Weekend Series - ETSU Buccaneers

Who: ETSU Bucs
When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday - April 28-30
Times: 5 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm
Where: Thomas Stadium, Johnson City, TN
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: ETSU Live Stats
Nickname: Buccaneers
Location: Johnson City, TN
Colors: Blue and Gold (Yellow)
Mascot: Bucky
Students: 14,334
Message Board: Buccaneer Nation

This year's record: 18-20 overall, 11-9 home, 7-11 away, 0-0 neutral, 4-8 SoCon

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.
Overall Record: 128-95
Record at ETSU: same

The Series: The Cats are 69-43 overall against ETSU, with a 28-15 record in games played in Johnson City. However, the Cats are only 2-8 in the last 10 games played against the Bucs, and come into this game on a 4-game skid with ETSU. The two teams first played in 1974.

The Bucs were picked to finish 5th in both preseason polls by the coaches and media, and ETSU had three players selected for preseason all-conference honors. Catcher, Noah Webb, Jr and outfielder Tommy Barth were selected to the first team, while designated hitter Garett Wallace, Sr received second team honors. Senior right hand pitcher Nathanial Tate is the current SoCon pitcher of the week, and honor he's received twice before this week.

The Bucs are hitting .296 as a team and currently have 4 players hitting above .300 this season. Nick Iannantone leads ETSU hitters with a .396 average, followed by Cameron Sisneros at .371, Cody Miller at .352, and Garett Wallace at .314 this season.

Last season, the Bucs finished with an overall record of 30-21 and owned a nice 22-6 record in Thomas Stadium. ETSU baseball won its third straight game on Tuesday against a familiar midweek foe, defeating Radford in out-of-conference action, with a 9-3 victory over the Highlanders just north of the Tennessee/Virginia border. Prior to that game, Monday was a day full of awards for ETSU’s senior right-handed pitcher Nathanial Tate as he was named both Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week and one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week.

Last Sunday, Tate pitched 9.0 innings for the first time in his career, while striking out a career-high 13 batters in a 1-0 win over The Citadel to help ETSU win its first SoCon series of the season. He scattered five hits and four walks, but no runs for the complete game shutout. Along with Tate’s shutout on Sunday, one day prior, Cade Carlson went 7.0 innings without a run allowed in a 10-0 run-rule victory over the Bulldogs for the Bucs first back-to-back shutout wins since 2007.

Projected Pitching Match-up: 

Fri., April 28 | 5:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+ 

WCU – Jr. RHP Jonathan Todd (1-2, 9.55 ERA; 10 app., 3 GS, 21K, 10BB)

ETSU – LHP Colby Stuart (1-2, 3.92 ERA; 13 app., 2 GS, 30K, 6BB)

Sat., April 29 | 2:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+ 
WCU – Jr. LHP Kyle Riesselmann (1-2, 6.21 ERA; 9 app., 8 GS, 32K, 9BB)
ETSU – RHP Cade Carlson (3-0, 1.48 ERA; 12 app., 1 GS, 29K, 11BB)

Sun., April 30 | 1:00 pm | Coverage: ESPN+ 
WCU – TBD
ETSU – RHP Nathanial Tate (5-3, 4.01 ERA; 11 app., 11 GS, 58K, 26BB)

Midweek Baseball: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

Who: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

When: Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC

TV/video: ESPN+
    -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Radio: none
Live Stats: 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: 26-13 overall, 19-6 home, 7-7 away, 0-0 neutral, 12-6 Conference

The Series: The Cats are 18-11 overall vs. the dogs, having won 4 of the last 6 games between the two teams, but does enter the game having lost the last two games played between the two teams. Western is 9-5-1 in games played in Cullowhee. This game completes a home-and-home series this season with the Runnin' Bulldogs, having lost to the Bulldogs in Boiling Springs on March 1, by a final score of 14-4.

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. The Bulldogs are coming off a series win in Clinton, SC where they took two of three over the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

Gardner-Webb is currently hitting .288 as a team, and the Runnin' dogs have five players that are currently hitting above .300, with Curtis Robison leading all hitters with a .357 average. Followed by Nate Anderson hitting .325, Jacob Marcos hitting .314, Alec Burns hitting .313, and Mark Black with a .303 average.  

GWU's Curtis Robison was dubbed the Big South Baseball Player of the Week after batting .417 (10-of-24) with five doubles, a triple, and four RBI.  

WCU is expected to start junior RHP Dawson Elder who will climb the mound for his second start of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career. He is coming off a season-long 3.2 innings of hitless relief with four strikeouts last Tuesday at USC Upstate.

