CONWAY, S.C. – Hitting the road after completing a six-game homestand this past weekend, the App State Mountaineers are set to travel to Conway, S.C., to take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a three-game set this Friday-Sunday. First pitch from St. John Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on Friday. Every game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Who: App State (15-19, 3-9 SBC) vs. Coastal Carolina (25-16, 5-7 SBC)
Where: St. John Stadium // Conway, S.C.
When: Friday, April 12 – Sunday, April 14
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers welcomed the South Alabama Jaguars to Boone last weekend for a three-game slate. Two homers from
Peyton Darnell and strong starts from both
Delani Buckner and
Sejal Neas highlighted the weekend, but the Jaguars took all three in close battles.
App State's defense held serve all weekend, keeping the Mountaineers in each contest with clean play. The Mountaineers threw out a runner at the plate in game one on Sunday and turned two double plays in the weekend finale.
Four players recorded multi-hit outings across the two games on Sunday, which included
Macy Hamby's first career multi-hit game in the first contest.
Olivia Cook,
Grace Barrett and Darnell joined Hamby with multiple hits. Cook's two-hit outing in the series finale marked her third multi-hit game in conference play.
In the circle, the duo of Neas and Buckner pitched very well, allowing just six runs in 19 innings while striking out 13. Neas' complete-game performance in game one on Sunday kept the Mountaineers in the contest all game as she battled South Alabama's Ryley Harrison pitch for pitch. Neas currently holds the 17th-best ERA in the Sun Belt.
First Pitch
- Head coach Shelly Hoerner sits just seven wins away from 700 career head-coaching wins. She is already the winningest coach in program history with 155 and became the first Mountaineer head coach to reach 150 career wins after defeating ETSU on March 11.
- Tallying another hit this past weekend, Kayt Houston sits just seven hits away from passing Lindsay Glover's program record of 229 career hits that was set in 2007.
- The Mountaineer offense has been stellar to start the season as they enter the weekend's action with a .301 team batting average, putting them fifth in the conference. Four different players boast at least a .300 batting average entering Friday with Houston pacing the charge at .436. She currently has the second-best batting average in the league.
- Depth has shined for Coach Hoerner's squad this year as 12 different players have recorded a multi-hit game and six players have driven in at least 10 RBIs. Hamby became the latest Mountaineer to post a multi-knock game, doing so on Sunday. Additionally, eight Mountaineers have tallied at least five two-hit games this season.
- App State is tough to strike out as they enter the week with the second-fewest strikeouts in the conference with just 126. Three players sit in the top 20 in fewest strikeouts with Barrett being the toughest hitter in the lineup to punch out. She has gone down on strikes just four times in 115 at-bats this year.
- Switching sides, Mountaineer pitchers pound the strike zone, forcing opposing hitters to work to get on base. Entering play against Coastal Carolina, App State pitchers have walked just 75 hitters, which trails only Texas State for the fewest in the Conference.
- Strong starts often lead to wins for the Mountaineers as when they score in the first inning, they are 9-3 this season and 12-5 when they score first.
On the Mountaineers
- Houston continued her exceptional season this past weekend by extending her reached-base streak to six games. She enters the weekend leading the team in several offensive categories and sits in the top two in the Sun Belt in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
- After blasting two homers last Sunday, Darnell sits tied for third in the conference in homers with eight. She enters the week as one of eight players in the league with at least eight homers and sits just two hits away from 200 career collegiate hits.
- The trio of Houston, Barrett and Darnell at the top of the Mountaineer order has produced great numbers and has set the table all season long for the offense. Entering the weekend, the three have combined for 119 hits, 26 doubles, 80 RBIs and 73 runs scored. Each player has a batting average better than .300 and a slugging percentage greater than .450.
- Home runs have been key to the Mountaineers' offense this season as they have hit 26 long balls in 34 games. Six different players have hit a homer this season and when App State hits a homer, they are 12-4 this season.
- Macy Hamby started each game this past weekend against South Alabama and took advantage of her opportunity by posting the second-best batting average on the team for the three-game set. She generated multiple scoring chances in the first game on Sunday with a double and a single.
- Buckner and Neas have been workhorses in the circle for the Mountaineers in conference play as each has pitched over 30 innings. Buckner returned from a month-long absence on March 16 against Georgia State and has pitched to the 11th-best ERA in the league in Sun Belt play at 2.83.
- Along with their ability to go deep into games, Mountaineer pitchers limit traffic on the basepaths. Entering play against Coastal Carolina, Buckner, Neas and Kaylie Northrop each boast top-25 batting average against tallies in the Sun Belt, with Neas leading the team. Opponents hit just .247 against Neas, which is the 15th-best mark in the league.
Series History
- App State vs. Coastal Carolina
- Record: 5-21
- Last Meeting: May 5, 2023
- Trends:
- The last time App State and Coastal Carolina squared off the Mountaineers took home a 7-1 win.
- App State hasn't visited Conway since 2022. The Mountaineers haven't beaten the Chanticleers on the road since 2019.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will return home after play concludes in Conway, kicking off a five-game homestand by welcoming the James Madison Dukes to Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium for the first time ever. The Mountaineers and Dukes will play a three-game set Friday-Sunday. First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
