BOONE, N.C. – Continuing its season-long six-game homestand, the App State softball team is set to welcome the Georgia State Panthers to Boone this weekend for a three-game slate at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. The action against the Panthers is slated to begin on Friday at 6 p.m., and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (21-9, 2-4 SBC) vs. Georgia State (19-15, 1-5 SBC)
- Where: Sywassink/Lloyd Stadium // Boone, N.C.
- When: Friday, March 27 - Sunday, March 29
Tune In
- Watch | ESPN+ (All Games)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (All Games)
Last Time Out
Although it hit 12 home runs across the three games, the Mountaineers fell in the final two games against Southern Miss after taking the opener last weekend. Southern Miss scored 26 runs over the final two games, which helped it claim a run-rule win on Saturday and a three-run win on Sunday.
Despite the overall outcome of the series, the Mountaineers put on an offensive show all weekend long, especially on Friday. App State tied its single-game program record for home runs in the opener with seven in its run-rule win.
Makayla McClain,
Grace Barrett,
Taylor Schafer,
Emilie Ching,
Leah Gore and
Madison Fletcher each hit a home run on Friday, with Barrett accounting for two to go along with five RBIs.
KB Bradshaw and Fletcher led the team in hits for the weekend with five apiece, while Barrett, Schafer and McClain each totaled four.
Julia Girk made history of her own in the series finale, walking four times, which tied the single-game individual record.
Leading Off
Because of a 12-homer onslaught against Southern Miss last weekend, the Mountaineers enter the weekend needing to hit just four home runs to break the team's single-season home run record of 58 that was set in 2025. App State entered last weekend with 43 home runs, which was the fifth-most in program history, and now stands in second with 55. Last season, the Mountaineers broke the old program record of 53 that was set in 2022.
McClain also sits on the precipice of history, as she enters the weekend with 16 home runs on the season. She needs just two home runs to break the single-season record for home runs in a season of 17 that was set by Katie Boyd in the 2009 season. McClain became one of six players to hit at least 30 home runs at App State last weekend with her second home run of the game on March 22.
App State enters the weekend with 21 wins overall this season, which is two short of matching the team's mark from last season. App State stands 11 wins shy of surpassing the program record of 31 wins (done twice in 2013 and 2019) with 20 regular-season games remaining.
The Mountaineers enter this weekend's series against Georgia State with the second-best winning percentage in the Sun Belt Conference, boasting a .700 mark (only Marshall has a better win percentage). The Mountaineers are one of two Sun Belt teams (Marshall) with fewer than 10 losses entering the weekend, while also being one of 51 teams nationally with fewer than 10 setbacks this season.
Despite falling in its final two home contests last weekend against Southern Miss, the Mountaineers started their home schedule 5-0, which marked their best start at home in program history. The Mountaineers need just two wins to surpass their total number of home wins from both 2024 and 2025 (six).
Scouting the Mountaineers
Entering this weekend's series vs. Georgia State, App State ranks 67th in the NCAA RPI rankings as of March 25. App State currently owns the sixth-highest RPI in the Sun Belt Conference entering the weekend. This would mark App State's best RPI finish among Sun Belt Conference teams ever.
App State's offense has been incredible at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium this season, as it has tallied at least 10 runs in all but one of its seven games entering the weekend. App State started its home schedule with five consecutive games with 10 or more runs after totaling a season-best 17 on March 20 against the Golden Eagles. Entering Friday, the Mountaineers are scoring 11.1 runs per game at home.
Additionally, the long ball has played a big role in App State's offensive success at home, as it has hit 22 home runs through its first seven games (3.1 per game). The Mountaineers tied their single-game program record with seven home runs on March 20 and hit 12 home runs against the Golden Eagles across the three games. App State has hit at least two home runs in all but two of its home games this season.
Entering the weekend, the Mountaineers have hit at least one home run in seven straight contests. This streak dates back to March 11, when the team played Charleston Southern. App State has hit at least one home run in all but six of its 30 games this season. The Mountaineers' current seven-game home run streak is their second-longest of the season (posted an eight-game streak from Feb. 27 to March 8).
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 (233). The Mountaineers have scored 10 or more runs 11 times this season, which leads the Sun Belt Conference. The last time the Mountaineers reached double-digit 10-run games in a season was in 2024 (totaled 10 10-run games that season).
Through 27 games this season, it's become clear that the Mountaineers boast two of the top freshmen in the Sun Belt Conference. Schafer enters the weekend as the Sun Belt's leader among freshmen in both home runs (nine) and RBIs (31). These marks also rank among the top 10 in the NCAA among freshmen. In the circle, freshman
Camryn Fisher has become one of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt, as she stands third in the league in wins (11), 15th in ERA (3.12) and fifth in strikeouts (76).
App State's batch of nine newcomers has stepped up to the challenge so far this season, as newcomers have combined to scorch 89 hits and have hit 28 home runs. Entering the weekend, three of App State's top four home-run hitters are newcomers in Schafer (second), Ching (third) and Fletcher (fourth).
Series History
- App State vs. Georgia State
- Record: 15-14
- Last Meeting: April 19, 2025
- Trends
- Georgia State's visit to Boone will mark its first since 2023.
- App State has won each of the previous six contests against the Panthers, sweeping them in back-to-back seasons in Atlanta.
Up Next
App State will kick off its April schedule by traveling to Huntington, W. Va., next Thursday-Saturday for a road matchup at the current Sun Belt lead Marshall. Action against the Thundering Herd is slated to start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
