WCU Baseball: Samford (Weekend Series)

 

Who: Samford Bulldogs
When: Friday, April 19 thru Sunday, April 21, 2024
Time: Friday 5:00 pm; Saturday 2 pm; Sunday 1:00 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
       -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Nickname: Bulldogs
Colors:  Blue and Red

Head Coach: Tony David, a long-time associate head coach at Samford, enters his third season as the program's head coach. David served on the Samford staff for the past 17 seasons, including the last 16 as associate head coach. David also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator from 2005 to 2017.

The Series: The Cats own a 22-30 overall record vs. the Bulldogs, in a series that started in 2009. The Cats are 13-8 in games played in Cullowhee, but only 3-7 in the last ten games played. The Cats went 1-2 in the series in 2023 played in Homewood, with a win that broke a 5 game skid to the Bulldogs.

Current record: 24-12 overall, 18-6 home, 6-6 away, 0-0 neutral, 8-1 SoCon

The Samford was picked as the favorite to win the Southern Conference, and junior pitcher Brooks Rice was tabbed as the league's preseason Pitcher of the Year.  Rice was joined on the first team All-SoCon team by starting pitcher Michael Ross and second baseman John Anderson. Samford's second team All-SoCon representatives were starting pitcher Will Lynch, relief pitcher Jake Holifield, catcher Lucas Steele and outfielder Josh Rodriguez.

As a team last season, Samford finished with a record of 37-25, going 15-6 in Southern Conference play to win the SoCon regular-season championship. The Bulldogs then went on to win the SoCon Tournament title and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

So far this season, Samford has been led at the plate by John Anderson, batting .419 with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 42 RBI. Garrett Howe is hitting .394 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBI. Dating back to last season, Howe has currently reached base in 36-on secutive games, the third-longest streak in school history.  As a team, Samford currently leads the Southern Conference in home runs with 55 and ranks third in batting average at .317. Individually, John Anderson ranks second in the SoCon in batting average (.419), while Garrett Howe ranks fifth in the league (.394). Howe also leads the SoCon in walks (32) and ranks second in on-base percentage (.530).

WCU's Spring Football Game

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Three different QBs combined to run four scoring drives in the first half as the Purple Team built a 28-10 halftime lead in Saturday’s annual Spring Game. The White Team’s late score before halftime sparked a 28-point comeback that included a 10-point run late in the second half. However, it wasn’t until C. J. Williams intercepted what turned out to be the last pass of the game and returned the ball 100 yards for his second pick-six of the game that the White Team was able to celebrate its comeback win.

Saturday's game featured 23 drives for both teams. Ten of those drives resulted in points with nine touchdowns and one field goal. Seven of the drives went three and out with the White team going three and out four times and the Purple going three and out five times. Five drives ended in interceptions with the White team's defense picking off four passes and the Purple team picking off one. The White team did not convert a single fourth-down attempt.

Cole Gonzales, the returning starter, completed 4 of 5 passes for 79 yards and a 64-yard TD to AJ Colombo. Bennett Judy, a redshirt freshman, completed 67% of his passes, including eight-straight at one point, for 285 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice, while redshirt sophomore Brook Palhegyi was 3 of 9 for 36 yards. Colombo was one of nine receivers to catch passes for the Purple, totaling 96 yards and a TD, while tight end Jake Young had five catches and a TD, and Jai Boyd had five catches for 56 yards. Santana Fleming had two receptions for a score, and Branson Adams also had a receiving touchdown from behind the line. Receiver Eric Rasheed had the game's highest average per reception (1, 50 yards) and receiver Ca'lique Cunningham had the second highest average (51 yards).

Catamount Baseball: UNCG Spartans (Weekend Series)

 

Who: UNCG Spartans
When: Friday, April 12 thru Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: Friday 5:00 pm; Saturday 3 pm; Sunday 1:00 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
    -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Nickname: Spartans
Colors: White, Blue and Gold

Head Coach: Cody Ellis was named the Interim Head Coach in January 2024. Ellis joined the Spartans in October 2022 after three years as the head coach and assistant athletic director at Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC), starting in August of 2019. Ellis was most recently promoted to interim head coach for the Spartans in December 2023. Former HC Billy Godwin stepped down from his position as head coach of the UNCG baseball team on December 31, 2023, to rejoin the New York Yankees in a scouting role.

