SoCon Baseball (Week #4 - update Sunday)

This weekend the Southern Conference moves into week number four of conference play on Friday, April 29, through Sunday, May 1, 2022.  Wofford and Mercer continue to lead conference play and are number 1 & 2 respectively in the standings, with ETSU a close third. 

The current standings:

1. Wofford (8-1)

2. Mercer (7-2)
3. ETSU (6-3)

4. Samford (5-4)
5. Western Carolina (3-6)

5. VMI (3-6)

7. Citadel (2-7)
7. UNCG (2-7)

This weekends games are:

#2 Mercer at #3 ETSU

#1 Wofford at #4 Samford

#7 UNCG at #7 The Citadel

#5 Western Carolina at #5 VMI

***Friday Update***

Samford was the big winner, knocking off #1 Wofford, with Mercer's win the Bears are now tied again for fist place with the Terriers. Other than Samford's home will, all the visiting teams won in conference play on Friday, with WCU beating VMI, Mercer over ETSU, and UNCG beating the Citadel.  Final scores:

Wofford 4 - Samford 5

Mercer 10 -  ETSU 3

UNCG 6 -  The Citadel 3

Western Carolina 7 -  VMI 6

The current standings after Friday's games:

1. Mercer (8-2)

1. Wofford (8-2)

3. ETSU (6-4)

3. Samford (6-4)
5. Western Carolina (4-6)

6. VMI (3-7)

7. UNCG (3-7)

8. Citadel (2-8)

***Update Sunday***

In a very big surprise, the Samford Bulldogs won the three-game series with league-leading Wofford, winning two of three games in Birmingham. Mercer won their series with ETSU picking up two wins in Johnson City.  The Catamounts also won their series with VMI in Lexington, VA, 2 games to1, and UNCG swept their series with the Citadel in Charleston, SC.

Sunday's scores: 

Wofford 16 - Samford 6

UNCG 5 -  The Citadel 3

Western Carolina 8 -  VMI 5

The current standings after Sunday's games:

1. Mercer (9-3)

1. Wofford (9-3)

3. ETSU (7-5)

3. Samford (7-5)
5. Western Carolina (5-7)

5. UNCG (5-7)

7. VMI (4-8)

8. Citadel (2-10)

On the Road to Greenville...

                               

WCU Baseball: at VMI

The Cats resume their conference road trip with a stop in Lexington, VA to face the VMI Keydets. 

Who:  VMI
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, April 29 & 30 & May 1, 2022

Time:  at 6 pm / 2pm / 1pm - respectively
Where: Gray-Minor Stadium, Lexington, VA
Radio: none
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: VMI Live Stats
Nickname: Keydets

Mascot: Moe, the Kangaroo

Colors:  Red, Yellow, and White

VMI Fan Message Board: Keydet Sportstalk

Head Coach: Jonathan Hadra - Jonathan Hadra, a four-year letterman and 2004 graduate of VMI, recently concluded his seventh season as the head coach of the Keydets. Hadra was named the 20th head coach in VMI baseball history on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. He had served as associate head coach for the Keydets previously and was the acting head coach for 10 days following the resignation of Marlin Ikenberry. The 2021 team responded well to adversity and finished strong, going 12-9 down the stretch - including an 11-7 mark in Southern Conference action. 

2022 VMI Baseball Record: 12-29 overall, 3-6 conf., 9-10 home, 3-19 away, 0-0 neutral
2021 VMI Baseball Record: 18-29 overall, 13-17 conf., 11-14 home, 7-15 away, 0-0 neutral

The Series: The Cats are 67-22 overall vs. the Keydets, posting a record of  26-11 in games played in Lexington. 

Bobby Moranda's record vs. VMI: 11-7
Jonathan Hadra's record vs. WCU: 7-11

The Keydets return home having dropped the last 4 conference games.

Presbyterian Blue Hose (game two)

The Cats return to Cullowhee for a midweek game with the Presbyterian College Blue Hose after their series win in Charleston against the Citadel. With the series victory, the Cats are now tied for fifth place with VMI, Western's upcoming weekend opponent.  


Who: Presbyterian College Blue Hose
When: Wednesday (April 27)
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU live stats
Nickname: Blue Hose
Colors: Garnet & Blue
Conference: Big South

The Series: The Cats own a 6-2 overall record with the Blue Hose, and the Cats are 4-1 in games played in Cullowhee, NC. With the win in Clinton in early March, the Cats have won three of the last four games played.     

The two teams last played in Cullowhee in 2017.  

