AUBURN, Ala. – App State Softball is ready to begin the Whitney Jones era with a five-game weekend set in Auburn, Ala., from Friday-Sunday.
All three teams the Mountaineers will face in Auburn won at least 30 games a season ago, while Southern Illinois was an NCAA Tournament participant. The Mountaineers will open the Tiger Invitational with a doubleheader, starting at 11 a.m. ET on Friday against Southern Illinois and then North Carolina.
Who: App State vs. Southern Illinois // North Carolina // Auburn
Where: Jane B. Moore Field // Tiger Invitational // Auburn, Ala.
When: Friday, Feb. 7 – Sunday, Feb. 9
Leading Off
App State will open its 25th softball season on Friday. It will also mark season No. 11 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers have won 496 games entering the 2025 season.
The Mountaineers are set to begin a new era on the mountain as they welcomed the sixth head coach in program history on May 22, 2024. Jones has competed in the Women's College World Series as both a player and a coach. She appeared in the WCWS in 2013 as a player and twice as a coach at Washington.
A tough nonconference schedule awaits the Mountaineers as they will play against 13 teams that won at least 30 games a year ago and seven teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
Additionally, App State is scheduled to play against five Power Five programs in 2025, the most in a season since 2015 (also five opponents). The Mountaineers haven't defeated a Power Five program in nearly five years, last winning on Feb. 8, 2020, against Virginia.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Jones comes to the High Country with a hitting pedigree. Across stints at UCF and Ohio State over the last three years, her teams have posted top-five conference marks in batting average, homers per game, runs scored and slugging percentage.
In addition to what Jones brings to the table, the Mountaineers are coming off one of their best offensive seasons in program history, setting single-season records in team batting average (.296), slugging percentage (.434) and doubles (67). App State also posted top-five marks in runs scored (241), hits (399), home runs (36) and on-base percentage (.365).
App State carries a young roster this season. Of the 22 players on the roster, only nine are upperclassmen (41 percent). The Mountaineers will return just 35 percent of its hits, 19 percent of its homers and 34 percent of its RBI from a season ago.
The Mountaineers return two players who made at least 40 starts a season ago in
Grace Barrett and
Olivia Cook. Barrett, who is in her sophomore season, posted a stellar rookie year with 56 hits, four homers and 30 RBI. Her 56 hits were the 10th-most in a season in program history.
In the circle,
Sejal Neas is set to return for her fourth season in the Black and Gold and is coming off the best year of her career. She tallied a team-high 10 wins a year ago and struck out 116 batters, the sixth-highest total in the Sun Belt.
Jones and her staff also welcomed nine newcomers to the High Country this spring, including three collegiate transfers. Highlighting the transfer class is left-handed pitcher
Sophie Moshos, who comes from Division III Transylvania. In 2024, Moshos struck out 181 hitters and posted a 1.26 ERA, the 19th-lowest mark in Division III in 2024.
Series History
- App State vs. Southern Illinois
- Record: 1-0
- Last Meeting: March 10, 2023
- Trends:
- App State and Southern Illinois will meet for the second and third times ever on Friday and Sunday. All three games will have come at neutral sites.
- The Mountaineers won the first meeting between the two programs 5-2 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., back in 2023.
- App State vs. North Carolina
- Record: 1-6
- Last Meeting: March 21, 2023
- Trends:
- The Mountaineers and Tar Heels will square off for just the second time ever at a neutral site. Five of the previous seven matchups between the two teams came in Chapel Hill.
- App State's only victory over North Carolina came at a neutral site back in 2015.
- App State vs. Auburn
- Record: 0-2
- Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2015
- Trends:
- App State's trip to Auburn will mark its first since 2015 and the third trip overall.
- The Tigers have hosted App State twice before, winning both competitions.
Up Next
Following action at the Tiger Invitational, a four-game weekend tournament in Columbia, S.C., awaits the Mountaineers next Friday-Sunday (Feb. 14-16). The Carolina Classic, hosted by South Carolina, will feature Miami (Ohio), Winthrop and South Carolina. App State's first contest in Columbia is Friday against the reigning MAC champion RedHawks, with first pitch slated to come at 1 p.m.
