WCU welcomes new Athletic Director

Alex Gary, a former student-athlete on the Western Carolina University baseball team and currently serving as senior associate athletics director for development at Oregon State University, is the next director of the Catamount athletics program.

WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced the selection of Gary to serve as director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special conference call meeting earlier in the day.

The appointment, which is effective May 1, follows a national search conducted by a 15-member committee working with the assistance of the North Carolina-based executive search consulting firm Collegiate Sports Associates. A formal introduction and campus reception is set for 3 p.m. this afternoon at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

Welcome back to Cullowhee Alex Gary. 

Game #29: ETSU

For the final regular-season game of the season, the Catamounts travel to Johnson City on Saturday to face the current #1 team in the SoCon. The Bucs have sewn up at least a share of this year's SoCon title, and the number one seed in the upcoming tournament.  The only thing standing in the way of an outright title for the Bucs is a win over the Catamounts.




Game #29 - ETSU Bucs 

When: Saturday, February 28, 2020, at 4:00 pm
Where: Freedom Center, Johnson City, TN
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers, play by play - Daniel Hooker, color
TV/video:  ESPN3
-TV announcer: Pete Yanity - play-by-play and Dean Keener - analyst
Live Stats: ETSU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: Buccaneer Nation
The Series: The Cats are 24-53 against the Bucs, and are currently on a nine-game slide against ETSU.

ETSU's 2019-20 record: 26-4 overall, 15-2 SoCon, 15-1 home games this season

The Bucs own the best record in the SoCon at 26-4, and have only lost two conference games this season. Only Furman and Mercer have wins over the Bucs in conference play, and only the Bears were able to pick up the road win in Johnson City to spoil the Bucs home winning streak.

ETSU is ranked #2 nationally in the most recent mid-major top 25, just behind #1 Gonzaga.

If it ended today........ (2-26-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament

If it ended today........ After Wednesday's games...... February 26, 2020


First-round // Friday, March 6 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 1  #8 seed: Samford vs. #9 seed: VMI  5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 seed: Wofford vs. #10 seed: The Citadel  7:30 p.m.


Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 7 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 3  #1 seed: ETSU vs. Game 1 winner   12 p.m.
Game 4  #4 seed: Mercer vs. #5 seed: Western Carolina  2:30 p.m.
Game 5  #2 seed: Furman vs. Game 2 winner  6 p.m.
Game 6  #3 seed: UNCG  vs. #6 seed: Chattanooga  8:30 p.m.

-----------------------------


SoCon MBB Standings (after 2-26-20 games)

1. ETSU 15-2
2. Furman 14-3

3. UNCG 13-4

4. Mercer 10-7 (tie)*
4. Western Carolina 10-7 (tie)
6. Chattanooga 9-8
7. Wofford 8-9
8. Samford 3-14 (tie)**
8. VMI 3-14 (tie)
10. Citadel 0-17

* holds tiebreaker over WCU
** holds tiebreaker over VMI


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WCU Players of the Game (Samford)

Purple & Gold's Players of the Game for the Samford game are..........

 

Onno Steger

Mason Faulkner

               

The Catamounts finished off the last home game of the season with a 109-78 victory over the Samford Bulldogs, with five players scoring in double figures. There was so much superior play by the Catamounts, we had to select two "players of the game" in this victory. 

Senior forward Onno Steger scored a game-high of 31 points, hitting 10 of 17 field-goal attempts, including hitting 7 of 11 attempts from beyond the three-point arc and hit 4 of 4 from the three throw line. Onno also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist in the game.  

Junior guard Mason Faulkner completed his second triple-double of the season.  Mason scored 16 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and completed 12 assists.  

Honorable mention goes to Carlos Dotson who completed his seventeenth double-double of the season. Dotson scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Purple & Gold congratulates Onno Steger and Mason Faulkner on their selection and outstanding performance in the Samford game.

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Coach Speir beefs up Defensive staff

This week, head football coach Mark Speir added two defensive coaches to his staff. Andy McCollum has been hired as the defensive coordinator and Catamount Hall of Famer Clyde Simmons hired as defensive ends coach.  Gentlemen, welcome to Cullowhee.  

Game #28: Samford

In the final home game of the regular season, the Samford Bulldogs travel to Cullowhee to face the Catamounts. The Cats are coming off a sweep of the Citadel Bulldogs, and hope to complete a sweep of the dogs from Birmingham.