The Series: The Cats own a 37-48 overall record vs. the Spartans, in a series that started in 1992. The Cats are 12-17 in games played in Cullowhee, and only 2-8 in the last ten games played. The Spartans swept the Catamounts in the series played in Greensboro in 2023,

Current record: 17-14 overall, 12-5 home, 5-8 away, 0-0 neutral, 5-4 conference.

UNCG was picked to finish 6th in the SoCon preseason baseball poll. The Spartans finished the 2023 season with a 25-34 overall record and 9-12 in SoCon play to earn the sixth spot in the SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll. UNCG concluded the season in the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament, falling to No. 1 Samford, 9-5.

The Spartans swept the Mercer Bears in March, and went 2-1 with ETSU in Greensboro. UNCG was 1-2 vs. Wofford in Spartanburg last weekend. UNCG comes into this weekends matchup with the Cats owning a 17-14 overall record and 5-4 in SoCon play. As a team, UNCG is ranked in the top-30 nationally over three categories: sacrifice bunts (25), stolen bases (65) and stolen bases per game (2.17).  
Collectively on the year, UNCG enters the weekend batting a SoCon-low .268 with 99 total extra-base hits – 54 doubles, nine triples, and 36 home runs. The Spartans average 7.25 runs on 8.9 hits per game while limiting opponents to 6.0 runs on a matching 8.9 hits per contest.

Western Carolina vs. UNCG (Childress Field / Hennon Stadium)

Friday, April 12 | 5 p.m. | Cullowhee, N.C. | Coverage: ESPN+ | LiveStats
UNCG: Soph. RHP Julien Peissel (7 app., 7 GS – 0-2, 6.21 ERA, 33.1 IP, 33 K, 19 BB)
WCU: Sr. RHP Gavin Mortenson (12 app., 5 GS – 2-1, 3.16 ERA, 31.1 IP, 32 K, 18 BB)

Saturday, April 13 | 3 p.m. | Cullowhee, N.C. | Coverage: ESPN+ | LiveStats
UNCG: Jr. RHP Rob Ready (8 app., 8 GS – 3-1, 3.40 ERA, 47.2 IP, 30 K, 13 BB)
WCU: RHP Davis Budd (8 app., 3 GS – 0-0, 5.59 ERA, 19.1 IP, 21 K, 8 BB)

Sunday, April 14 | 1 p.m. | Cullowhee, N.C. | Coverage: ESPN+ | LiveStats
UNCG: Soph. RHP Jay Miller (7 app. 5 GS – 0-3, 5.87 ERA, 30.2 IP, 28 K, 13 BB)
WCU: TBA

 

Akron Zips (Weekend Series)

 

Who: Akron Zips
When: Friday, April 5 thru Sunday, April 7, 2024
Time: Friday 4:05 pm; Saturday 4:05 pm; Sunday 1:05 pm
Where: Prasco Park | Mason, Ohio
TV/video: Chatter Box Sports
Live Stats: Akron Live Stats
Nickname: Zips
Mascot: Zippy the Kangaroo
Colors: Blue and Gold
Students: 12,000
Conference: Mid-America Conference (MAC)

Head Coach: Bryan Faulds was named head baseball coach on June 20, 2023, and will lead the Zips in his first season in 2023-24. Faulds comes to Akron with two decades of coaching experience at the collegiate level. He spent the last two seasons as head coach at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where he led the Hilltoppers to a 72-43 overall record and 34-13 mark in the Lone Star Conference, advancing to the NCAA DII South Central Regional in both campaigns.

The Series: The Cats own an 3-2 overall record vs. the Zips, in a series that started in 2011.