Weekend Series - College of Charleston

Who: College of Charleston Cougars

When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday - April 21-23

Time: 6 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm
Where: CofC Baseball Stadium, Patriots Point Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC
TV/video: FLO Sports
Live Stats: CoC Live Stats
Nickname: Cougars
Location: Charleston, SC
Conference: CAA
Colors: Maroon and white
Students: 10,488

This year's record: 22-14 overall, 17-6 home, 5-7 away, 0-1 neutral, 12-6 CAA

Head Coach: Chad Holbrook enters his seventh season as the head coach of the College of Charleston baseball program in the spring of 2023
Overall Record: 348-193 (.643)
Record at CofC: 148-87 (.630)

The Series: The Cats have an overall record of 17-38 vs. the Cougars in a series that started in 1999. The Cats are only 7-20 in games played in Charleston and are 3-7 in the last 10 games played. The two teams have not met on the baseball diamond since the departure of the Cougars from the Southern Conference in 2013.

The former SoCon member College of Charleston baseball was picked to repeat as the CAA regular season champions in 2023 and seven individuals earned preseason All-Conference honors, headlined by William Privette's nod as the Preseason Player of the Year honors. JT Marr, Trotter Harlan, Tyler Sorrentino, Ty Good and Privette were all named to the Preseason All-CAA Team while Cam Dean and Joseph Mershon garnered Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention recognition.

The Cougars are coming off a 4-12 loss to #10 Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC.

-Friday, April 21 | 6:00 pm | Coverage: FloBaseball ($) 
Projected Pitching Match-up:
CofC – TBA
WCU – Jr. RHP Jonathan Todd (1-1, 9.55 ERA; 10 app., 3 GS, 21K, 10BB)

-Saturday, April 22 | 2:00 pm | Coverage: FloBaseball ($) 
Projected Pitching Match-up:
CofC – Sr. RHP Trey Pooser (4-1, 3.19 ERA; 9 app., 9 GS, 43K, 18BB)
WCU – Jr. LHP Kyle Riesselmann (1-1, 5.40 ERA; 8 app., 7 GS, 29K, 9BB)

-Sunday, April 23 | 1:00 pm | Coverage: FloBaseball ($)
Projected Pitching Match-up:
CofC – Soph. RHP Cole Mathis (3-1, 4.09 ERA; 10 app., 8 GS, 36K, 14BB)
WCU – TBD

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations       

Midweek game vs. USC Upstate

Who: USC Upstate

When: Tuesday, April 18
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park, Spartanburg, SC
TV/video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Upstate Live Stats
Conference: Big South
Nickname: Spartans
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Type: Public
Colors: Green & Gray
Students: 5,996

This year's Upstate record: 23-14, 14-6 home, 8-7 away, 1-1 neutral, 9-3 Big South

Head Coach: Mike McGuire is in his fourth season as the head baseball coach at USC Upstate. McGuire's overall record: 471-329-1

The Series: Western is 8-4 overall vs. USC Upstate in a series first played in 1986. The Cats are 4-2 overall vs. the Spartans in games played in Spartanburg

The Cats complete this season's home-and-home games with the Spartans by visiting Spartanburg, after losing a 13-inning game in Cullowhee earlier in the month, by an 8-9 final score.

The Spartans were picked second in the Big South preseason poll. With 35 wins in 2022, Upstate has won 72 games over the past two seasons, and of the 35 wins last season, three came against Power-Five opponents as the Spartans beat Boston College, Ohio State, and South Carolina.

During head coach Mike McGuire's tenure at Upstate (2020-pres.), the Spartans have proven one of the top offensive teams in the Big South. The Spartans return two hitters who garnered All-Big South honors last season, returning the Big South Freshman of the Year Noah Sullivan and First Team All-Conference outfielder Noah Rabon.

On the mound, Upstate ranked top-three in the league in six statistical categories, leading the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (4.40) and ranking second in earned run average (5.87), hits allowed per nine innings (9.78), shutouts (two), and WHIP (1.58).

This season, the Spartans have a wins over Clemson; has won a three-game series vs. CAA's James Madison (2-1); beat the Citadel 25-10; and has beat Cincinnati and Princeton. Western split a two-game series with Upstate last season, with both teams winning at home.

