Softball Heads to Marshall for Final SBC Road Series

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – App State Softball makes its last road trip of the regular season for a weekend series against Sun Belt Conference foe Marshall.
 
The Mountaineers (19-24, 4-14 SBC) play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon against the Thundering Herd (21-24, 7-11 SBC).
 
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
   
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers increased their nonconference winning streak to six games with a doubleheader sweep of Western Carolina by scores of 5-0 and 10-2 (in six innings).
 
In the doubleheader opener, Sejal Neas took a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing her only two baserunners in the contest. She finished with a one-hit shutout that included eight strikeouts.
 
Peyton Darnell and Macy Hamby each homered in the second game. Darnell went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, and Hamby finished 2-for-3.
  
First Pitch  

• Last weekend, Kayt Houston became App State's career leader for hits and total bases, breaking Lindsay Glover's program-record of 229 career hits, a mark set from 2004-07. Houston now has 235 career hits.
   
• Houston is one homer away from 30 in her career. She has eight homers this season.
   
• Head coach Shelly Hoerner sits just three wins away from 700 career victories. She is already the winningest coach in program history with 159 victories.
   
• Neas pitched her 22nd career complete game Tuesday, and she is now just seven strikeouts away from 200 in her career. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a young age, she has brought a battled-tested mentality to the mound during her softball career.
   
• Fellow pitcher Delani Buckner surpassed 250 career strikeouts Tuesday and how has 253.
   
• App State is 15-10 in nonconference play and is looking for its first Sun Belt series win since a road sweep of Georgia State from March 16-17. Since that weekend, the Mountaineers have faced Sun Belt opponents Texas State (second place), Louisiana (first place), South Alabama (third place), Coastal Carolina (sixth place) and JMU (tied for fourth place).
   
• Since April began, Marshall also swept Georgia State (in early April) but was swept by JMU and dropped two of three games against Coastal Carolina. On Wednesday, the Thundering Herd lost 9-7 to No. 15 Virginia Tech. Morgan Zerkle is the Thundering Herd's first-year head coach.

On the Mountaineers 

• App State is 17-2 this season when scoring at least five runs.
   
• In the circle, Neas has led the way with 22 starts and is 9-12 overall. Kaylie Northrop is 8-5 with 11 starts, while Buckner is 2-6 with nine starts.
   
• Houston leads App State regulars in several offensive categories, including batting average (.423), slugging percentage (.711), on-base percentage (.484), runs (37), hits (60), multi-hit games (19), doubles (15) and walks (18). She has eight homers, two behind Darnell's team-leading total of 10.
   
• First baseman Ambry Lucas has started the last four games at first base after having only two starts prior to that. She is batting .333 (4-for-12) since moving into the starting lineup.
   
• Killian Roberts is four hits away from 100 in her collegiate career.

Series History 

• App State vs. Marshall
  • Record: 2-6
  • First meeting: Feb. 22, 2002 (Marshall 2, App State 1)
  • Last meeting: March 18, 2023 (Marshall 8, App State 0)
  • Notes: With App State facing Marshall as a Sun Belt opponent for the first time last year, inclement weather limited to series to just one game. Marshall improved to 22-3 with its 8-0 victory.

Up Next
App State has five home games in the final week of the regular season. The Mountaineers have a Tuesday doubleheader against ETSU in Boone, then close the regular season with a Sun Belt home series against Georgia Southern. That series will run Thursday-Saturday with the Sun Belt Tournament beginning on Wednesday, May 8.
 
Friday will be Senior Graduation Day, followed by Senior Day on Saturday.