Head Coach:  Elton Pollock, a 1995 graduate of Presbyterian College, completed his 17th season as head coach of the Blue Hose baseball program in the spring of 2021. Pollock follows Tim Corbin and Doug Kovash as the third head coach to lead the program since its reinstatement in 1988.

PC's 2022 record:  18-20 overall, 10-10 home, 8-10 away, 0-0 neutral, 8-7 Big South
PC's 2021 record:  22-23 overall, 9-6 home, 10-16 away, 3-1 neutral,  18-16 Big South

Coming off of the program's first Big South Championship and first NCAA regional appearance, the Presbyterian College Baseball team was tabbed fourth by the league coaches in the Big South preseason poll.

The Blue Hose are coming off a three-game sweep of Winthrop in Clinton and will face Clemson on Tuesday before playing the Catamounts on Wednesday. 

SoCon Baseball (Week #3 Updated Sunday)

This weekend the Southern Conference moves into week number three of conference play on Friday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24, 2022.  A couple teams have taken the early lead in conference play, with both Mercer and Wofford sporting 6-0 records in conference play. Their closest opponent is Samford at 4-2, and the SoCon still has one team with no conference wins, UNCG at 0-6. 

The big showdown occurs in Macon this weekend when the Bears host the Terriers in a three-game series. Will there still be an unbeaten team on Sunday?

This weekend's action has:

#1 Wofford  at  #1 Mercer
#6 Western Carolina  at  #6 The Citadel
#4 VMI  at  #4 ETSU
#3 Samford  at  #8 UNCG

Current conference ranking:
1. Mercer (6-0)
1. Wofford (6-0)
3. Samford (4-2)
4. ETSU (3-3)
4. VMI (3-3)
6. Citadel (1-5)
6. Western Carolina (1-5)
8. UNCG (0-6)

***Updated Friday***

Friday's games are complete and we now only have one team with an unblemished record in conference play. Wofford is now 7-0 after dominating the other unbeaten team, Mercer in Macon by a final score of 17-7. The Catamounts picked up their second conference win of the season beating the Citadel in Charleston.  ETSU scored a one-run victory over VIM and Samford kept UNCG winless in conference play. 

Today's scores:

Wofford 17 at  Mercer 7
Western Carolina 4 at  The Citadel 2
VMI 8  at  ETSU  9
Samford  5 at  UNCG 3

The standings after Friday's games:
1. Wofford (7-0)

2. Mercer (6-1)
3. Samford (5-2)
4. ETSU (4-3)
5. VMI (3-4)

6. Western Carolina (2-5)
7. Citadel (1-6)
8. UNCG (0-7)

***UpdatedSaturday***

Three teams won their series with a second win on Saturday; Western Carolina; and Wofford; & ETSU won today, going 2-0 in their respective series. Samford and UNCG split their series, as the Spartans took a 10-5 victory over Samford. Wofford remains unbeaten at 8-0 in the SoCon, and we no longer have a winless team with the Spartans win. ETSU and Samford are now tied for third place in the standings, while Western and VMI are tied for fifth.;

Today's scores:

Western Carolina 8 - The Citadel 1

Wofford 5 -  Mercer 0
VMI 5  -  ETSU  10
Samford  5  -  UNCG 10

The standings after Saturday's games:
1. Wofford (8-0)

2. Mercer (6-2)
3. Samford (5-3)
4. ETSU (5-3)
5. VMI (3-5)

6. Western Carolina (3-5)
7. Citadel (1-7)
8. UNCG (1-7)

***Updated Sunday***

We no longer have an unbeaten conference team, as the Terriers were the victims of a walk-off home run at the hand of the Mercer Bears on Sunday. All the home teams won on Sunday, meaning no teams got a sweep this weekend, as The Citadel & Mercer picked up a win in the third game of their series. The Spartans entered their series with Samford winless and picked up a series win going 2-1 versus the Samford Bulldogs.

Sunday's scores:

Western Carolina 0 - The Citadel 3

Wofford 10 -  Mercer 12
VMI 4  -  ETSU  10
Samford  1  -  UNCG 11

The standings after Sunday's games:
1. Wofford (8-1)

2. Mercer (7-2)
3. ETSU (6-3)

4. Samford (5-4)
5. Western Carolina (3-6)

5. VMI (3-6)

7. Citadel (2-7)
7. UNCG (2-7)

On The Road to Greenville...... 

Baseball: at The Citadel

The Cats return to the road after a 4-game homestand and travel to the South Carolina low country to face the Bulldogs of The Citadel. The Bulldogs are currently tied for 6th place in the conference with the Catamounts, both teams coming in at 1-5 conference records.