Probable Starting Pitchers
USC Upstate - RHP Caleb Costa (0-1; 6.75 ERA)
Western Carolina - LHP Ryan White (1-0; 4.91 ERA)

Weekend Series - Wofford Terriers

Who: Wofford Terriers

When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday - April 14-16
Times: 5 pm, 3 pm, 1 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+ (Saturday & Sunday games will be broadcast on CW62 - Asheville)
     -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)

Live Stats: WCU Live Stats

Nickname: Terriers
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Colors: Black & Gold
Students: 1800

This year's record: 24-8 overall, 17-6 home, 6-2 away, 1-0 neutral, 4-2 SoCon

Head Coach: Todd Interdonato is entering his sixteenth season as head coach of the Wofford baseball program in 2023.
Record at Wofford: 415-402-1 (16th Season)
Overall Record: 415-402-1 (16th Season)

Record vs WCU: 17-25-1

The Series: Western holds an overall 75-26-1 record against the Terriers, and is 31-13-1 in games played in Spartanburg. However, the Cats are 5-4-1 in the last 10 games played.

Western Carolina returns home this weekend after their explosive win over Asheville to host Southern Conference preseason favorite, and defending league champion Wofford. Friday's opener is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch.  All three games will be streamed online on ESPN+  and as announced the games Saturday and Sunday will also be broadcast on The CW62 (Asheville) across western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina.

In preseason voting, the defending champion Wofford Terriers were selected to finish in first place by both the media and coaches, and Matthew Marchal, RHP, was selected as the preseason pitcher of the year. The Terriers had 4 players selected for first-team all-conference and one for second-team all-conference.

The Terriers are coming off a midweek blistering of Presbyterian 18-1, a team that beat the Cats back in February, 0-3 in Clinton, SC. So far this season, the Terriers have lost only two conference games, one to VMI and one to ETSU. Currently, the Terriers have eight players hitting higher than .300 coming into this weekend. Ryan Galanie leads all hitters with .439, Cameron Gill at .395, Marshall Toole at .333, Gunnar Johnson at .333, Trey Yunger at .328, Dixon Black at .325, David Wiley at .318, and Brice Martinez at .313, and the team has overall average of .313 thus far this season.


Projected Pitching:
Game #1:
Projected Pitching Match-up: WOF – So. RHP Coulson Buchanan (3-2, 4.53 ERA; 12 app., 11 GS, 49.2 IP, 57K, 12 BB)
WCU – Grad. RHP Nick Torres (3-2, 2.84 ERA; 12 app., 2 GS, 31.2 IP, 26K, 10BB)

Game #2:
WOF – Fr. RHP Charlie Weber (0-0, 7.13 ERA; 7 app., 7 GS, 24.0 IP, 25K, 3BB)
WCU – Jr. LHP Kyle Riesselmann (1-1, 5.08 ERA; 7 app., 6 GS, 28.1 IP, 28K, 8 BB)

Game #3:
WOF – Sr. RHP Matthew Marchal (6-1, 4.50 ERA; 12 app., 11 GS, 44.0 IP, 46K, 11BB)
WCU – TBD

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Midweek Baseball: at UNC Asheville

Who: UNC Asheville Bulldogs
When: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Greenwood Baseball Field - Asheville, NC
TV/Video: ESPN+
Radio: none
Live Stats: UNCA Live Stats
Conference: Big South
Location: Asheville, NC
Colors: Blue and White
Nickname: Bulldogs
Mascot: Rocky
Students: 3,233

This season's record: 18-13 overall, 14-4 home, 4-9 away, 0-0 neutral, 5-7 Big South.

Head Coach: Scott Friedholm will begin his ninth season as the Head Baseball Coach at UNC Asheville in 2023. He was appointed head coach on June 17, 2014. Friedholm's record: 129-235 overall

The Series: Western has an overall record of 53-25 against the Bulldogs, and is 21-12 in games played in Asheville. However, the Cats are only 2-8 in the last 10 games played against the Bulldogs, and bring in a 3-game losing streak against Asheville to the game.

UNC Asheville was picked to finish fifth in the Big South preseason poll. Asheville finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 21-29-1, including a 14-9-1 record in Big South play. The 14-9-1 record in conference games matched Asheville's best finish in program history.

The Bulldogs currently stand at 4th in the conference, with a 4-5 conference record. Asheville is coming off a 1-2 weekend series against Big South foe, Gardner-Webb, splitting a doubleheader on Thursday, and losing on Friday in Boiling Springs. The Bulldogs have a win over the SoCon's ETSU (10-6), and a loss to Wofford in Spartanburg. In other common opponents, like WCU, the Bulldogs have a loss at Tennessee. The Dogs also played Eastern Kentucky, winning that series 2-1.

In Big South standings, the Bulldogs are in second place in team batting with a .285 average. Currently, Asheville has four players hitting above .300, with sophomore Robbie Burnett at .389, senior Dylan Bacot hitting 370, junior Kohl Abrams hitting 348, and sophomore Corbin Lanowitz at 317. Burnett also leads the team in home runs, with a total of 10 for the season, as well as 3 triples, and walks, with 22 base on balls to his credit. Bacot leads the team in hitting with 47 hits and 14 doubles. Another scoring threat, junior Cameron Johnson has 6 home runs and 6 doubles thus far in the season, Johnson also leads the team in strikeouts, with 32.

