App State Kicks Off Five-Game Slate in Rock Hill Friday
In an exciting development from the realm of college sports, App State Mountaineers are heading to Rock Hill, South Carolina to kickstart a five-game series at the Winthrop Eagle Classic which is starting this Friday. The upcoming slate consists of two doubleheaders one on Friday and the other on Saturday, squaring off with five different teams over the weekend. The first pitch against Monmouth from the Winthrop Eagle Classic is slated for 10 a.m. on Friday.
About The Mountaineers
The Mountaineers, having a track record of a 23-28 score in the 2023 season, are stepping into the ground with the hopes of marking their third straight 20-win season. A proud moment for the team in the past was recording its first win against a ranked opponent last season, overpowering the 23rd-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette by a 5-3 score.
With a promising non-conference schedule this season, abuzz with two teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, the Mountaineers feel geared up for the challenges. The notable performers from the team include graduate transfer Peyton Darnell and senior outfielder Kayt Houston.
Peyton Darnell, during the previous game, put forth a great performance by slugging two home runs in consecutive games, marking her 33rd and 34th career home runs. On the other hand, Kayt Houston noted an impressive batting average that stood at fourth-highest in the Sun Belt last year at .383. Her slugging percentage was also over 1.000 making her one of the 14 players in the league with such a score.
Individual Performances
The ongoing journey of these promising players brings the anticipation of personal records being set. Senior outfielder Kayt Houston, with five more hits this weekend, will have a total of 178 for her career. If she gets 51 more hits, she will pass Lindsay Glover for the most career hits in program history. In addition to this, Delani Buckner, who made her 49th career start in the last game against Kent State, is in a tie for eighth place in App State history. With one more start, she will be among the only eight players to make 50 starts in the circle for the Black and Gold.
Series History and Predictions
The Mountaineers will face the teams of Monmouth, Le Moyne, and Binghamton for the first time this weekend. The last time they traveled to Rock Hill was in 2016, when they competed in the Winthrop Invitational and finished the tournament 2-3. The current series will also bring back memories for Kayt Houston, who hails from Rock Hill.
App State’s meeting history is pretty straightforward with Winthrop and Mount St. Mary’s. Having won two of the last three meetings with Winthrop, they have shown a consistent performance by scoring 22 runs in the last three games. On the other hand, the meeting history with Mount St. Mary’s is a decade old with the last meeting on March 19, 2004. With no losses and only one run given up in the previous two matchups, the Mountaineers are looking forward to building a victorious flashback!
Ahead of the Game
Finishing the games in Rock Hill, the Mountaineers will be seen next at Wolfpack Classic hosted by NC State from Feb. 23-25, crossing paths for the first time with ACC opponent NC State this season. The first game of this new cluster will be against Cleveland State, planned for 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