Who: The Citadel
When: Friday - Sunday (April 22 - 24)
Time: 5:00 pm; 5:00, 2:00 pm
Where: Riley Park, Charleston, SC
Radio: Citadel Radio (FM 94.7 The Zone)
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Citadel live stats
Nickname: Bulldogs
Colors: Blue and White

The Series: The Cats own a 94-68 record against the Bulldogs and are 35-40 in games played in Charleston. The Cats have won the last 6 games played against the Bulldogs, and are 9-2 in the last 11 games played.

Head Coach: Tony Skole, enters his fifth season as the Bulldogs’ head coach. Skole was officially announced as the head coach at The Citadel on June 8, 2017. He enters the 2021 season with 619 career wins as a head coach, including 524 wins at the Division I level. 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.

Skole's record vs. WCU: 4-13
Moranda's record vs. the Citadel: 29-14

Citadel's 2022 record: 19-15 overall, 17-7 home, 2-8 away, 0-0 neutral, 1-5  SoCon
Citadel's 2021 record: 12-39 overall, 10-22 home,  2-17 away, 0-0 neutral, 4-25  SoCon

While the Bulldogs have lost 9 of their last 11 games, they do sport a 17-7 record in games played in Charleston's Riley Park this season and a 2-8 record in games played on the road (both conference series thus far were played on the road for the Bulldogs). This will be a difficult team to beat in Riley Park.  

Midweek Baseball: Gardner-Webb

After a series loss to Samford, the Catamounts remain in Cullowhee for a midweek game against Big South Conference foe Gardner-Webb.   


Who: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
When: Tuesday (April 19)
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU live stats
Nickname: Runnin' Bulldogs
Colors: Scarlet and black
Conference: Big South Conference

The Series: The Cats own a 17-9-1 record against the Runnin' Bulldogs and are 8-5-1 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats have won the last three games in the series, breaking a 4-game skid against the Bulldogs.

Head Coach: Jim Chester is in his third year as the head coach of the Gardner-Webb baseball team after taking over the program in June 2019. Chester led Gardner-Webb to 29 wins in 2021, his first full season at the helm. That included a 27-13 mark and a tie for second place in the Big South Conference standings, Gardner-Webb's highest finish ever since joining the league prior to the 2009 season. 

Chester's record vs. WCU: 0-2
Moranda's record vs. GWU: 10-5-1

GWU's 2022 record: 13-23 overall, 11-13 home, 2-10 away, 0-0 neutral, 4-8 Big South
GWU's 2021 record: 29-23 overall, 16-9 home, 12-12 away, 1-2 neutral, 27-13 Big South

The Runnin' Bulldogs were picked 5th in the 11-team Big South preseason poll. GWU is coming off a series win over Winthrop in Boiling Springs, however, the Dogs have lost 7 of their last 10 games.  The team is hitting an average of .243 over 36 games.

WCU Baseball: vs. Samford Bulldogs

After a rain-out against Asheville on Tuesday, the Catamounts return home to host their second conference series, this time against the Samford Bulldogs. While three teams have perfect 3-0 records in conference play, the Bulldogs are the only team sporting a 2-1 record.  


Who: Samford Bulldogs
When: Thursday - Saturday (April 14 - 16)
Time: 5:00 pm; 5:00, 2:00 pm
Where: Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU live stats
Nickname: Bulldogs
Colors: Blue and Red

The Series: The Cats own a 19-26 record against the Bulldogs and are 12-6 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats are 2-10 in the last 12 games played between the two teams. 

Head Coach: Tony David, a long-time associate head coach at Samford, enters his first 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.

David's record vs. WCU: 0-0
Moranda's record vs. Samford: 19-26

Samford's 2022 record: 15-15 overall, 10-7 home, 5-8 away, 0-0 neutral,2-1 SoCon
Samford's 2021 record: 35-24 overall, 20-5 home, 12-17 away, 3-1 neutral, 20-10  SoCon

In preseason polls, the Bulldogs were picked 3rd by the media and 6th by the coaches. Samford junior third baseman Will David was named to the first-team all-conference roster, while catcher Kaden Dreier earned second-team honors.  The Bulldogs come to Cullowhee riding 4 losses out of the last 6 games, however, those two wins against VMI last weekend gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 conference record, good enough for 4th place in the early conference standings.  

...on the Road to Greenville

SoCon Baseball (2nd Week conf. play update #2)

This weekend the Southern Conference moves into week number two of conference play on Thursday, April 14, through Saturday, April  16, 2022.