Current record: 5-21 overall, 1-8 home, 2-12 away, 2-1 neutral, 1-11 MAC

Akron is coming off a 21-34 season where they went 12-18 in the MAC. The Zips posted a 7-12 home record and a 12-18 road record. The Zips will be under the direction of Brian Faulds, who is in his first season leading the Akron Baseball program after leading St. Edwards (Lone Star, Div. II) for the past two seasons. Akron was picked to finish 11th in the MAC coaches preseason poll.

Nick Poist led the Blue and Gold with a .298 batting average that saw 59 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 28 RBI. Nick Arrivo and Nick Firestone were second and third in hits while Firestone led the way with 17 home runs, which set a program record for single-season home runs. Akron is batting .217 (187-of-861) with 53 extra-base hits including 38 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs divided between seven different players. The Zips are averaging 4.3 runs on 6.9 hits per game.

The Zips were swept by The Citadel in Charleston in late February.  The three-game series with the Cats opens Friday with an amended 4:05 p.m. start with a matching first pitch time on Saturday afternoon. Friday's game was bumped up earlier based on the forecasted temperatures in Ohio. The series concludes Sunday with a 1:05 pm start time. Each game will be streamed live through Chatterbox Sports with live stats also available through dedicated links online at CatamountSports.com.


2024 Catamount Baseball – Western Carolina vs. Akron – Prasco Park (Mason, Ohio)

Friday, April 5 | 4:05 p.m. (updated time) | Prasco Park | Coverage: ChatterBoxSports Stream 
Akron: RHP Jared Schaeffer (6 app., 6 GS – 0-4, 5.81 ERA, 31.0 IP, 21 K, 9 BB)
WCU: RHP Gavin Mortenson (10 app. 4 GS – 1-1, 3.28 ERA, 24.2 IP, 28 K, 16 BB)

Saturday, April 6 | 4:05 p.m. | Prasco Park | Coverage: ChatterBoxSports Stream
Akron: RHP Spencer Atkins (7 app., 7 GS – 0-4, 6.89 ERA, 31.1 IP, 28 K, 15 BB)
WCU: RHP Davis Budd (7 app., 2 GS – 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 14.2 IP, 16 K, 8 BB)

Sunday, April 7 | 1:05 p.m. | Prasco Park | Coverage: ChatterBoxSports Stream 
Akron: TBA
WCU: TBA

Gardner-Webb (midweek game 4-2-24)

 

Who: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
When: Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Time: 6:00 pm
Where: John Henry Moss Stadium, Boiling Springs, NC
Radio:  Catamount Sports Network
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Nickname: Bulldogs
Colors: Scarlet and black
Students: 3,124 (Fall 2023)
Conference: Big South
Mascot: Mac and Lulu
Location: Boiling Springs

Head Coach: Jim Chester is entering his fifth year as the head coach of the Gardner-Webb baseball team after taking over the program in June 2019. In his time at GWU, Chester has amassed a 92-92 record, 16 All-Conference award winners, one Big South Pitcher of the Year, and one All-American selection

The Series: The Cats own an 18-12 overall record vs. the Runnin' Bulldogs, in a series that started in 1970. The Cats are 9-6-1 in games played in Cullowhee, but only 4-6 in the last ten games played. The Cats have lost their last 3 games played to the Dogs. The Dogs come into the game dropping 2 of 3 to Winthrop in Boiling Springs, NC.

Current record: 9-17, 8-10 home, 1-7 away, 0-0 neutral, & 2-7 Big South

Gardner-Webb was voted second in the Big South's baseball preseason poll, additionally, Alec Burns was named to the first Big South preseason all-conference baseball team. The Runnin' Bulldogs are currently 8th in the Big South (BS) in hitting with a team average of .252; and 7th in team pitching with an 7. 25 ERA.

On Saturday afternoon, Gardner-Webb broke a four-game losing streak in Big South play with a 11-1 win over Presbyterian. The Bulldogs scored all of their runs on base hits, with four for extra-base hits and one home run. The 11 base hits tied for a team-high, with Gardner-Webb posting double-digit hits in nine of its last 10 games.