Game #28 - Samford

When: Wednesday, February, 26 - Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers
TV/video: ESPN+
-announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: The Dog Pound
The Series: The Cats own a 12-11 overall record against the Bulldogs, and are 9-2 in games played in Cullowhee

The Bulldogs 2018-19 record:  17-16 overall, 6-12 SoCon, 5-9 away games

The Bulldogs 2019-20 record:  9-21 overall, 3-13 SoCon, 3-13 away games

The Bulldogs come into the game having lost 13 of their last 14 games, with head coach Scott Padgett very much on the hot seat this season. The Bulldogs are tied with VMI for 8th place in the conference with a 3-13 conference record and two games remaining. The Bulldogs will play the Keydets next Saturday in Birmingham.

Individually, Samford players rank in the top five in the Southern Conference in several statistical categories. Josh Sharkey leads the league in assists (7.2 apg.) and steals (2.8 spg.), and he is tied for third in scoring (17.3 ppg.). Jalen Dupree ranks third in the league in offensive rebounds (2.6 pg.) and fourth in rebounds (7.3 pg.). Robert Allen ranks third in the league in blocked shots per game (1.2).

Samford senior point guard Josh Sharkey currently ranks third in the nation in steals per game (2.8), tied for fourth in total steals (72), fourth in total assists (186) and fifth in assists per game (7.2).

Probable Samford Starting Lineup
0 Brandon Austin 13.5 ppg
3 Josh Sharkey 17.3 ppg
21 Robert Allen 13.6 ppg
23 Donte Tatum 5.1 ppg
24 Jalen Dupree 11.8 ppg



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SoCon MBB Power Rankings (2-24-20)

This is the eleventh power ranking of the season, after 16 weeks of SoCon basketball, this is how we see the rankings.

Look for the rankings published each Monday during the season.


1. (2) ETSU
2. (3) UNCG
3. (1) Furman
4. (4) Western Carolina
5. (7) Mercer
6. (5) Chattanooga
7. (6) Wofford
8. (8) Samford
9. (9) VMI
10. (10) The Citadel



Last week's ranking in parentheses

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D1 - NC college MBB rankings (2-23-20)

Purple & Gold Ranks the Division I teams in North Carolina this week.   


1. NC State
2. Duke
3. UNCG
4. Davidson
5. UNC-CH
6. Wake Forest
7. Western Carolina
8. Charlotte
9. App State
10. ECU
11. Gardner-Webb
12. Elon
13. NC Central
14. Campbell
15. UNCA
16. NC A&T
17. UNCW
18. High Point


Thoughts?

If it ended today........ (2-22-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament

If it ended today........ After Saturday's games...... February 22, 2020


First-round // Friday, March 6 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 1  #8 seed: Samford vs. #9 seed: VMI  5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 seed: Wofford vs. #10 seed: The Citadel  7:30 p.m.


Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 7 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 3  #1 seed: ETSU vs. Game 1 winner   12 p.m.
Game 4  #4 seed: Mercer vs. #5 seed: Western Carolina  2:30 p.m.
Game 5  #2 seed: UNCG vs. Game 2 winner  6 p.m.
Game 6  #3 seed: Furman vs. #6 seed: Chattanooga  8:30 p.m.

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SoCon MBB Standings (after 2-22-20 games)

1. ETSU 14-2
2. UNCG 13-3 (tie)*
2. Furman 13-3 (tie)
4. Mercer 9-7 (tie)**
4. Western Carolina 9-7 (tie)
6. Chattanooga 8-8 (tie)***
6. Wofford 8-87 (tie)
8. Samford 3-13 (tie)****
8. VMI 3-13 (tie)
10. Citadel 0-16

*holds tiebreaker over Furman
** holds tiebreaker over WCU
*** holds tiebreaker over Wofford
**** holds tiebreaker over VMI


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WCU Player of the Game (The Citadel)

Purple & Gold's Player of the Game for the Citadel game is..........

Carlos Dotson

                                                                       

Senior forward Carlos Dotson completed his sixteenth double-double of the season against the Citadel Bulldogs in the Ramsey Center, leading the Catamounts to a win and seasonal sweep of the Bulldogs.  Dotson scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, 4 defensive and 6 offensive rebounds. He was 7 of 14 in field goal shooting and hit 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Carlos also had 3 assists, 2 steals in the game.

Honorable mention goes to Matt Halvorsen scoring 21,  Mason Faulkner scoring 16 points, Onno Steger hitting 12 points, and Travion McCray scoring 11 points.  

Purple & Gold congratulates Carlos Dotson, the seniors and the entire team on the Citadel victory.


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The Road to Asheville

🗣  pic.twitter.com/CQbJLBDn5W

— Southern Conference (@SoConSports) February 21, 2020

Game Day - #1 Corey Bright

It's Game Day, the Cats traveled to Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina.


 #1  Corey Bright

POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 165
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Barbourville, Ky.
HIGH SCHOOL Knox Central HS




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

Game #27 - Citadel

For the twenty-seventh basketball game of the season, the Cats remain at home to face the Citadel Bulldogs. 