This weekend's action has:

#4 Samford  at  #6 Western Carolina  at 5 pm
#1 ETSU  at  #1 Wofford at 6 pm
#6 The Citadel  at  #5 VMI  at 6 pm
#1 Mercer  at  #6 UNCG  at 6 pm

The premier series of the weekend has two unbeaten teams in conference play facing each other in Spartanburg as the Bucs remain on the road to face Wofford. Another big series has a military flair as the Citadel travels to Lexington to face the Keydets. 

Currently, after week #1, the standings are:
1. Mercer    3-0
1. Wofford   3-0
1. ETSU      3-0
4. Samford  2-1
5. VMI         1-2
6. Western  0-3

6..Citadel    0-3
6. UNCG     0-3

***Thursday Update***

The Thursday series of conference games left two teams undefeated in conference play (Mercer & Wofford) as well as, two teams with no conference wins (the Citadel & UNCG).  Today's winners were Western Carolina, Mercer, Wofford, and VMI.  In the clash of the unbeaten, Wofford pulled off a narrow 5-3 win over the Bucs. In the military classic, the Kedets protected their home field with a 5-2 win over the Bulldogs. Western Carolina was the only team from the group of three without a conference victory to win today, an 11-8 victory over the Samford Bulldogs. 

Thursday's results:

Samford 8  at  Western Carolina  11
ETSU  3 at  Wofford 5
The Citadel 2 at  VMI 5
Mercer 12 at  UNCG  8

The standings after game 1:
1. Mercer      4-0
1. Wofford    4-0
3. ETSU       3-1
4. Samford   2-2
5. VMI          2-2
6. Western   1-3

7. Citadel     0-4
7. UNCG      0-4

***Friday Update***

Mercer and Wofford both continued their undefeated string in conference play, while VMI took their second win of the series with the Citadel for the series win.  Samford topped Western Carolina for a series split. At this point, we have two undefeated teams and two teams without a conference win.  

Friday's results:

Samford 7  at  Western Carolina  4
ETSU  2 at  Wofford 13
The Citadel 2 at  VMI 5
Mercer 5 at  UNCG  4

The standings after game 2:
1. Mercer      5-0
1. Wofford    5-0
3. ETSU       3-2
3. Samford   3-2
3. VMI          3-2
6. Western   1-4

7. Citadel     0-5
7. UNCG      0-5

The Road to Greenville...... 

SoCon Baseball (1st Weekend of conference play - updated)

This weekend the Southern Conference kicks off conference play on Friday, April 8, 2022.

This weekend's action has:

#3 ETSU  at  #6 Western Carolina
#8 VMI  at  #5 Samford
#4 The Citadel  at  #1 Mercer
#6 UNCG  at  #2 Wofford

Currently, the standings are:
1. Mercer 24-5
2. Wofford 21-9
3. ETSU 17-8
4. Citadel 17-10
5. Samford 13-13
6. Western 14-15

6.. UNCG 14-15
8. VMI 9-21

***Friday Update***

In Friday's games, ETSU, Mercer, Wofford, and Samford were all winners on the first day of conference play. In all four games, the higher-ranked (based on out-of-conference games) were the winners, with three of the four home teams capturing wins, the exception being Western Carolina. All eight teams will resume their conference play on Saturday. 

ETSU 6  at  Western Carolina 3
VMI 3  at  Samford 4
The Citadel 2  at  Mercer 8
UNCG 0  at  Wofford 7

The standings after day 1 of SoCon play:

1. ETSU  (1-0)

1. Samford (1-0)

1. Mercer (1-0)

1. Wofford (1-0)

5. WCU (0-1)

5. VMI (0-1)

5. Citadel (0-1)

5/ UNCG (0-1)

***Saturday Update***

In Saturday's games, ETSU, Mercer, Wofford, and Samford all sealed series wins in Saturday's game. Three of the four home teams picked up a win, as did ETSU visiting Western Carolina.  

***Sunday Update***

In Sunday's games, ETSU, Mercer, Wofford, and VMI were winners.  ETSU swept WCU, Mercer swept the Citadel, and Wofford swept UNCG. Samford did win their series with VMI but dropped the final game, 1-0 to the Keydets.  We now have 3 teams with a perfect 3-0 conference record (ETSU, Mercer, and Wofford), as well as three teams with 0-3 records in conference play (Western Carolina, the Citadel, and UNCG). Samford has a 2-1 record, while VMI is 1-2 thus far in conference play.

