UNCG Spartans

The Cats and Spartans open Southern Conference baseball play this weekend in Greensboro.

Who: UNCG Spartans
When: March 24-26, 2023 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Time: 6:00 pm, 2 pm, & 1 pm
Where: UNCG Baseball Field, Greensboro, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: UNCG Live Stats
Location: Greensboro, NC
Colors: Gold (yellow), White, & Blue

Head Coach: UNC Greensboro announced in August of 2019 that Billy Godwin has been hired as baseball head coach. Godwin had spent the previous five years with the New York Yankees, overseeing all amateur scouting in North Carolina and South Carolina. Godwin is 105-95 in his three seasons at UNCG.

This season's record: 10-10 overall, 8-10 home, 2-0 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-0 Southern

The Series: The Cats are 36-45 overall since the series began in 1992. Western's conference record with UNCG is 31-39 overall, and the Cats are 22-23 in games played in Greensboro. Western is 3-7 in the last ten games played and the Cats are riding a 4-game losing skid to UNCG as they enter this series.

In the SoCon preseason polls, the Spartans were picked to finish 3rd by the coaches and 4th by the media. The UNCG players were picked for preseason honors, Mitchell Smith, Jr. (3d base) and Kennedy Jones (outfield) were 1st team picks, while catcher Dallas Callahan made 2d team honors.

UNCG will face crosstown rival North Carolina A&T for the second time this season Wednesday as it seeks to avenge a 9-4 loss from March 14. The Spartans were swept over the weekend by West Virginia. At 10-10 the Spartans are sitting in 7th place in the conference standings, and the Spartans are on a 4-game skid.  

Batting .281 collectively as a team, the Spartans are averaging 6.7 runs per game on an average of 9.9 hits per game, likewise with 60 extra-base hits including 39 doubles, four triples, and 17 homers. Four Spartan regulars are batting above the .300 threshold, led by sophomore Kennedy Jones (.345) who was selected to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List. Jones and junior third baseman Mitchell Smith (.325 ) were both preseason first-team All-SoCon selections, with catcher Dallas Callahan landing on the second team.

Game 1 – Friday, March 24 | 6:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+ 

Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – Jr. LHP Kyle Riesselmann (1-1, 4.43 ERA; 22.1 IP, 24K, 5BB)
UNCG – Sr. RHP Jake Wolf (1-1, 2.87 ERA; 31.1 IP, 18K, 11BB)

Game 2 – Saturday, March 25 | 2:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+
Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – R-So. LHP Dylan Wheeler (2-0, 0.82 ERA; 11.0 IP, 13K, 6BB)
UNCG – Fr. RHP Jay Miller (1-3, 4.11 ERA; 30.2 IP, 14K, 12BB)

Game 3 – Sunday, March 26 | 1:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+
Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – TBD
UNCG – TBD

ONE DAY for Western (March 29, 2023)

 

WCU Baseball - Doubleheader now on Saturday

WCU Baseball Schedule Update

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

 

1st Round - CBI vs. Charlotte 49ers

What: First Round - College Basketball Invitational

Who: The #3 seed - Charlotte 49ers
When: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Time: 5:30 pm
Where: Ocean Center - Daytona Beach, FL
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
     -announcer: Gary Ayers (PxP), Daniel Hooker (color)
TV/video: FloSports
     -announcer:
Live Stats:
Nickname: 49ers
Colors: Green, Gold, & White
Students: 30k
Conference: C-USA
Mascot: Norm the Niner
Message Board: NinerNation

Head Coach: Ron Sanchez is in his fifth season at the helm of the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball program in 2022-23. He became the 11th head coach in the program's history on March 19, 2018.

Sanchez's record vs. WCU: 1-0
Gray's record vs. UNCC: 0-1

Charlotte's current record: 18-14 overall, 11-4 home, 5-8 away, 2-2 neutral, 0-11 C-USA
Charlotte's last season record: 17-14 overall, 11-4 home, 6-6 away, 0-4 neutral, 10-8 C-USA

The Series - This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams, with the 49ers winning all three previous meetings. The two teams last met in Charlotte last season, with the 49ers taking a 98-82 win over the Catamounts.

Charlotte was picked to finish 9th in the preseason poll of the 11 member C-USA. The 2022-23 Niners are largely a newlook squad from last season, featuring six newcomers, including four transfers from Division I programs. The 2022 class is led by grad transfers Josh Aldrich and Tre' Gipson, followed by sophomore's Lu'Cye Patterson and Igor Milicic Jr. and rounded out by true freshmen, Rich Rolf and Nik Graves. Joining key returners in Jackson Threadgill, Aly Khalifa and Brice Williams is CLT's 2022 signing class of Josh Aldrich, Montre' Gipson, Lu'Cye Patterson, Igor Milicic, Jr. Nik Graves and Rich Rolf.