The Cats are currently in a 4-way tie for fourth place in the SoCon standings, while the Bulldogs come to Cullowhee seeking their first conference win of the season.



Game #27 - The Citadel

When: Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 7:30 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers
TV/video: ESPN3
-announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: The Citadel Independent Sports Network
The Series: The Cats own a 42-36 overall record against the Bulldogs.

Last season's Record (The Citadel): 12-18 overall, 8-7 home, 4-10 away, 4-14 SoCon

This season's Record (The Citadel):  6-20 overall, 3-10 home, 3-10 away, 0-15 SoCon

Head Coach Duggar Baucom, who is in his fifth season with the Bulldogs, returned only two starters from last season's 4-14 team in conference play. Returning for the Bulldogs is guard, Connor Kern & forward 3 Hayden Brown. The Bulldogs were picked to finish 9th in both the coaches and media poll.

Fletcher Abee enters the week ranked 48th in NCAA Division I for 3-point shooting percentage (.380). Abee is tied for 63rd in the nation for 3-pointers made per game (2.60) and tied for 77th with 65 made treys.


Citadel probable starters:
PG - TYSON BATISTE  • Gr. • Springfield, Mo  •  6.5
G - FLETCHER ABEE  • Fr. • Morganton, N.C • 12 ppg
G - KAIDEN RICE  •Jr. • Columbia, S.C. • 13.1 ppg
F - DEREK WEBSTER, JR. Jr. • Tampa, Fla.• 3.3 ppg
F - STEPHEN CLARK Fr. • Matthews, N.C. • 3.4 ppg

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If it ended today (2-19-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament

If it ended today........ After Wednesday's games...... February 19, 2020

First-round // Friday, March 6 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 1  #8 seed: Samford vs. #9 seed: VMI  5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 seed: Wofford vs. #10 seed: The Citadel  7:30 p.m.


Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 7 // Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville 
Game 3  #1 seed: ETSU vs. Game 1 winner   12 p.m.
Game 4  #4 seed: Mercer vs. #5 seed: Western Carolina  2:30 p.m.
Game 5  #2 seed: UNCG vs. Game 2 winner  6 p.m.
Game 6  #3 seed: Furman vs. #6 seed: Chattanooga  8:30 p.m.

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SoCon MBB Standings (after 2-19-20 games)

1. ETSU 13-2
2. UNCG 12-3 (tie)*
2. Furman 12-3 (tie)
4. Mercer 8-6 (tie)**
4. Western Carolina 8-6 (tie)***
4. Chattanooga 7-7 (tie)****
4. Wofford 7-7 (tie)
8. Samford 3-12 (tie)*****
8. VMI 3-12(tie)
10. Citadel 0-15

*holds tiebreaker
** holds tiebreaker over WCU
*** hold tiebreaker over Chattanooga and Wofford
**** holds tiebreaker over Wofford
***** holds tiebreaker over VMI

#11 Carson Ford

Next Friday, the Cats travel to Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina. Until then, let's take this time to continue to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

#11 Carson Ford

POSITION Outfielder
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 185
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Spring Hill, Tenn.
HIGH SCHOOL Grace Christian Academy





Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

Baseball: This weekend's Invitational at CCU

Update.......Due to forecasted cold temperatures on Friday and impending weather on Monday, the full tournament schedule has been shifted to squeeze each game in between the two parks, altering the previously announced slate for the Catamounts. WCU will now play twice at TicketReturn.com Field – Friday morning and Sunday afternoon – and once in Conway at Spring Brooks Stadium on Saturday morning.

On Friday, February 21, the Cats travel to the Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina University. The Catamounts will face Illinois on Friday, Kennesaw State on Saturday, and St. Joseph's on Sunday, in the three-day event.


University of Illinois



When: Friday, February, 21
Game Times: 11 am
Where: TicketReturn.com Field, Myrtle Beach, SC
Radio: Fighting Illini Radio
Live Stats:  CCU Live Stats
Illinois Location: Champaign, IL
Illinois Conference: Big Ten (B1G)
Nickname: Fighting Illini
The Series with Illinois: This will be the second meeting between the two schools and the Cats own a 1-0 record with the Fighting Illini

CSU's 2019 record: 36-21 overall, 15-9 conference, 3-6 netural sites

The Fighting Illini enter the contest with a 1-2 record after the opening weekend, with a win over Milwaukee, and losses to Seton Hall and Wake Forest. Illinois was picked to finish 6th in the Big Ten for the 2020 season.

Kennesaw State 




When: Saturday, February, 22
Game Times: 11 am
Where: Springs Brooks Stadium, Coastal Carolina, Conway, SC
Radio:  none
Live Stats:  CCU Live Stats

KSU Conference: Atlantic Sun (ASun)

Nickname: Owls
Location:  Kennesaw, GA
The Series with KSU: The Cats own a 12-7 record with the Owls, the two teams last played in 2017

KSU's 2019 record: 27-29 overall, 11-13 conference, 0-0 neutral sites

The Owls were picked to finish 7th in the nine-team ASun Conference, with senior outfielder Terence Norman selected as the -Sun preseason player of the year.  Currently the Owls are 3-0 after the opening weekend, however, KSU will play Georgia in Kennesaw and face West Virginia prior to meeting the Catamounts in the tournament.

Saint Joseph's 





When: Sunday, February, 23
Game Times: 2 pm
Where: TicketReturn.com Field, Myrtle Beach, SC
Radio:  none
Live Stats:  CCU Live Stats
SJU Conference: Atlantic Ten (A-Ten)
Nickname: Hawks
Location:  Philadelphia

The Series with St. Joseph's: This will be the first meeting between the two schools on the baseball field. 

SJU's 2019 record: 21-28 overall, 13-11 conference, 4-9 neutral sites

The Hawks were 1-3 on their opening weekend of play and will face Coastal Carolina and West Virginia in the tournament prior to facing the Cats.

#14 Dylan Wheeler

Next Friday, the Cats travel to Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina. Until then, let's take this time to continue to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

#14 Dylan Wheeler



POSITION Left-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 220
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Garner, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Garner HS






Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

Game #26 - VMI Keydets

In the Catamount's twenty-sixth game of the season, the VMI Keydets travel to Cullowhee for the return game, with the Cats looking to pick up their third sweep of the season.  Western is now 16-9 overall on the season, and 8-6 in the SoCon and 8-3 in home games this season.  The Cats have 4 remaining regular-season games remaining, with 3 of the four in the Ramsey Center.

Game #26 - VMI Keydets

When: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers
TV/video: ESPN+
-announcer:  Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats:  WCU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: Keydet Sportstalk
The Series:  The series between VMI and the Cats started back in 1978 and Western owns a 35-26 record with the Keydets.  The series was tied at 14-14 in games played in Lexington, but the Cats picked up a win in Lexington after the Keydets swept the Cats last season.

VMI's 2020 record:  7-20 overall, 2-12 SoCon, 1-11 away games

Head coach Dan Earl is in his 4th season with the Keydets and is fielding a young team in 2020. Through the first 15 games of the season, the Keydets are getting 47% of their scoring from four true freshmen, with guard Travis Evee leading the team with a 12.7 ppg average followed by Camdyn Curfman with 11.8 ppg, Louis Tang at 5.8 ppg, and Sean Conway at 5.1 ppg. The Keydets are a very good three-point shooting team, currently averaging 11.6 threes per game.

The Keydets are on a two-game slide, after picking up a win over their arch-rival the Citadel in Charleston last week.  The Keydet's 2 conference wins are both over the Bulldogs, but the Keydets have been competitive in all their conference games both on the road and at home, such as a two-point loss to Furman in overtime in Greenville, SC.


Probable VMI Starters
Guard, #3 Travis Evee - Fr. (6-0 165) 12.0 ppg. Leads team in scoring (12.0)
Guard, #10 Kamdyn Curfman - Fr. (6-0 170) 9.6 ppg. Third on team in scoring (9.6)
Guard, #2 Garrett Gilkeson - Sr. (6-4 215) 10.8 ppg. Career-high 28 points vs. Wofford 2/5
Guard, #15 Myles Lewis - Jr. (6-5 189) 8.1 ppg. Fifth on team in scoring (8.1)
Center, #34 Jake Stephens - So. (6-9 254) 6.6 ppg. First career double-double 18 pts, 11 rebs vs. The Citadel 1/18


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#16 Nate Stocum

Next Friday, the Cats travel to Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina. Until then, let's take this time to continue to meet this season's Cats with Bats.


#16 Nate Stocum

POSITION  Outfielder
HEIGHT  6-2
WEIGHT  180
CLASS  Freshman
HOMETOWN  Raleigh, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL  Sanderson HS






Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

SoCon MBB Power Rankings (2-17-20)

This is the tenth power ranking of the season. After 15 weeks of SoCon basketball, this is how we see the rankings.

Look for the rankings published each Monday during the season.



1. (2) Furman

2. (1) ETSU

3. (3) UNCG

4. (5) Western Carolina

5. (6) Chattanooga

6. (4) Wofford

7. (7) Mercer

8. (8) Samford

9. (9) VMI

10. (10) The Citadel



Last week's ranking in parentheses

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#28 Nick Hyde

Next Friday, the Cats travel to Conway, SC to participate in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina. Until then, let's take this time to continue to meet this season's Cats with Bats.


#28  Nick Hyde

POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 180
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Oceanside Collegiate Academy



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations