STATESBORO, Ga. – Fresh off a series victory in thrilling fashion over James Madison last weekend, the App State softball team is slated for its final road trip of the regular season, as they embark on Statesboro, Ga., for a three-game set with Georgia Southern this Friday-Sunday. The Mountaineers and Eagles are currently tied in the Sun Belt standings and are jockeying for position in the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament. Action in Statesboro is slated to start at 6 p.m. on Friday, and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Matchup
- Who: App State (27-17, 6-12 SBC) at Georgia Southern (19-27, 6-12 SBC)
- Where: Eagle Field at GS Softball Complex // Statesboro, Ga.
- When: Friday, April 24 - Sunday, April 26
Tune In
- Watch | ESPN+ (All Games)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com (All Games)
Last Time Out
Trailing by five entering the final inning, the Mountaineers pulled off a miraculous come-from-behind win over James Madison last Sunday to clinch a series win. App State used a solo home run, four walks, an error, a hit-by-pitch and a single to score six seventh-inning runs.
KB Bradshaw played hero in April 19's win, as she shot the walk-off hit into center field after JMU made a pitching change. Bradshaw posted a stellar weekend against the Dukes, tallying four RBIs and a home run on April 18. Additionally,
Emilie Ching,
Macy Hamby and
Grace Barrett smacked a home run, with Hamby's home run being a go-ahead grand slam in April 17's series-opening victory.
In the circle,
Bel Varadi and
Sophie Moshos each posted a win against the Dukes, with Varadi tallying 2.1 innings of shutout softball on April 19 to pick up her first career win. Moshos tossed a complete-game shutout on April 17 to notch her 12th win of the season and struck out a team-high six batters.
Leading Off
April 19's victory over James Madison also marked head coach
Whitney Jones' 50th win at App State. Jones became the fastest App State head coach to reach the 50-win threshold, doing so in just 94 games. Jones is looking to become the third App State coach to post a 30-win season (Shae Wesley - 2013 and Shelly Hoerner - 2019).
With App State's series win over James Madison, it enters this weekend's series with 27 victories, meaning it needs just three more wins to post its third 30-win season in program history and first since 2019. App State sits just four victories away from matching its program record for wins (31) and five away from surpassing that mark.
In addition to their win total, the Mountaineers also enter this weekend's series at Georgia Southern tied with Troy for the second-fewest losses in the Sun Belt with 17. App State enters the weekend with a .614 win percentage, which would mark the highest win percentage in program history.
App State has also clinched its first season with a winning percentage above .500 for the first time since 2022. It marks the eighth winning season for App State in program history.
Two players enter this weekend's series on the precipice of history, as
Makayla McClain and Barrett each sit just eight RBIs away from the program record of 51 set by Allie Cashion in 2012. Both Barrett and McClain rank in the top five in the Sun Belt in runs batted in entering the weekend.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Entering this weekend's series vs. the Eagles, App State ranks 74th in the NCAA RPI rankings as of April 23. 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 (71) and 18th in home runs per game (1.61) 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 (319). The Mountaineers have scored 10 or more runs 15 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 44 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 (41). These marks also rank among the top 30 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 fifth in the league in wins (14) and sixth in strikeouts (95).
App State's batch of nine newcomers has stepped up to the challenge so far this season, as newcomers have combined to scorch 136 hits and have hit 34 home runs. Entering Friday, four of App State's top five home-run hitters are newcomers in Ching (second), Schafer (third), Fletcher (T-fourth) and Bradshaw (T-fourth).
McClain and Barrett continue to lead App State's offensive attack, as the two have combined for 102 hits, 23 home runs, 88 RBIs and 20 doubles. McClain sits in the top 10 of the Sun Belt Conference in all three triple crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBIs), while Barrett has totaled 27 RBIs over her last 22 games and sits third in the Sun Belt in that category with 44.
Series History
- App State vs. Georgia Southern
- Record: 15-39
- Last Meeting: March 23, 2025
- Trends:
- App State and Georgia Southern are set to square off with one another for the 55th, 56th and 57th times this weekend.
- The Eagles enter play having won nine of the last 10 games against App State.
Up Next
App State will wrap up the regular season by playing host to Texas State in Boone next weekend. Next weekend will be Senior weekend at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium, and the Mountaineers will honor their six seniors on Saturday after the game. Action against the Bobcats is slated to start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