Currently, the Cats are at .500 (3-3) against Big South teams this season. The Cats swept Radford (3 games), but have mid-week losses to PC, Gardner-Webb, and USC Upstate. It would be nice to go above .500 with a win. I always wonder why we lose to Big South teams as most Catamount fans always declare the Big South an inferior league, especially when someone brings up the idea of WCU seeking another conference.


Projected Pitching Match-up:
WCU – Jr. RHP Dawson Elder (0-0, 18.00 ERA; 2 app., 0 GS, 1.0 IP, 1K, 3BB)
UNCA – Jr. RHP Cole Bates (0-0, 9.08 ERA; 12 app., 2 GS, 16.2 IP, 13K, 8BB)

Easter Sunday - HE IS RISEN

Weekend Series - VMI Keydets

Who: VMI Keydets
When: Thursday & Friday, April 6 & 7
Time: 12 noon, 2:00 pm Thursday & TBA on Friday
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
   -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Nickname: Keydets
Location: Lexington, VA
Colors: Red, White, & Yellow
Students: 1685

This year's record: 16-13 overall, 14-4 home, 2-10 away, 0-0 neutral, 3-3 SoCon

Head Coach: Sam Roberts was promoted to head coach of the VMI baseball program on August 5, 2022, after serving as an assistant coach since 2017. Roberts's overall record at VMI is 16-13 (1st).

The Series: Western owns a 70-23 overall record with VMI, and is 35-9 in games played in Cullowhee. The Cats are 7-3 in the last 10 games played.

In the SoCon preseason polls, the Keydets were picked to finish 7th in the coaches poll & 8th in the media poll. Designated hitter, Brett Cook, Jr. was tapped as first-team all-conference, and shortstop Zac Morris & 3d baseman Justin Starke were selected to the second team.

The Keydets took two of three from UNCG over the weekend to move to 16-13 on the season, matching last season’s win total with nearly two months to play in the season. Third baseman Justin Starke is third in the SoCon with a .393 batting average and shares the league lead with 32 RBIs. He also paces the SoCon with 22 stolen bases, helping the Keydets lead DI with 115 thefts as a team. VMI currently leads the league with a .329 team batting average and runs scored (251), hits (315), and steal attempts (135).

Game Schedule & Links (Subject to Change)
Game 1 – Thursday noon – ESPN+ - Live Stats
Game 2 – Thursday 45 minutes after game 1 – ESPN+ - Live Stats
Game 3 – Friday TBA – ESPN+ - Live Stats

USC Upstate

Who: USC Upstate
When: Tuesday, April 4
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Childress Field, Cullowhee, NC
TV/video: ESPN+
       -announcer: Daniel Hooker (PxP)
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Conference: Big South
Nickname: Spartans
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Type: Public
Colors: Green & Gray
Students: 5,996

This year's record: 18-11, 11-6 home, 6-4 away, 1-1 neutral, 5-1 Big South

Head Coach: Mike McGuire is in his fourth season as the head baseball coach at USC Upstate. McGuire's overall record: 471-329-1; 15th season

The Series: Western is 8-3 overall vs. USC Upstate in a series first played in 1986. The Cats are 4-1 overall vs. the Spartans in games played in Cullowhee.

For the second straight year, the Spartans were picked second in the Big South preseason poll. With 35 wins in 2022, Upstate has won 72 games over the past two seasons, and of the 35 wins last season, three came against Power-Five opponents as the Spartans beat Boston College, Ohio State, and South Carolina.

During head coach Mike McGuire's tenure at Upstate (2020-pres.), the Spartans have proven one of the top offensive teams in the Big South. The Spartans return two hitters who garnered All-Big South honors last season, returning the Big South Freshman of the Year Noah Sullivan and First Team All-Conference outfielder Noah Rabon.

On the mound, Upstate ranked top-three in the league in six statistical categories, leading the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (4.40) and ranking second in earned run average (5.87), hits allowed per nine innings (9.78), shutouts (two), and WHIP (1.58).

This season, the Spartans have wins over Clemson, has won a three-game series vs. CAA's James Madison (2-1), beat the Citadel 25-10, and beat Cincinnati and Princeton. Western split a two-game series with Upstate last season, with both teams winning at home.

Projected starters:
Western Carolina - LHP Kyle Riesselmann (1-1; 5.33 ERA)
USC Upstate - RHP Caleb Costa (0-0; 7.36 ERA) 

2023 WCU Football

 

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations