CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Looking to build on an 8-1 start to the season, the App State softball team is set to head down the mountain approximately 164 miles to Chapel Hill for the Tar Heel Invitational this Friday-Sunday. This will be the final of three road trips to North Carolina locations in consecutive weeks (Wilmington - Feb. 6-8 and Greensboro - Feb. 12-14). First pitch this weekend is slated for 12:30 p.m. against Princeton on Friday.
The Mountaineers are set to face four different opponents at the Tar Heel Invitational in Princeton, North Carolina, Rider and North Carolina Central. App State's contests against UNC and N.C. Central will be the team's fifth and sixth matchups this season against in-state foes.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (8-1) vs. Princeton (4-1) // North Carolina (9-0) // Rider (2-3) // N.C. Central (1-8)
- Where: Anderson Softball Field // Tar Heel Invitational // Chapel Hill, N.C.
- When: Friday, Feb. 20 – Sunday, Feb. 22
Tune In
- Watch | ACCNX (App State vs. North Carolina on Feb. 20)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (all games)
Last Time Out
App State wrapped up play at The Spiro Classic with a 4-1 mark, posting wins over UNCG, Columbia (two times) and Fairfield. App State extended its season-opening win streak to eight games before falling to the Spartans on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning on Saturday.
Nine different players recorded at least four hits for the weekend. App State was paced by six hits apiece from
Leah Gore and
Makayla McClain, while
Julia Girk tallied five hits and reached base eight total times.
Madison McIntyre and
Dakota Daniel each drove home four runs, and
Grace Barrett and
Taylor Schafer led the team with two doubles apiece.
McClain hit the game-tying home run in the third inning in App State's win over Columbia on Saturday, which was her fourth home run of the weekend. McClain totaled six hits in Greensboro, with four of them being home runs. This included two grand slams in the Mountaineers' Friday win over Columbia. McClain drove home a team-best 11 RBIs at The Spiro Classic.
Leading Off
App State enters the weekend in Chapel Hill on its best start in program history, owning a win in eight of its first nine games. App State started the year with eight straight wins before falling on a walk-off home run to UNCG last Saturday.
Despite seeing their unbeaten streak end last Saturday, the Mountaineers' eight straight victories were tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history. This streak was bested only by a nine-game winning streak in 2021. App State had just three previous win streaks of seven or more prior to this season (2021 - 9, 2019 - 8 and 2018 - 7).
The Mountaineers enter this weekend tied with Troy for the fewest losses in the Sun Belt Conference with one. In fact, App State is one of just 26 teams with just one loss entering the weekend, and also one of just 22 teams in NCAA Division I with a winning percentage of 88 percent or higher.
Because of App State's torrid start to the season, it jumped into D1 Softball's Mid-Major rankings on Monday, checking in at No. 24 in the poll. The ranking marks App State's first in the poll. App State is one of five Sun Belt teams ranked in this week's top 25.
App State's contest against North Carolina on Friday will mark the first of four games against a High-Major opponent this season. App State hasn't beaten a Power 5 opponent in just over six years, last topping a Power 5 foe on Feb. 8, 2020, when it beat Virginia. App State is set to play each of its four Power 5 games within the next two weeks.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State returns an experienced group in 2026, as eight position players who started at least 35 games last season are back for another year. The Mountaineers returned all three of their all-conference players (Moshos, Barrett and McClain), as well as Gore (11 home runs and 34 RBIs in 2025) and
Macy Hamby (nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 2025).
Additionally, App State welcomed a batch of nine newcomers to the mountain this offseason (five freshmen and four collegiate transfers). App State's incoming class has made an immediate impact already this season as newcomers have combined to scorch 30 hits and bash four of App State's 12 home runs.
Emilie Ching has hit two home runs entering the weekend, which ranks second on the team, while
KB Bradshaw and
Madison Fletcher have each hit one.
App State saw two players named to the 15-player Preseason All-Sun Belt team on Jan. 28 in Barrett and McClain. It marked the first time that two Mountaineers garnered preseason recognition by the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers were one of four Sun Belt programs with multiple preseason All-Sun Belt selections.
Entering the weekend, the Mountaineers sit at 70 runs scored, which puts them in third place in the Sun Belt Conference in that category. They are one of just 51 Division I teams to have scored 70 or more runs this season. App State enters the weekend having outscored its opponents by 40 runs (70-30).
In addition to the top-50 runs scored total, App State enters the Tar Heel Invitational with 15 top-50 marks in the NCAA. Most notably, the Mountaineers rank in the top 50 in ERA (21st - 2.31), home runs (43rd - 12), scoring offense (29th - 7.78) and walks (19th - 46). The Mountaineers finished with just one top-50 stat ranking last season.
After hitting four home runs last weekend, McClain enters the weekend ranked sixth nationally in home runs with six. McClain has hit a home run in all but four of App State's nine games this season. She became one of only 10 players in program history to hit 20 career home runs after hitting her sixth home run of the year against Columbia last Saturday.
Girk paces the App State offense in batting average entering the weekend and is the only Mountaineer with a batting average above .400 this season. Additionally, Daniel owns the third-highest batting average on the team at .379. The duo at the bottom of the order has done great at flipping the lineup over this season, as the two have combined for 21 hits entering the weekend.
The duo of Fisher and Moshos combined to pitch every single out last weekend at The Spiro Classic, and did it well, as the two combined to allow just nine earned runs across 34.2 innings of work. Moshos allowed just four earned runs in her 19 innings pitched, while Fisher gave up just five. Both sit tied for first in the Sun Belt in wins with four apiece entering the weekend.
Series History
- App State vs. Princeton
- Record: 0-0
- Last Meeting: N/A
- Trends:
- App State and Princeton will square off for the first time this weekend.
- The Mountaineers are 2-0 against the Ivy League this season.
- App State vs. North Carolina
- Record: 1-8
- Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2025
- Trends:
- The Mountaineers are slated to meet with the Tar Heels for the third time since the start of last season.
- App State is looking for its first win over UNC since 2015.
- App State vs. Rider
- Record: 3-0
- Last Meeting: March 4, 2017
- Trends:
- App State and Rider are set to renew a series that dates back to 2002 on Saturday.
- The Mountaineers are 3-0 against the Stags.
- App State vs. N.C. Central
- Record: 12-1
- Last Meeting: March 29, 2023
- Trends
- Sunday's contest will be the first of four games between the Mountaineers and Eagles this season.
- App State has won each of the last 10 games against N.C. Central.
Up Next
Following Sunday's game against N.C. Central, the Mountaineers will leave North Carolina for the first time, traveling to Knoxville, Tenn., for the Tennessee Invitational. App State will meet No. 1 Tennessee twice, N.C. Central twice and RV Penn State while in Knoxville. The Mountaineers will kick off play with a Friday doubleheader against the Eagles and the Volunteers, with first pitch on Friday slated for 10 a.m.