The 49ers are currently ranked 10th in the C-USA in scoring offense, putting up an average of 66.72 points per game (ppg), and are ranked second in scoring defense, allowing only 62.75 ppg. Brice Williams leads the 49er in scoring averaging 13.4 ppg, followed by Aly Khalifa with 11.9 ppg. Khalifa is also the leading rebounder with 6.5 rebounds per game.

The College Basketball Invitational Bracket

 

Midweek Baseball vs. Davidson in Kannapolis, NC

Who: Davidson Wildcats
When: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Times: 6:00 pm
Where: Atrium Health Ballpark, Kannapolis, NC
TV/Video:
Radio: none
Live Stats: Davidson Live Stats
Conference: A-10
Students: 1,983
Location: Davidson, NC
Colors: Red and Black
Nickname: Wildcats
Mascot: Will E. Wildcat

This season's record: 6-9 overall, 5-6 home, 1-3 away, 0-0 neutral.
Last season's record: 43-13 overall, 28-6 home, 13-5 away, 2-2 neutral, 20-4 A-10 Conference

Head Coach: Rucker Taylor. After four seasons as associate head coach and six total years on the Davidson staff, Rucker Taylor took the reins as head coach of the program in July, 2018. The 2023 season will be his fifth as the Wildcats' head coach, and he enters with a 112-62 (.644) career record.

The Series: The Cats own a 90-26 overall record with the former SoCon foe. The two teams first met in 1977 and last played in 2014. The Cats own an 83-24 record with the Wildcats as members of the Southern Conference. Western comes into the game having won 8 of the last 10 games.

The Davidson baseball team was picked to finish atop the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball race in the 2023 season, after going 20-4 in league play and finishing with a school-record 43 wins in 2022. In 2023, the Wildcats return many key contributors including catcher Michael Carico and pitcher Ryan Feczko, the A-10 Player of the Year and A-10 Rookie of the Year, respectively, as well as all-conference honorees Bennett Flynn (pitcher), Jacob Hinderleider (shortstop) and Ryan Wilson (first base).

Davidson comes into this game having dropped a three game series in Davidson against the Bryant Bulldogs. The Wildcats will host Western Carolina Tuesday night at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, home of the Kannapolis CannonBallers.

Cats Headed to Postseason Play

 "We are excited to receive and accept the invitation to play in the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational," said WCU second-year head coach Justin Gray. "Postseason play gives our team the opportunity to continue to grow, get better together, and compete for a championship."

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Congrats to Woobright & Claude

Congratulations to Vonterius Woolbright and Tyzhaun Claude on being named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team

 

Midweek game - at UNC-CH

Who: UNC-CH

When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Times: 4:00 pm
Where: Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
TV/video: ACCN
Radio: none
Live Stats: UNC Live Stats
Conference: ACC
Students: 31,000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Colors: Blue and White
Mascot: Rameses

This season's record: 9-3 overall, 9-2 home, 0-1 away, 0-0 neutral.
Last season's record: 42-22 overall, 33-9 home, 5-12 away, 4-1 neutral, 15-15 ACC

Head Coach: Scott Forbes is entering his third season as the head baseball coach at North Carolina in 2023 after taking over the reigns of the program prior to the start of the 2020-21 academic year. He was named UNC's 25th head baseball coach on August 7, 2020.

The Series: The Cats are 2-15 overall vs. the Tar Heels, having dropped the last 11 games, stretching back to 1977.

The Tar Heels come into this game on a 5-game winning streak after dropping two games to East Carolina. Both teams are coming off weekend sweeps of their opponents, Stoney Brook for the Heels, and Eastern Kentucky for the Cats.

SoCon MBB Tournament - Semifinals

Sunday, March 5, 2023

On semifinal Sunday, it's now down to four teams, and not the four expected. Of the top four teams going into the tournament, only Furman and Western Carolina have survived to this point, and they will play each other. In the second bracket, the number two and three teams fell to upsets, in two closely contested games. Few would have thought the numbers six and seven seeds would reach the SoCon semifinals and play each other for a spot in the championship game on Monday.  Can Western Carolina do their part in knocking the top three out of the tournament? Furman is a 10-point favorite in the top bracket, and Jake Stephens and company is a 3-point favorite over the Terriers.


4:00 pm - Watch on ESPNU / ESPN+
Western Carolina (18-14, 10-8 SoCon) vs. Furman (25-7, 15-3 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Semifinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: FUR -10.0
O/U: 150.5


6:30 pm - Watch on ESPNN / ESPN+
Chattanooga (17-16, 7-11 SoCon) vs. Wofford (17-15, 8-10 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Semifinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: UTC -3.0
O/U: 152

Courtesy ProjSporfs  

                                                     

WCU Player of the Game (vs. ETSU - SoCon Quarterfinals)

Purple & Gold's "Catamount Player of the Game" for the ETSU quarterfinal game on March 4th in Asheville, is sophomore forward, #24 Bernard Pelote. 

The Catamount Player of the Game, Bernard Pelote came off the bench in today's quarterfinal game verses ETSU and scored 14 points and pulled down 7 rebounds, that were critical to today's third win over ETSU this season. 

He scored 14 points, hitting five of nine field goal attempts, including 4 of 8 critical shots from beyond the 3-point arc.  Bernard pulled down 7 rebounds, 6 defensive and 1 offensive.  

Congratulations to Bernard and the entire Catamount basketball team for the exciting win over the ETSU Bucs in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament. 

                                                                  

SoCon MBB Tournament - Quarterfinals

Saturday, March 4, 2023

In the quarterfinals, eight of the ten teams will participate today after the departure of VMI & The Citadel yesterday. By the end of the day, we will be down to the final four teams that will participate in the semifinals on Sunday. Action tips off at noon, as the number one Paladins faces Mercer, at 2:30 the Catamounts takes on the Bucs in a basketball version of the Blue Ridge Boarder Battle, then at 6 pm, Jake Stephens and the Mocs battle Samford, in the final game of the day Wofford tangles with UNCG. Furman, ETSU, Samford, & UNCG are favored to win, but this is the SoCon and anything can happen, be ready for a few surprises.

12:00 pm - Watch on Nexstar // ESPN+
Mercer (14-18, 6-12 SoCon) vs. Furman (24-7, 15-3 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Quarterfinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: FUR -9.0
O/U: 142

2:30 pm - Watch on Nexstar // ESPN+
ETSU (12-19, 8-10 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina (17-14, 10-8 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Quarterfinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: ETSU -2.0
O/U: 140.5

6:00 pm - Watch on Nexstar // ESPN+
Chattanooga (16-16, 7-11 SoCon) vs. Samford (21-10, 15-3 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Quarterfinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: SAM -2.5
O/U: 153.5

8:30 pm - Watch on Nexstar // ESPN+
Wofford (16-15, 8-10 SoCon) vs. UNCG (20-11, 14-4 SoCon)
Ingles SoCon Championship - Quarterfinal
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Line: UNCG -7.0
O/U: 138.5

Courtesy Projection Sports  

SoCon MBB Tournament - 1st Round

Friday, March 3, 2023

The SoCon men's basketball tournament tips off today with round 1.  The winners of today's game will move on to the quarterfinals to be played on Saturday. Both winners will have a difficult schedule going forward in the tournament. as the winner of game number one will face Furman, and the winner of game two will face Samford, the number two seed in the tournament. While Mercer gets the nod as a 6-point favorite in game one, I wouldn't count out the Bulldogs of the Citadel. The Bulldogs have shown they can play with anyone in the conference, and while they have lost twice this season to Mercer, this may play in their favor, as it's difficult to beat a team three times in a row. In game two, the Mocs are a 13-point favorite over the Keydets, and this is without knowing if Jake Stephens will play, if he plays, increase the odds for Chattanooga. However, the Keydets have shown they can surprise their opponents, and have played competitively this season, so count them out at your own risk.


Game #1 

5:00 pm - Watch on ESPN+
The Citadel (10-21, 5-13 Southern) vs. Mercer (13-18, 6-12 Southern)
Ingles SoCon Championship - 1st Round
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC

Line: MER -6.5
O/U: 133.5


Game #2 

7:30 pm - Watch on ESPN+
VMI (7-24, 2-16 Southern) vs Chattanooga (15-16, 7-11 Southern)
Ingles SoCon Championship - 1st Round
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC

Line: UTC -13.0
O/U: 148

Weekend Series - Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Who: Eastern Kentucky
When: Friday-Sunday, March 3-5, 2023
Times: 4:00 pm / 2:00 pm / 1:00 pm
Where: Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+ (Friday only)
Radio: none
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Conference: ASun Conference
Nickname: Colonels
Students: 14,465
Location: Richmond, KY
Colors: Maroon and White
Message Board: Maroon Nation

This season's record: 4-5 overall, 1-3 home, 1-2 away, 2-0 neutral
Last season's record: 38-20 overall, 22-6 home, 13-13 away, 3-1 neutral, 20-10 ASun

The Series: The Cats are 27-11 overall vs. the Colonels, having won 7 of the last 10 games between the two teams. The teams last met in 2019 in Mason, O.H. (Prasco Park) and the Cats picked up a 9-6 win.

