BOONE, N.C. – Continuing its four-game homestand after posting a victory over N.C. Central in its final midweek game of the regular season, the App State softball team will welcome the James Madison Dukes to Boone for a pivotal Sun Belt series this Friday-Sunday. App State and James Madison sit just three games back of each other in the Sun Belt standings entering Friday. Action against the Dukes is slated to start at 6 p.m. on Friday.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (25-16, 4-11 SBC) vs. James Madison (20-20, 7-8 SBC)
- Where: Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium // Boone, N.C.
- When: Friday, April 17 - Sunday, April 19
Tune In
- Watch | ESPN+ (All Games)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (All Games)
Last Time Out
In the team's final midweek of the season, App State secured a perfect record in midweek competitions this season with a 10-0 win in run-rule fashion against N.C. Central on Wednesday. App State scored in all but one inning, and capped off the game with a five-spot in the final frame.
Both
KB Bradshaw and
Emilie Ching went deep in Wednesday's win, with Bradshaw's first-inning home run also marking her 200th career hit. Ching's fifth-inning home run proved to be the walk-off hit, as she powered up on a 3-2 pitch and sent a fly ball high over the left-field wall. Ching was also one of three players with multiple hits on Wednesday, as
Madison Fletcher and
Julia Girk also posted two hits.
The duo of
Sophie Moshos and
Camryn Fisher continued App State's recent hot streak in the circle, as the two combined to strike out eight Eagle hitters in a shutout effort. Moshos pitched the first three innings and struck out six of the 12 batters she faced, while Fisher earned her 14th win of the season and struck out two batters in her two innings of work in relief.
Leading Off
With Wednesday's victory over the Eagles, App State secured its 25th win of the season, which marked its ninth 25-win season in program history and first since 2022 (29 wins that season). It was also App State's 14th straight midweek win and its 21st win over a nonconference opponent this season.
The Mountaineers are in the midst of a four-game homestand, their second-longest of the season. App State enters this weekend's home series with a 9-3 record at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium and has won four home games in a row, dating back to March 28. The Mountaineers' nine victories at home this season mark their most since tallying 11 in the 2022 season.
App State's offense has been superb on its home field this season, as it has posted at least seven runs in all but two of its 12 home games this season. In fact, App State has posted a run-rule victory in eight of its nine home wins this season. The Mountaineers enter this weekend's series with the Dukes averaging 11.2 runs per game at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
With 25 wins this season, the Mountaineers stand six wins away from matching the single-season record (31 games). App State's 25 wins currently rank ninth on the team's single-season victories list. App State's win over Gardner-Webb on April 7 gave it its most wins in a season since 2022 (29 wins).
In addition to their win total, the Mountaineers are also tied with Texas State for the second-fewest losses in the Sun Belt with 16 entering the weekend. App State has lost fewer than 20 games just twice in its program history (2020 and 2021). App State also holds a .610 win percentage this season, which would be the highest in program history if the season ended today.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Entering this weekend's series vs. the Dukes, App State ranks 73rd in the NCAA RPI rankings as of April 16. App State currently owns the sixth-highest RPI in the Sun Belt Conference, which would mark App State's best RPI finish among Sun Belt Conference teams ever.
The 2026 team has already proven that it is a historic team. Entering the weekend, App State has set three program records and is on pace to set several more records when the season is over. App State broke its program home run record in just 33 games on March 29 against Georgia State. It also set its runs scored record in just 37 games against Gardner-Webb on April 7. The Mountaineers are also on pace to set single-season program records in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
The long ball has played an integral role in App State's offense, as the Mountaineers rank 17th nationally in home runs (67) and 16th in home runs per game (1.63) entering Friday. The Mountaineers' 67 home runs are the third-most in the Sun Belt, and make them one of 36 teams nationally with 60 or more home runs.
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 (301). The Mountaineers have scored 10 or more runs 14 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 41 games this season, it's become clear that the Mountaineers boast two of the top freshmen in the Sun Belt Conference.
Taylor Schafer enters the weekend as the Sun Belt's leader among freshmen in both home runs (10) and RBIs (39). These marks also rank among the top 15 in the NCAA among freshmen. In the circle, Fisher has become one of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt, as she stands third in the league in wins (14) and fifth in strikeouts (94).
App State's batch of nine newcomers has stepped up to the challenge so far this season, as newcomers have combined to scorch 123 hits and have hit 32 home runs. Entering Friday, three of App State's top four home-run hitters are newcomers in Schafer (second), Ching (third) and Fletcher (fourth).
Makayla McClain and
Grace Barrett lead App State's offensive attack, as the two have combined for 98 hits, 22 home runs, 85 RBIs and 18 doubles. McClain sits in the top five of the Sun Belt Conference in all three triple crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBIs), while Barrett has totaled 24 RBIs over her last 19 games and sits third in the Sun Belt in that category with 41.
Series History
- App State vs. James Madison
- Record: 5-7
- Last Meeting: March 30, 2025
- Trends:
- This weekend's series in Boone will mark JMU's second-ever trip to the high country.
- App State has won three in a row against the Dukes after sweeping last season's series in Harrisonburg.
Up Next
App State will next embark on Statesboro, Ga., for its final road trip of the season at Georgia Southern, which will kick off next Friday. The two teams will play their 55th, 56th and 57th games against one another next weekend. The series is set to get started with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday, and all three contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.
