins this season, defeating Georgia Southern in a game in their second weekend series of the season, before taking the first midweek matchup with App State. ETSU is led by Nick Iannantone who is batting .403 on the year, and is one of four regulars batting over .300. Derek McCarley will make his first start of the season for the Bucs on Tuesday. He is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 15 releif outings on the year. The Bucs will take a break from SoCon action this weekend, as they head to Stillwater, Okla. for a three-game series with Oklahoma State.
SERIES HISTORY
Formerly rivals in the Southern Conference, ETSU and App State will meet on the diamond for the 141
st all-time battle. The Bucs won the first meeting of the season, 5-0, on February 28 to snap the Mountaineers' seven-game winning streak to begin the campaign. It marks one of just three times that the Mountaineers have been shut out this season.
BEAT THE DRUM
Fifth-year senior
Luke Drumheller is among the most experienced players in all of college baseball. He has started 196 consecutive games for the Mountaineers at second base and has played a total of 213 games in his career, which is tied for 22
nd among active Division 1 players. Drumheller is slashing .323/.431/.437 in 40 games, including 14 multi-hit contests, highlighted by a four-hit game against Campbell on March 10. The Charlotte native has tallied 252 hits in his career, and ranks fifth in hits in program history. Drumheller has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games and has not gone hitless in consecutive games all season, hitting safely in 34 of 40 games. Drumheller was a first team All-Conference selection at second base in 2021.
AWESOME ANDREW
Andrew Terrell has been on a tear at the plate as of late, tallying four consecutive three-hit ballgames, and has raised his average by 69 points in his last ten games. Terrell has been scorching in Sun Belt play, batting .400 this season against conference opponents. Terrell has reached base safely in each of his last 11 games, and has not struck out in seven straight contests. The 5
th year senior also stole his 12
th base of the season on Sunday, the most by a Mountaineer since the 2013 campaign.
CLUTCH CROSS
Fifth-year senior catcher
Hayden Cross has reached base safely in 29 consecutive games, dating back to March 10, tallying 31 hits, 20 walks, and six hit by pitch during that stretch. Cross has enjoyed a sensational 2023 campaign, slashing .333/.438/.542. His 13 doubles on the campaign are tied for 12
th in the Sun Belt this year. Defensively, Cross has also thrown out 15 runners, which leads the conference, while committing just two errors in Sun Belt play.
X MARKS THE SPOT
Xaveir Moronta has been a valuable addition for the Mountaineers this season, since transferring in from Santa Fe. College (Fla.). Moronta is slashing .323/.431/.410 with 25 walks compared to 23 strikeouts. Moronta is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-23 (.435) over that stretch, while batting .346 in Sun Belt play. He has reached base in 33 of 40 games played this season. He joins
Luke Drumheller and
Hayden Cross as the only Mountaineers to start in every contest this season.
BOMBS AWAY
Redshirt senior
Golston Gillespie leads the Mountaineers with 12 home runs this season, which are the most for a Mountaineer player since Dillon Dobson blasted 12 home runs in 2015. Gillespie is now tied for tenth on the Mountaineers' single-season home runs list, chasing Daniel Kassouf who hit a program-record 17 home runs in 2012. In addition to his power, Gillespie has been incredibly patient at the plate, and ranks second in the league lead in walks with 39. Gillespie is also tied for ninth in the Sun Belt in on-base percentage at .466.
App State will hit the road for a showdown with No. 8 Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. Friday's opener is set for 6 p.m. with game two on Saturday slated for 2 p.m. The series finale is scheduled for Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. in the finale. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
