CONWAY, S.C. – After extending its win streak to six games with back-to-back wins over Charleston and Charleston Southern, the App State softball team will now set its sights on Sun Belt play with a three-game set at Coastal Carolina that starts Friday. Friday's game in Conway will open App State's 24-game slate against Sun Belt foes. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m., and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (19-5) at Coastal Carolina (12-13)
- Where: St. John Stadium // Conway, S.C.
- When: Friday, March 13 - Sunday, March 15
Tune In
- Watch | ESPN+ (All Games)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (All Games)
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers dominated their two midweek games in Charleston, downing Charleston 12-2 in five innings on Tuesday before winning 10-0 against Charleston Southern on Wednesday. The Mountaineers scored nine first-inning runs against the Cougars on Wednesday, their most in an inning this season, and scored in all but one frame to take down the Buccaneers on Wednesday.
Grace Barrett,
Makayla McClain and
Macy Hamby each recorded three or more hits in Charleston, with Barrett leading the charge with five in seven at-bats.
Julia Girk pitched in during App State's nine-run first frame against Charleston with a two-RBI triple, while
KB Bradshaw tallied two hits and stole a team-best two bases. Eight different players recorded a hit in Charleston.
Camryn Fisher and
Sophie Moshos combined to not allow a single earned run in Charleston in nine innings of work. Moshos dismantled the Buccaneers on Wednesday, posting a complete-game shutout and allowing just three baserunners. Fisher allowed a first-inning unearned run against Charleston, but rebounded to allow just two hits in her 10th win of the season.
Leading Off
The Mountaineers are looking to build upon a historic season in 2025 that saw the team tie its Sun Belt record for wins in league play with 13. App State's 13 Sun Belt wins in 2025 marked the program's ninth 10-win season in league play.
Not only did the Mountaineers tie their Sun Belt record for wins in a season in 2025, but they finished with a winning percentage above .500 in conference play for the first time since 2013. It marked just the fifth time in program history that App State has posted a record above .500 in league play. App State has never tallied back-to-back winning seasons in conference play.
The Mountaineers enter this weekend's series at Coastal Carolina on a six-game win streak, which is the second-longest active win streak in the Sun Belt (Marshall - 8). It's App State's second win streak of at least six games this season (won eight games in a row to open the year). App State has never posted two win streaks of at least six games in the same season ever.
The Mountaineers enter Friday on their best 24-game start in program history, owning a 19-5 record. The Mountaineers started the year with a perfect 8-0 record before falling for the first time on Feb. 14 in extra innings on a walk-off home run.
App State also enters the weekend with the fewest losses in the Sun Belt Conference with five. App State's only losses this season have come via a walk-off home run or to a ranked team. The Mountaineers' .792 winning percentage ranks 22nd in the country entering the weekend.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Entering the weekend, App State boasts 17 top-50 national rankings. Most notably, App State stands in the top 50 in the country in ERA (25th - 2.63), slugging percentage (40th - .553), strikeout/walk ratio (27th - 2.53) and walks (26th - 108). To put that into context, App State finished with a top-50 national ranking in just one category last season (home runs per game - 40th).
The Mountaineers have played complete this season, and enter play this weekend with a +106 run differential (186-80). App State's pitching staff is allowing just 3.3 runs per game, while its offense is scoring 7.8 runs per game. Additionally, App State's defense enters the weekend with a .966 fielding percentage, which would be the second-highest in a season in program history. 14 of the Mountaineers' 19 wins this season have come by three or more runs.
Through 24 games this season, App State ranks 21st nationally in home runs (38) and 17th in home runs per game (1.58). The Mountaineers have already totaled 11 games with at least two home runs this season, and have totaled three games with four long balls. App State needs just 20 more home runs to match its single-season program record of 58 that was set last season.
App State's offense has been among the best in the Sun Belt, as it enters the weekend with the most runs in the league (186). The Mountaineers have scored at least 10 runs in six straight contests entering the weekend, which marks the longest streak in program history. App State has totaled nine games with 10 or more runs this season and 16 in the Jones era.
The Mountaineers' newcomers have made an immediate impact this season, as App State's batch of nine newcomers has combined to scorch 67 hits and 20 of App State's 38 home runs. Four of the Mountaineers' top five home-run hitters entering the weekend are newcomers.
Boone is home to one of the nation's top freshmen in
Taylor Schafer, who posted a four-homer weekend at the Mountaineer Classic. Schafer enters the weekend with the most home runs among Sun Belt freshmen with eight, which also ranks fourth in the country among freshmen. Schafer's 29 RBIs also rank sixth nationally among freshmen.
Not only has the Mountaineers' offense been strong, but their pitchers have been among the best in the country. App State enters the weekend with the best team ERA in the Sun Belt, while also seeing both Fisher (14th – 2.84) and Moshos (second – 1.81) in the top 15 in the league in ERA. Both players also sit in the top 10 in wins and strikeouts.
Series History
- App State vs. Coastal Carolina
- Record: 8-24
- Last Meeting: May 3, 2025
- Trends
- App State and Coastal Carolina are slated to meet for the first time in Conway since 2024 this weekend.
- The Mountaineers' series victory over the Chanticleers last season marked their first in program history.
Up Next
Following Sunday's action in Conway, the Mountaineers will open a season-long seven-game homestand on Wednesday against N.C. Central. App State will then host Southern Miss for its Sun Belt home-opening series two days later. First pitch against the Eagles on Wednesday is slated for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
