CHARLESTON, S.C. – Fresh off an unbeaten weekend in Boone as part of its home-opening weekend, the App State softball team will play its first midweek games of the season with back-to-back competitions at College of Charleston on Tuesday and Charleston Southern on Wednesday. These will be App State's final nonconference games before Sun Belt play opens on Friday. Both games in Charleston will start at 5 p.m.
App State and College of Charleston are set to square off for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday in what will be the 45th meeting all-time between the two teams. The Mountaineers and Buccaneers will match up for the sixth time on Wednesday, and the first time since 2020.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (17-5) vs. College of Charleston (11-13) // Charleston Southern (5-19)
- Where: Softball Stadium at Patriots Point // CSU Softball Complex // Charleston, S.C.
- When: Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11
Tune In
- Watch | FloCollege (App State vs. College of Charleston)
- Watch | ESPN+ (App State vs. Charleston Southern)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (both games)
Last Time Out
App State opened its home schedule with four run-rule victories at the Mountaineer Classic last weekend. App State scored 10 or more runs in every game, and outscored its foes 47-7 across the four games.
App State's four run-rule victories last weekend marked the most consecutive run-rule wins in the team's Sun Belt era (2015-Present). The Mountaineers have tallied nine run-rule victories this season, their most in a season since joining the Sun Belt.
Makayla McClain,
Taylor Schafer,
KB Bradshaw,
Emilie Ching and
Leah Gore each hit home runs during the Mountaineer Classic, while
Macy Hamby and
Julia Girk each totaled four or more hits.
Sophie Moshos and
Camryn Fisher combined to allow just seven runs over the four games, while striking out 20.
Leading Off
App State's midweek contests against College of Charleston and Charleston Southern will mark the first two of four midweek games for App State this season (will play N.C. Central on March 18 and Gardner-Webb on April 7). The Mountaineers played just one midweek game last season, traveling to Boiling Springs to take on Gardner-Webb last April.
The Mountaineers enter Tuesday's midweek contest having won 10 regular-season midweek competitions in a row. This streak dates back to Feb. 27, 2024. The Mountaineers went 1-0 last season in midweek games, defeating Gardner-Webb 8-0. App State has posted four run-rule victories in midweek games since 2024.
App State enters play on Tuesday with 17 victories over nonconference teams, which is two short of the team's program record for nonconference wins in a season (19 last done in 2022). With four nonconference games remaining, App State needs to post just two victories in those games to set a new program record.
The Mountaineers enter Tuesday on their best 22-game start in program history, owning a 17-5 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.
Entering Tuesday, App State owns 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' .773 winning percentage ranks 27th in the country entering Tuesday.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Entering Tuesday, App State boasts 16 top-50 national rankings. Most notably, App State stands in the top 50 in the country in ERA (24th - 2.71), slugging percentage (40th - .551), strikeout/walk ratio (29th - 2.50) and walks (31st - 97). 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 on Tuesday with a +86 run differential (164-78). App State's pitching staff is allowing just 3.5 runs per game, while its offense is scoring 7.5 runs per game. Additionally, App State's defense enters the weekend ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in fielding percentage at .966. 12 of the Mountaineers' 17 wins this season have come by three or more runs.
Through 22 games this season, App State ranks 23rd nationally in home runs (36) and 15th in home runs per game (1.64). The Mountaineers have already totaled 10 games with at least two home runs this season, and have totaled three games with four long balls. App State needs just 22 more home runs to surpass 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 second-most runs in the league and averages 7.5 per contest. Additionally, App State has hit the second-most home runs in the league with 36. McClain paces the league in home runs with 10, which includes two against top-ranked Tennessee, while six different players have at least two entering Tuesday.
The Mountaineers' newcomers have made an immediate impact this season, as App State's batch of nine newcomers has combined to scorch 63 hits and 20 of App State's 36 home runs. Four of the Mountaineers' top five home-run hitters entering Tuesday are newcomers.
Boone is home to one of the nation's top freshmen in the country in Schafer, who is coming off a four-homer weekend at the Mountaineer Classic. Schafer enters Tuesday with the most home runs among Sun Belt freshmen with eight, which also ranks fourth in the country among freshmen. Schafer's 28 RBIs also rank sixth nationally entering Tuesday.
Not only has the Mountaineers' offense been strong, but their pitchers have been among the best in the country. App State enters Tuesday with the best team ERA in the Sun Belt, while also seeing both Fisher (15th – 3.00) and Moshos (third – 1.95) in the top 20 in the league in ERA. Both players also sit in the top 10 in wins and strikeouts, while App State's staff stands 40th in the country in strikeouts per seven innings (6.03).
Series History
- App State vs. College of Charleston
- Record: 14-30
- Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2022
- Trends
- The Mountaineers and Cougars will meet for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, and the 45th time overall.
- College of Charleston has won five of the last seven games against App State.
- App State vs. Charleston Southern
- Record: 5-0
- Last Meeting: Feb. 21, 2020
- Trends:
- Wednesday's contest will be the first meeting between App State and Charleston Southern since 2020.
- The Mountaineers have never lost to Charleston Southern in five previous matchups.
Up Next
Following Wednesday's contest against Charleston Southern, the Mountaineers will open Sun Belt play with a three-game series at Coastal Carolina starting Friday. The series will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