The Runnin' Bulldogs, who have lost eight of their last 11 games following a four-game winning streak, enter the week with a collective.255 batting average, including 66 extra-base hits, 36 doubles, 3 triples and 27 home runs, while allowing an average of 4.7 runs per game and 8.3 hits per contest.

On the season, two Runnin’ Bulldogs have hit over.300. Alec Burns leads the team with a.329 batting average, including 10 extra-base knocks (4 doubles and 6 home runs), while Humberto Torres (7 extra-base hits) is second with .317. Tommy Tavarez (14 extra-base knocks, including 7 doubles and 7 homers) is also batting over .300 with a team-leading 17 RBI.  Gardner-Webb has turned 21 double plays and has a .962 fielding percentage.

He Has Risen - Happy Easter

 

The Citadel (Weekend Baseball Series in Charleston)

 

Who: The Citadel
When: Thursday, March 28 thru Saturday, March 30, 2024
Time: Thursday 6:00 pm; Friday 5 pm; Saturday 1:00 pm
Where: Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, Charleston, SC
TV/video:  Thur. - ESPN+;  Friday -  ESPN+ ; Saturday -  ESPN+
Live Stats: Citadel Live Stats
Nickname: Bulldogs
Colors: Blue and White

Head Coach: Tony Skole, a Citadel Athletics Hall of Famer,  enters his sixth season as the Bulldogs’ head coach. In returning to his alma mater, Skole has been tasked with returning the Bulldog program back to one of the top teams in the Southern Conference and restoring the Bulldog’s Championship Tradition. Solidifying his program’s foundation has been his immediate priority, and this began with reestablishing the brand of Citadel Baseball. He enters the 2024 season with an overall head coaching record of 668-779-1 and a 102-184 record in his sixth season at The Citadel

The Series: The Cats own an 98-70 overall record vs. the Bulldogs, in a series that started in 1971. The Cats are 37-41 in games played in Charleston, but is 8-2 in the last ten games played. The Cats were 2-1 in the series played in Cullowhee last season.

Current record:  15-8 overall,  14-4 home, 1-4 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-3 SoCon.  
 
The Citadel was selected 8th in preseason poll voting, and SP Sam Swygert, Jr; RP Will Holmes, So.; and SS Sawyer Reeves, Jr. received preseason all conference honors. In conference play, Javier Crespo ranks seventh in the conference with a .407 batting average and eighth with 33 hits. Thomas Rollauer and Anthony Hausner are tied for third in the conference with eight doubles. Wells Sykes and Thomas Rollauer are tied for second with three triples. Ben Hutchins is fifth in the conference with an ERA of 3.46 and sixth with opposing batting averages of .237.

The Bulldogs are coming off a three game sweep by Wofford in Spartanburg, SC, however they beat CSU in a Tuesday midweek game, 4-0.  Joe Riley Park is the site of 18 of The Citadel’s 23 games this season, with a record of 14-4. The Bulldogs haven’t left South Carolina this season, leaving the Charleston area for just four games – a 7-1 midweek loss at then-No. 21 South Carolina at Columbia and dropping all three games of their SoCon-opening Upstate series at Wofford over the weekend. The Citadel snapped a second three-game losing streak of the season on Tuesday, cruising to a 4-0 victory over Lowcountry rival Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs scored everything they needed in the first four frames, limiting the Buccaneers to four base hits en route to their third win in four scheduled games with their Charleston neighbor. 

The Catamounts enter the week leading the league in home runs with 35, trailing only Samford (41) and The Citadel (19). WCU ranks 17th nationally in home runs per game. The Catamounts are also third in the conference in doubles with 49. On the defensive end, WCU has turned a SoCon-best 23 double plays. That’s four more than the second-place Citadel (19). The Catamounts also lead the SoCon in double plays with 18 and have a league-leading 65 assists. Individual statistics Nate Stocum leads the league with 12 home runs. He also has the second-highest slugging percentage (.790) and ranks fifth in the league in RBI (30). Transfer middle infielder, Trent Turner, leads the conference in hits (37) including 8 doubles, which is tied for third-most.

Projected starting pitchers:

Thursday, March 28 | 6 p.m. 
WCU: RHP Gavin Mortenson (9 app., 3 GS – 0-1, 4.08 ERA, 17.2 IP, 20 K, 12 BB)
The Citadel: RHP Sam Swygert (6 app., 6 GP – 3-0, 5.28 ERA, 29.0 IP, 20 K, 12 BB)

Friday, March 29 | 5 p.m. 
WCU: RHP Davis Budd (6 app., 1 GS – 0-0, 5.06 ERA, 10.2 IP, 11 K, 6 BB)
The Citadel: RHP Landon Slemp (6 app., 6 GS – 2-2, 6.19 ERA, 32.0 IP, 20 K, 14 BB)

Saturday, March 30 | 1 p.m. 
WCU: TBA
The Citadel: RHP Ben Hutchins (9 app., 1 GS – 3-2, 3.46 ERA, 26.0 IP, 19 K, 5 BB)

National Medal of Honor Day

 

Cats Look To Sweep Harvard In Cullowhee

WCU swept both ends of Saturday's doubleheader with Harvard, as  Catamount pitching combined for 13 strikeouts in a 2-hitter in the series opener, before the offense erupted for 10 runs in the 8th inning to complete the sweep and take game two, 19-12. 

Trent Turner collected a team-high four hits over the doubleheader, including a double and a home run, for a total of 10 RBI. Nate Stocum also homered twice in the doubleheader, one per game, to go along with his 5 runs scored and 5 RBI. Stocum got on base 7 times between the doubleheader and the doubleheader, with three walks and an extra-base hit.

In the first game of the series between Western Carolina and Harvard, Nate Stocum hit a three-run home run in a four-run third inning to give Western Carolina a 4-2 lead in the series opener. The Catamount pitching staff combined for 13 K's in a 2-hitter in the win.

The Catamounts came back from a three-run deficit in the home half of the eighth inning to beat Harvard 19-12 in game two of Saturday's twin bill sweep. WCU plated five runs in the first four innings and then went on to score 14 runs between the seventh and the eighth frames. The Catamounts’ 19 runs were their most since scoring 19 in last May’s 19-7 home victory over UNC Asheville. This marks the third time WCU has scored double-digit runs this spring – and the second in three games – after pushing across 18 runs in an 8-inning victory over Western Michigan last Sunday.

The final game of the three-game series will be played on Sunday with an early 11:00 a.m. start to accommodate Harvard’s schedule. The game will be aired on ESPN+and live stats can be found by following the link on the official Catamount Sports website.

Game #1

Game #2

Harvard (Weekend Series)

 

Who: Harvard Crimson
When: Friday, March 15  -  Sunday, March 17, 2024
Times: Fri. 4:00 pm; Sat. 2:00 pm (updated); Sun. 11:00 am
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
      -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats:  WCU Live Stats
Conference: Ivy League
Nickname: Crimson
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Colors: Crimson, white, and black
Students: 21,613

Last season's record: 20-24 overall, 9-5 home, 9-15 away, 2-4 neutral, 15-6 conference
This season:  2-8 overall, 0-0 home, 1-6 away, 1-2 neutral, 0-0 conference

Head Coach:  Bill Decker was introduced as the Joseph J. O'Donnell ’67 Head Coach for Harvard Baseball on September 26, 2012. He will enter his 12th season at the helm of the Crimson during the 2023-24 academic year following a 22-year tenure at Trinity in which he won a national championship in 2008 and earned induction into the Trinity Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

Series History:  This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Harvard will play in Johnson City on Wednesday, before the series in Cullowhee.   Harvard University baseball was selected to finish third in the 2024 Ivy League Baseball Preseason Media Poll.  Harvard returned key hitters to its lineup from the 2023 season, including junior George Cooper (.333 average, 13 doubles), senior Jake Berger (.292 average, 32 RBIs), senior Ben Rounds (.290 average, 33 RBIs), and senior Peter Messervy (.280 average, 16 doubles).

On the mound, Harvard brings back junior right-hander Sean Matson – the Most Outstanding Relief Pitcher award winner in the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2023 – and sophomore right-hander Callan Fang – the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

In 2023, the Crimson gained a berth in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, securing the No. 2 seed behind a 15-6 Ivy League record, marking Harvard's most Ivy League wins since 2005. The Crimson captured six of its seven Ivy League series during the regular season.

Harvard baseball fell to East Tennessee State University, 14-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Thomas Stadium.

SoCon MBB Power Ranking (3-4-24)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2024 SoCon Men's Basketball Power Rankings

This is the Monday, March 4, 2024, SoCon Basketball Power Rankings. 

Last week's ranking in parentheses. 

   

   1. (1) Samford

   2. (2) UNCG

   3. (5) Western Carolina

   4. (3) Chattanooga  

   5. (6) Wofford

   6. (4) Furman 

   7. (8) ETSU                  

   8. (7) Mercer

   9. (9) The Citadel 

 10. (10) VMI

  

 

Scanning the SoCon (Saturday March 2, 2024)

 Saturday March 2, 2024  

Today's Results....

Wofford 74 - VMI 62    Corey Tripp led Wofford to a 74-62 victory over VMI on Saturday with 17 points. Tripp also grabbed five rebounds for the Terriers. Kyler Filewich contributed 15 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line, along with six rebounds and six assists. Dillon Bailey scored 11 points, making 2 of 8 shots and 1 for 7 from 3-point range, while going 6 for 8 from the line. Taeshaud Jackson led the Keydets (4-27, 1-17) with 22 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Tyran Cook added 13 points for VMI. VMI's losing streak extended to 12 games.

Mercer 82 - Furman 75   Jalyn McCreary led Mercer to an 82-75 victory over Furman, scoring 21 points. McCreary also contributed five rebounds to the Bears' win. David Thomas made two 3-pointers and ended the game with 18 points and six assists. Caleb Hunter added 14 points with two 3-pointers. On the other hand, Furman, with a record of 16-15 (10-8), was paced by JP Pegues who tallied 19 points and eight assists. Pjay Smith Jr. chipped in with 17 points and six rebounds, while Marcus Foster finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Western Carolina 82 - Chattanooga 63    Western Carolina's Vonterius Woolbright finished with a triple-double, Tre Jackson added 20 points and as the Catamounts beat Chattanooga 82-63 on Saturday. Woolbright scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to go with 10 assists. Jackson shot 7 for 13, including 6 for 9 from beyond the arc for WCU (22-9, 11-7 SoCon). Russell Jones was 6-of-11 shooting to finish with 15 points.  Honor Huff led the way for the Mocs, with 16 points. Jan Zidek and Tyler Millin scored 13 points apiece.

The Citadel 80 - Samford 92    In Samford's victory over The Citadel on Saturday night, Achor Achor contributed 21 points to the Bulldogs' 92-80 win.  Achor displayed impressive shooting accuracy, going 7-of-12 from the field and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. Nathan Johnson also made significant impact, scoring 18 points by shooting 4 for 7 (including 3 for 6 from 3-point range) and converting 7 of 10 free throws. Dallas Graziani added 11 points, shooting 4-of-6 (with 3 for 5 from 3-point range). Quentin Millora-Brown had a double-double performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds. AJ Smith contributed 15 points for The Citadel, while Colby McAllister scored 14 points as well.

ETSU 66 - UNCG 65     ETSU secured a 66-65 win over UNCG on Saturday, thanks to Jaden Seymour's 18 points and Quimari Peterson's go-ahead layup with only four seconds remaining. Seymour contributed six rebounds, while Peterson recorded 14 points and five assists. Ebby Asamoah made two 3-pointers and scored 14 points as well. On the other side, Keyshaun Langley led the Spartans with 25 points, followed by Donovan Atwell with 18 points.