Head Coach: Chris Prothro was chosen as Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball head coach on Sept. 30, 2020, and let his team to 21-32 and 38-20 seasons in 2021 & 2022.  In 2022, Prothro led the Colonels to the ASUN West Division Championship.  EKU finished tied for the best record in the conference, won more conference games than any previous Eastern Kentucky University squad and finished the season with a 38-20 record.  The Colonels won all three of their games in pool play to earn a spot in the ASUN Tournament semifinals, which included two teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Eastern Kentucky University finished the 2022 season 38-20, champions of the ASUN Conference West Division and tied for the best conference record in the ASUN. It was the most wins for a Colonel team since the 1990 squad won 42 games. Shortstop Logan Thomason was voted by fans as the ASUN Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. In December, Collegiate Baseball ranked EKU 46th in its Fabulous 50 NCAA Division I Pre-Season Poll. In a preseason poll of league head coaches, EKU was picked to finish fifth during the 2023 season.

Two familiar faces will line up for the Colonels this weekend as former Catamounts, senior infielder Jalen Jones and senior catcher Michael Goehrig are both on EKU's roster. Jones is in his second season in Richmond, he played in 61 games over the 2019 and 2020 seasons with 50 combined starts for the Cats before transferring, also in his second year on EKU's roster, Goehrig likewise departed Cullowhee after the abbreviated 2020 campaign for Southwestern Illinois after playing in 39 games between 2019-2020.

Game 1: Friday, March 3 | 4:00 pm
Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – So. RHP Matt Schepel (1-1, 4.50 ERA; 10.0 IP, 9K, 0BB)
EKU – Sr. RHP Michael Schuler (0-0, 6.75; 6.2 IP, 6K, 4BB)

Game 2: Saturday, March 2 | 2:00 pm
Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – TBD
EKU – Jr. RHP Rese Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA; 9.0 IP, 15K, 6BB)

Game 3: Sunday, March 3 | 1:00 pm 
Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – TBD
EKU – Jr. RHP Rian Yates (0-0, 6.43 ERA; 7.0 IP, 6K, 6BB)

SoCon MBB Quarterfinals: #4 WCU vs. #5 ETSU

What:  Quarterfinals, SoCon Men's Basketball Tournament

Who: #5 seed - ETSU Bucs

When: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Time: 2:30 pm
Where: Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
   -announcer: Gary Ayers (PxP)
TV/video: ESPN+

   -announcer:Pete Yanity (play-by-play), Dean Keener (analyst)  
Nickname: Buccaneers (land pirates)
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold (yellow) 

Students: 14,334
Mascot: Bucky

Message Board:  Buccaneer Nation

Head Coach: Desmond Oliver was named the 18th head coach in program history on April 5, 2021.
Oliver's record vs. WCU: 1-3
Gray's record vs. ETSU: 3-1

ETSU's current record: 12-19 overall, 7-9 home, 5-9 away, 1-1 neutral, 8-10 SoCon

ETSU's last season record: 15-17 overall, 8-6 home, 4-10 away, 3-2 neutral, 7-11 SoCon

The Series: The Cats are 27-58 all-time versus the Bucs and are 3-7 in the last ten games played against ETSU.  Western has won the last three games against the Bucs. Last year in Cullowhee the Cats broke a 13-game losing streak with ETSU. 

In the SoCon preseason polls, the Bucs were picked to finish 6th by both the coaches and the media. The Bucs picked up the 5th place in the SoCon standings by beating UNCG last Saturday. UNCG was tied with Furman & Samford for first place at the time. The Bucs currently rank 7th in scoring offense, putting up 69.5 points per game (ppg), however in scoring defense, the Bucs come in third, giving up only 69 ppg.

ETSU comes into the game having won their last two games. The Bucs have three players averaging double-figure scoring, Jordan King averaging 15.5 ppg, Jalen Haynes averaging 14.3 ppg, and Deanthony Tipler putting up 10.4 ppg.  Jaden Seymour leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 rebounds per game.  The Bucs are averaging 6 three-pointers per game, and as a team hitting 66% of their shots at the charity stripe. 

Midweek Baseball vs. Gardner-Webb

Who: Gardner-Webb
When: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Time: 4:00 pm
Where: John Henry Moss Stadium, Boiling Springs, NC
TV/video: none
Radio: none
Live Stats: GWU Live Stats
Conference: Big South
Nickname: Runnin' Bulldogs
Location: Boiling Springs, NC
Colors: Scarlet & Black
Mascot: Mac and Lulu
Message Board: none

This season's record: 4-4 overall, 4-4 home, 0-0 away, 0-0 neutral
The Series: The Cats are 18-10 oveerall vs. the dogs, having won 4 of the last 5 games between the two teams

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.

Gardner-Webb baseball was tabbed fourth in the 2023 Big South Conference baseball poll, as head coach Jim Chester returns the bulk of his offensive talent from the 2022 season, paced by All-Big South selections Alec Burns, Jacob Marcos and Curtis Robison. After dropping four of their first five games, the Runnin' Bulldogs have reeled off 3 straight wins coming into Wednesday's game against the Cats.

Projected Pitching Match-up: 

WCU – R-So. RHP Coby Ingle (0-1, 3.00 ERA; 3.0 IP, 3K, 0 BB) 

GWU – R-Fr. LHP Reid Bertram (0-1, 8.10 ERA; 3.1 IP, 3K, 1BB)

SoCon recap of Saturday's MBB games

Saturday, February 25, 2023

After Saturday's games, all the seeds for the upcoming SoCon tournament are now filled. With Furman's win over Samford, the two teams will share the championship, and Furman receiving the number one seed in the tournament.  This was possible with ETSU's one point win over UNCG, dropping the Spartans into the 3rd place seed for the tournament. Wofford's win over Chattanooga put the Terriers in that coveted 6th place seed and dropped the Mocs into the 7th place seed and the play-in bracket, on the "Road to Asheville."

Furman 93 - Samford 79
Mike Bothwell totaled 35 points and JP Pegues added 20 to lead Furman past Samford, 93-79, on Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center as the Paladins claimed a share of the Southern Conference regular season title and secured the No. 1 seed for the SoCon Men's Basketball Championship. The Paladins, who improved to 24-7 overall and 15-3 in the SoCon, garnered their first share of the conference title since 2017 and captured the top seed for the first time since 1991. Furman will face the winner of Friday's first round matchup between No. 8 seed Mercer and No. 9 The Citadel in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament on Saturday, March 4, at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville. Tip-off in Asheville, N.C. is set for 12 p.m. and tickets are available at FurmanPaladins.com.

VMI 66 - Western Carolina 85
Vonterius Woolbright recorded the fourth triple-double in Western Carolina's NCAA Division I men's basketball era with 14 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds as the Catamounts closed out the 2022-23 regular season with an 85-66 victory over VMI on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU concludes the regular season with a 17-14 mark and clinched the No. 4 seed in next weekend's Ingles Southern Conference Tournament with a 10-8 league mark. VMI drops to 7-24 and 2-16. A season-high 3,586 fans witnessed the contest. Woolbright joins Nicholas Robinson (Feb. 4, 2022 at VMI) and Mason Faulkner (Nov. 12, 2019 vs NC A&T and Feb. 26, 2020) as Catamount players with triple-doubles according to available records. Woolbright tied his career-high with 11 assists and of his 10 rebounds, nine were on the defensive glass. Tre Jackson led the Catamounts with 22 points and was joined in double figures by Tyzhaun Claude with 18 points and DJ Campbell with 11. Cam Bacote, Marlow Gilmore, and Tyler Harris were each honored in Senior Day festivities prior to tip-off. Tyler Houser paced VMI with a game-high 26 points, Asher Woods (16), Taeshaud Jackson (12), and Rickey Bradley (10) also finished in double figures for the Keydets.

The Citadel 50 - Mercer 72
The Mercer men's basketball program closed out the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a Senior Day victory over The Citadel, 72-50. Seniors Kamar Robertson, Harrison Drake, Luis Hurtado Jr., Diego Rivera, and John Treanor were honored before the game. The Bears improve to 13-18 overall and 6-12 in the Southern Conference while The Citadel falls to 10-21 on the season and 5-13 in the league. The two teams will meet again in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Friday, March 3 at 5 p.m. at the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville.

UNCG 62 - ETSU 63
After losing by 26 points earlier this month to UNCG in Greensboro, the ETSU men’s basketball team wanted another shot at the Spartans. The Buccaneers got that opportunity in Saturday’s regular season finale and ETSU came up big. Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) scored a game-high 25 points and Jaden Seymour (Charlotte, N.C.) added 17 points and seven rebounds, and ETSU was able to exhale when Kobe Langley’s three-point shot at the buzzer was off the mark, securing the Bucs a 63-62 victory over the Spartans in front of 3,652 fans inside Freedom Hall. The win locked ETSU into the No. 5 seed in next week’s Southern Conference Tournament, while UNCG’s hopes for sharing the conference crown crumbled following the defeat. The Bucs will now take on No. 4 Western Carolina in Saturday’s quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center.

Chattanooga 74 - Wofford 86
The Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball team dropped its regular season Southern Conference finale contest 86-74 at Wofford on Saturday evening inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. Following the loss, Chattanooga finishes the season No. 7 in the SoCon standings behind a 15-16 overall record and a 7-11 mark in league action. Wofford punches its ticket to the SoCon quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed behind a 16-15 overall record and an 8-10 tally in conference. The Mocs were dominated on the glass during the defeat, suffering a 40-26 disadvantage in total rebounds while allowing 22 second chance points to the Terriers. For the second game in-a-row, UTC went cold from behind the arc in the second half after finishing the game 3-of-15 (20.0%) from deep over the last 20 minutes.

The SoCon Tournament Final Brackets

This is what the first two days of the SoCon tournament look after Saturday's games.

First round // Friday, March 3
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 1  #9 The Citadel vs. #8 Mercer - 5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 Chattanooga vs. #10 VMI - 7:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 4
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 3   #1 Furman vs. Game 1 winner  - 12 p.m.
Game 4   #4 Western Carolina vs. #5 ETSU   - 2:30 p.m.
Game 5   #2 Samford vs. Game 2 winner  - 6 p.m.
Game 6   #3 UNCG vs. #6 Wofford  - 8:30 p.m.

WCU Player of the Game (vs. VMI)

Purple & Gold's "Catamount Player of the Game" for the VMI game on February 25th in Cullowhee, is senior guard Vonterius Woolbright. 

The Catamount Player of the Game, Vonterius Woolbright is only the third Catamount to complete a triple-double since the Catamounts joined the NCAA Dividion I ranks. 

He scored 14 points, hitting five of six field goal attempts, including 2 of 2 from beyond the 3-point arc, and also hit 2 of 2 at the free throw line. Vonterius pulled down 10 rebounds, 9 defensive and 1 offensive, and completed 11 assists to round out the triple double in the last regular season home game. 

Congratulations to Vonterius and the entire Catamount basketball team for the exciting win over the VMI Keydets in the largest crowd in the Ramsey Center this season.        

                                                                  

SoCon MBB - (Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023)

Saturday, February 25, 2023


The last full day of conference games has all 10 teams in action, and will finalize all seeds for the upcoming SoCon Tournament. Furman travels to Samford for a nationally televised game that will decide the SoCon Championship. Samford is assured a share of the title, but a win in Homewood would give the Bulldogs their first SoCon basketball championship, outright. Everyone else is playing for seeding purposes in the tournament, except WCU and VMI, who both have locked down the 4th and 10th seeds respectively, on the "Road to Asheville".

2:00 PM - Watch on CBSSN
Furman (23-7, 14-3 SoCon) at Samford (21-9, 15-2 SoCon)
Pete Hanna Center - Homewood, AL

2:00 PM - Watch on ESPN+
The Citadel (10-20, 5-12 SoCon) at Mercer (12-18, 5-12 SoCon)
Hawkins Arena -Macon, GA

4:00 PM - Watch on ESPN+
VMI (7-23, 2-15 SoCon) at Western Carolina (16-14, 9-8 SoCon)
Ramsey Regional Activity Center - Cullowhee, NC

4:00 PM - Watch on ESPN+
UNCG (20-10, 14-3 SoCon) at ETSU (11-19, 7-10 SoCon)
Freedom Hall Civic Center - Johnson City, TN

7:00 PM - Watch on ESPN+
Chattanooga (15-15, 7-10 SoCon) at Wofford (15-15, 7-10 SoCon)
Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, SC

Game #30 - VMI Keydets

Who: VMI Keydets
When: Saturday, February 25, 2023
Time: 4:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
    -announcer: Gary Ayers (PxP)
TV/video: ESPN+
    -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Nickname: Keydets
Colors: Red, Yellow, White
Students: 1,685
Mascot: Moe the Kangaroo
Message Board: KeydetSportstalk

Head Coach: VMI Superintendent Maj. General Cedric T. Wins announced the hiring of Andrew Wilson to serve as the Institute’s 29th head basketball coach.

Wilson's record vs. WCU: 0-1
Gray's record vs. VMI: 2-1

VMI's current record: 7-23 overall, 6-8 home, 1-13 away, 0-2 neutral, 2-15 SoCon
VMI's last season record: 16-16 overall, 9-4 home, 6-9 away, 1-3 neutral, 9-9 SoCon

The Series: Entering their 68th game, the Cats are 38-29 overall vs. the Keydets. Western has a 21-11 winning record in games played in Cullowhee, vs. the Keydets, however, the Cats are only 4-6 in the last 10 games played against VMI, but have a two-game win streak coming into this game.

This game is part of a doubleheader being played in Cullowhee on Saturday, with the women's team playing ETSU following the men's game. This is also Senior Night for both the Men's and Women's teams, and all seniors will be recognized.

VMI is coming off their second conference win of the season with an 87-83 victory over the Wofford Terriers in Lexington. At this time only the Keydets and Catamounts know their seed for the upcoming SoCon Tournament, with the Cats holding the 4th seed and the Keydets holding the 10th seed, so the outcome of this game will not change the seeding for either team.

Currently, the Keydets have four players averaging double-digit scoring, led by Asher Woods with 14.1 points per game (PPG), followed by Sean Conway with 12.3 ppg, Tony Felder, Jr with 10.5 ppg and Tyler Houser with 10,4 ppg. Taeshaud Jackson is the leading rebounder, pulling down 7 rebounds per game. The Keydets are in 7th place in scoring offense, putting up 69.4 ppg, and rank 10th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 76 ppg.  

Xavier Musketeers

Who: Xavier Musketeers
When: February 24-26, 2023 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Times: 12:00 (noon), 2 pm, & 1 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+ (Friday & Sunday only)
    -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats (all games)
Conference: Big East Conference
Nickname: Musketeers
Location: Cincinnati and Evanston, Ohio
Type: Private
Colors: Blue, White & Silver
Students: 13,582 (undergrad / grad / post-grad)
Mascot: Musketeers (D'Artagnan the Musketeer)

Message Board: XavierHoops.com

This season's record: 0-5 overall, 0-0 home, 0-5 away, 0-0 Big East
Last season's record: 33-27 overall, 12-5 home, 19-17 away, 2-5 neutral, 13-8 Big East

Head Coach: Billy O'Conner was named the seventh head coach of the Xavier baseball program in June of 2017 after a decorated playing career and six years on the staff as an assistant.

O'Conner's record vs. WCU: 1-2
Beck's record vs. Xavier: 0-0

The Series: The Cats are 4-2 overall vs. Xavier, the Cats won 2 of 3 games against the Musketeers last season in games played in Ohio. The Cats last played Xavier in 2007 in Cullowhee, winning 2 of 3 in that series in Childress Field.

Xavier graduate student Jack Housinger was selected as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league coaches. Housinger was also selected to the Preseason All-Big East Team, joined by fellow Musketeers Garrett Schultz and Luke Bell and the league's preseason squad. Xavier was picked to finish third in the Big East by the league coaches.

In 2022, Xavier went 33-27 overall and 13-8 in Big East play earning the No. 4 seed in the 2022 Big East Baseball Tournament where the Musketeers finished runners-up. Xavier's 33 wins were the most since Xavier's 34-win campaign in 2017 and the third most in a single season in program history.

To start the season the Musketeers traveled to Eugene, Oregon to face the #20 Oregon Ducks, where they were swept by the Ducks, then to #16 Louisville, where they lost 12-8 in a mid week series.


STARTING ROTATION
                      Xavier       -          Western Carolina
Friday: Ethan Bosacker (RHP) - Matt Schepel (RHP)
Saturday: Brant Alazaus (LHP) - Kyle Riesselmann (LHP)
Sunday: Nick Boyle (RHP)  -    Jonathan Todd (RHP)

If it ended today - Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023

If the regular season play ended today, this is how the seeding would look...

First round // Friday, March 3
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 1  #9 The Citadel vs. #8 Mercer - 5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 Chattanooga vs. #10 VMI - 7:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 4
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 3   #1 Samford vs. Game 1 winner  - 12 p.m.
Game 4   #4 Western Carolina vs. #5 ETSU   - 2:30 p.m.
Game 5   #2 Furman vs. Game 2 winner  - 6 p.m.
Game 6   #3 UNCG vs. #6 Wofford  - 8:30 p.m.

SoCon MBB - (Feb. 22, 2023)

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

All 10 teams are in action on Wednesday, the final week of regular season conference play. As of today, only two seeds in the SoCon tournament have been established, they are VMI for the number 10 seed and Western Carolina for the number 4 seed. Samford travels to Chattanooga looking to retain their hold on the number one spot (it's theirs to lose) while the two teams tied for second place, Furman and UNCG play at home, and both need a win to stay in contention for that number one seed, on the "Road to Asheville".

7:00 PM ESPN+
Western Carolina (16-13, 9-7 SoCon) at UNCG (19-10,13-3 SoCon)
Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, NC

7:00 PM ESPN+
Samford (20-9, 14-2 SoCon) at Chattanooga (15-14, 7-9 SoCon)
McKenzie Arena - Chattanooga, TN

7:00 PM ESPN+
The Citadel (10-19, 5-11 SoCon) at ETSU (10-19, 6-10 SoCon)
Freedom Hall Civic Center - Johnson City, TN

7:00 PM ESPN+ 

Mercer (12-17, 5-11 SoCon) at Furman (22-7,13-3 SoCon)
Timmons Arena - Greenville, SC

7:00 PM ESPN+
Wofford (15-14, 7-9 SoCon) at VMI (6-23,1-15 SoCon)
Cameron Hall - Lexington, VA

Game #29 - UNCG

On the final road trip of the regular season for the Catamounts, WCU will face one of the two teams tied for second place in the conference standing, the UNCG Spartans in the Greensboro Coliseum.  

Who: UNCG Spartans

When: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Greensboro, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
     -announcer: Gary Ayers (PxP)
TV/video: ESPN+
     -announcer: Ty Collins (PxP), Will Jones (Color Analyst) 

Live Stats: UNCG Live Stats
Nickname: Spartans
Colors: Gold, white, navy blue
Students: 19,764
Mascot: "Spiro" the Spartan

Head Coach: Mike Jones is the 10th head coach in UNCG men's basketball history. He was hired on April 19, 2021, and is in his second season as HC.  

Jones's record vs. WCU:  3-0

Gray's record vs. UNCG:  0-3

The Series: The Cats are 32-29 overall vs. the Spartans, and are 11-15 in games played in Greensboro.  However, the Cats are 1-9 in the last ten games played and lost both games last season to the Spartans.  

Jones' record vs. WCU: 2-0
Gray's record vs. UNCG: 0-2

UNCG's current record: 19-10 overall, 10-3 home, 8-5 away, 1-2 neutral, 13-3 SoCon
UNCG's last season's record:  17-15 overall, 9-5 home, 7-6 away, 9-9 SoCon


The Spartans were picked 3rd & 4th in the preseason polls, currently, and tied with Furman for second place in the standings. The Spartans are in 6th place in offensive scoring, putting up an average of 72.7 points per game (ppg), but come in 1st place in scoring defense, giving up only 64.9 points per game.  The Spartans have three players that are scoring in double digits, with Keyshaun Langley posting 14.4 ppg, Keondre Kennedy hitting 13.4 ppg, and  Mikeal Brown-Jones scoring 10,4 ppg.      

If it ended today - Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023

If the regular season play ended today, this is how the seeding would look...

First round // Friday, March 3
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 1  #9 The Citadel vs. #8 Mercer - 5 p.m.
Game 2  #7 ETSU  vs. #10 VMI - 7:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals // Saturday, March 4
Game - Matchup - Time
Game 3   #1 Samford vs. Game 1 winner - 12 p.m.
Game 4  #4 Western Carolina vs. #5 Wofford   - 2:30 p.m.
Game 5  #2 Furman vs. Game 2 winner - 6 p.m.
Game 6   #3 UNCG vs. #6 Chattanooga  - 8:30 p.m.

A Recap of Saturday's SoCon MBB Games

Saturday, February 18, 2023

It was not a good day to be the home team in the SoCon on Saturday, with all four home teams dropping their game today. The Spartans, Bulldogs, Terriers, and Catamounts all picked up road wins today, with Samford remaining in first place and the Spartans holding on to at least a tie for second, while the Catamounts increased their hold on the number 4 spot in the conference standings with a two-game lead over the Mocs. The Paladins must win Sunday to remain in the hunt for the regular season crown, and the number one seed in the SoCon MBB tournament, on the "Road to Asheville"

UNCG 93 - Chattanooga 76
UNCG men's basketball team bounced back with a 93-76 victory over Chattanooga Saturday afternoon at McKenzie Arena in Southern Conference (SoCon) play. The Spartans saw four with double-digit points, including Bas Leyte leading the team with 16 points. This matched his season-best. Keyshaun and Kobe Langley each had 15 points, as Kobe's was a season-best. Keondre Kennedy chipped in 13 points. This was the 11th game this season where four or more Spartans recorded double-digit points. UNCG has now won a game by double digits in 13 games this season and scored 90 or more points in five games this season.

Samford 96 - VMI 61
The Samford Men's Basketball Team put on an offensive clinic in its 96-61 blowout victory at VMI on Saturday. With the win, Samford improves to 20-9 overall and 14-2 in Southern Conference play. It is the fourth time the Bulldogs have notched 20 wins in a season and the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have recorded consecutive seasons with 20 regular-season wins. Samford sits just one league win shy of tying the 1998-99 squad for most conference victories in a season at 15. The Bulldogs used a monster second half to pull away from VMI, outscoring them 65-31 over the final 20 minutes. Samford knocked down 15 threes in the second half on 21 attempts (71%) while shooting 23-34 from the field (68%).

Wofford 72 - The Citadel 68
The Wofford College men's basketball team was able to hold on late to get a crucial 72-68 road win over The Citadel at McAlister Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers trailed with 3:35 remaining in the second half but were able to rally late for the second time this week and pick up a win. Clutch free throw shooting late in the game helped to seal the victory as a 68-66 lead with 24 seconds left turned into a 72-68 margin with senior B.J. Mack and freshman Jackson Paveletzke both going 2-2 from the line in the final 24 seconds. Paveletzke's free throws gave Wofford a 72-68 lead with only nine seconds left and a Corey Tripp steal would allow the Terriers to run out the clock on a 72-68 road win.

Western Carolina 71 - Mercer 68
Tre Jackson led four Western Carolina players in double figures with 18 points as the Catamounts held off a later Mercer rally for a 71-68 win over the Bears inside Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon. WCU improves to 16-13 overall and 9-7 in Southern Conference play with the win. Mercer falls to 12-17 and 5-11. The Catamounts complete the season sweep of Mercer for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Jackson's 18-point day came as he finished 5-for-15 from the field, 2-for-6 on 3-point attempts, and 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Vonterius Woolbright tallied 16 points along with seven rebounds, and seven assists. Tyzhaun Claude returned to the lineup on Saturday, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Russell Jones Jr. also finished in double figures with 12 points. Of WCU's 71 points, 20 came as a result of Mercer turnovers as the Catamounts forced 15 Bear miscues.