Currently, the standings are:
1. Mercer 3-0
1. Wofford 3-0
1. ETSU 3-0
4. Samford  2-1
5. VMI  1-2
6. Western 0-3

6..Citadel  0-3
6. UNCG 0-3

Next weekend's games (Thursday - Saturday) will feature two unbeaten teams (ETSU at Wofford), as well as Samford at Western, the military classic with the Citadel at VMI, and Mercer at UNCG.

The Road to Greenville...... 

ETSU comes to Cullowhee

The Catamounts open conference play against the ETSU Bucs in Cullowhee. The Bucs are having a very good year coming into the series at 17-9 overall. 

Who: ETSU
When: Friday - Sunday (April 8 - 10)
Time: 5:00 pm; 3:00, 1:00 pm
Where: Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU live stats
Nickname: Bucs
Colors: Navy Blue and Gold

The Series: The Cats own a 46-29 record against the Bucs and are 36-22 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats are 1-5 in the last 6 played.

Head Coach: On July 10, 2017, the ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced that former Stony Brook associate head coach Joe Pennucci has been named the new head coach of the Buccaneers baseball program. Through four seasons at the helm, Pennucci owns a 98-74 record. Last season, the ETSU concluded with a 24-25 record and a 13-16 mark in league play. The Bucs had a 12-3 record in 2020 before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pennucci 's record vs. WCU: 5-8
Moranda's record vs. ETSU: 12-12

ETSU's 2022 record: 17-8 overall, 15-3 home, 2-5 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-0 SoCon
ETSU's 2021 record: 24-25 overall, 15-11 home, 9-14 away, 0-0 neutral, 13-16  SoCon

The Bucs come to Cullowhee sporting a 17-8 record but are just off a 3-game sweep by Baylor University of the Big XII in Waco, Texas. The Bucs were picked just behind WCU in both preseason polls – fourth in the coaches' preseason tabulation and fifth from the voting media with the Catamounts tabbed third and fourth, respectively. ETSU put three players on the preseason All-SoCon team highlighted by SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year in Saturday starter, senior LHP Colby Stuart on the first team. He was joined by classmate Bryce Hodges on the first team with shortstop Ashton King finishing behind WCU's Pascanel Ferreras in the voting.

Projected Starting Pitcher Match-ups:

Friday, April 8 | 5:00 p.m. 
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – RHP Zebby Matthews (1-5, 5.74 ERA, 42.1 IP, 54K, 9BB)
ETSU – RHP Zach Kirby (2-0, 2.28 ERA, 27.2 IP, 24K, 11BB)

Saturday, April 9 | 3:00 p.m. 
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – LHP Dylan Wheeler (0-1, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6K, 4BB)
ETSU – LHP Colby Stuart (3-0, 5.52 ERA, 31.0 IP, 24K, 15BB)

Sunday, April 10 | 1:00 p.m.
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – RHP Gavin Mortenson (2-3, 3.75 ERA, 36.0 IP, 29K, 10BB)
ETSU – RHP Hunter Loyd (3-1, 1.34 ERA, 33.2 IP, 47K, 11BB)

Catamount Baseball

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

 

WCU athletics this week (4-10 April

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

 

vs. Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

After a seven-game road swing, the Catamounts return to Cullowhee for a midweek game against Big South foe Gardner-Webb and the final warm-up for the Cats before conference play tips off this weekend for the Cats. 


Who: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
When: Wednesday (April 6)
Time: 4:00 pm
Where: Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
TV/Video: none
Live Stats: WCU live stats
Nickname: Runnin' Bulldogs
Colors: Scarlet and black
Conference: Big South Conference

The Series: The Cats own a 16-9-1 record against the Runnin' Bulldogs and are 7-5-1 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats have won the last two games in the series, breaking a 4 game skid against the Bulldogs.

Head Coach: Jim Chester is in his third year as the head coach of the Gardner-Webb baseball team after taking over the program in June 2019. Chester led Gardner-Webb to 29 wins in 2021, his first full season at the helm. That included a 27-13 mark and a tie for second place in the Big South Conference standings, Gardner-Webb's highest finish ever since joining the league prior to the 2009 season. 

Chester's record vs. WCU: 0-1
Moranda's record vs. GWU: 9-5-1

GWU's 2022 record: 10-18 overall, 9-11 home, 1-7 away, 0-0 neutral, 1-5 Big South
GWU's 2021 record: 29-23 overall, 16-9 home, 12-12 away, 1-2 neutral, 27-13 Big South

The Runnin' Bulldogs were picked 5th in the 11 team Big South preseason poll. GWU is coming off a three-game sweep in Boiling Springs by Campbell and the Dogs have lost 8 of their last 9 games.  The team is hitting an average of .236 over 29 games

The WCU Mountain Boomers

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations