App State Softball Opens 26th Season at UNCW Tournament

WILMINGTON, N.C. - The App State softball team is set to open the 2026 season with a five-game slate at the UNCW Tournament, hosted by the UNCW Seahawks, from Feb. 6-8. The Mountaineers will play two games against Kennesaw State (Feb. 6 and Feb. 7), two games against UNCW (Feb. 6 and Feb. 8) and a single game against George Washington (Feb. 7).
 
App State is set to square off with Kennesaw State for the first time on Feb. 6 and will renew a series with George Washington for the first time since 2019. The Mountaineers and Seahawks will meet each other for the first time in nearly three years.

The Matchup

• Who: App State vs. Kennesaw State // UNCW // George Washington
• Where: Boseman Field // UNCW Tournament // Wilmington, N.C.
• When: Friday, Feb. 6 – Sunday, Feb. 8

 
Tune In

• Watch: FloCollege (UNCW games only)
• Live Stats: appstatesports.com (all games)

Leading Off
The Mountaineers' contest on Feb. 6 against Kennesaw State will mark the start of the 26th season of softball in the High Country, and the second season under head coach Whitney Jones. App State is coming off a 23-27 record in 2025 and a sixth-place finish in the league's standings.
 
App State appeared in the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time since 2022 last season after earning a 13-11 record in league play. App State garnered the sixth seed at the tournament, which marked the team's second-highest seed as a member of the league (earned the fifth seed in the 2021 tournament).
 
App State's 2026 schedule includes 52 games, 18 of which are at home. App State's 18 home games in 2026 are the most in a season since 2016. The home schedule is highlighted by the Mountaineer Classic (March 6-8), which will be the first tournament App State has hosted in program history.
 
In addition to the home games, the Mountaineers will play at three separate North Carolina locations to begin the year (Wilmington, Greensboro and Chapel Hill). App State won't travel more than 350 miles from Boone until April 10.

Scouting the Mountaineers 
App State is set to return an experienced bunch for the 2026 season, as eight position players who started at least 35 games last season are back for another year. The Mountaineers will return all three of their all-conference players (Sophie Moshos, Grace Barrett and Makayla McClain), as well as Leah Gore (11 home runs and 34 RBIs in 2025) and Macy Hamby (nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 2025).
 
Jones and her staff will also welcome a batch of nine newcomers this season (five freshmen and four collegiate transfers). Highlighting the incoming transfer class is Gabriella Aughton (transfer from Boston College), Emilie Ching (transfer from Florida Atlantic) and Dakota Daniel (transfer from Alabama A&M). The incoming freshmen class is highlighted by the 2025 Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year Camryn Fisher and Taylor Schafer, who owned a .485 career batting average in high school.
 
It was a record-breaking season for the Mountaineers in Jones' first season, as they set six program records in 2025. Among the records, App State set the single-season record for home runs (58), doubles (74), slugging percentage (.480) and on-base percentage (.372).
 
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.
 
McClain, who is back for her second season in the Black and Gold after transferring in from Campbell last season, was named as the 23rd-best Mid-Major player in the country by D1 Softball on Jan. 19. McClain was named to the All-NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region second team after the 2025 season, and was named Sun Belt Player of the Week a program record three times in 2025.
 
In the circle, Moshos will lead the Mountaineers' staff in her second season after posting one of the best seasons in program history in 2025. She was named to the All-Sun Belt second team, becoming App State's first pitcher to be named All-Sun Belt since 2021, and won 16 games, which was the second-most in a season in program history. The left-handed pitcher enters 2026 with 448 strikeouts in her collegiate career.

Series History 

• App State vs. Kennesaw State
  • Record: 0-0
  • Last Meeting: N/A
  • Trends
    • App State and Kennesaw State are slated to meet for the first two times this weekend in Wilmington.
    • Kennesaw State will be the first of three Georgia opponents App State will face this season (Georgia State and Georgia Southern).

 

• App State vs. UNCW
  • Record: 8-8
  • Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2023
  • Trends:
    • The Mountaineers are slated to face UNCW for the 13th and 14th times in Wilmington this weekend.
    • App State has won five of the last six games against UNCW.

 

• App State vs. George Washington
  • Record: 1-1
  • Last Meeting: May 17, 2019
  • Trends:
    • App State and George Washington are set to meet for the first time in nearly seven years on Saturday.
    • The Mountaineers have allowed two or fewer runs in both matchups against the Revolutionaries.

Up Next
App State will next head approximately 113 miles down the mountain to the Spiro Classic for a five-game slate hosted by UNCG next Friday-Sunday (Feb. 13-15). The Mountaineers will face Columbia twice (Feb. 13 and Feb. 14), Fairfield (Feb. 13) and UNCG twice (Feb. 14 and Feb. 15). First pitch against Columbia is slated for 10 a.m. on Friday.