SoCon MBB Power Rankings (1-27-20)

This is the seventh power ranking of the season, after 12 weeks of SoCon basketball.  Look for the rankings published each Monday during the season.  Not a lot of changes this week based on last week's action.


1. (1) ETSU

2. (2) UNCG

3. (3) Furman

4. (5) Western Carolina

5. (4) Wofford

6. (6) Chattanooga

7. (7) Mercer

8. (8) Samford

9. (9) VMI

10. (10) The Citadel


Last week's ranking in parentheses

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17 Days until First Pitch - #3 Ryan Mitschele

It's only 17 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#3 Ryan Mitschele

POSITION  Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT  6-2
WEIGHT  185
CLASS  Redshirt Junior
HOMETOWN  Statesville, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL  South Iredell HS





2019 (Redshirt Sophomore): Made 14 appearances on the season with five starts and nine in relief … Finished the season 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA, tossing 33.1 innings … Allowed 44 base hits, 18 of which went for extra bases … Recorded five-or-more strikeouts in his final three starts of the season … Came within two outs of securing his first collegiate victory, tossing 4.1 innings at Prasco Park against Eastern Kentucky (May 14), striking out six … Less than a week later, tossed his first career complete game, limiting The Citadel (May 18) to three runs – one earned – while scattering nine hits with five strikeouts without issuing a walk … Struck out a career-high seven in a 4.2 inning start against Furman (May 23) at the conference tournament ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2018 (Redshirt Freshman): Made three relief appearances out of the bullpen, making his collegiate debut against Canisius (Feb. 24) … Finished the year 0-1 with a 23.14 ERA in small sample size, recording just 4.2 innings on the season … Tossed a career-long 4.0 innings against Canisius, striking out a career-high six against five walks … Suffered a concussion after taking a foul ball off the ear in the dugout during the two-game set against VCU (May 18) in games played in Forest City, N.C. … Named to the 2017-18 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2017 (Freshman): Did not see game action despite traveling part of the season ... Expected to take a redshirt; Summer League: Pitched for the Irish Hills (Mich.) Leprechauns of the Great Lakes Collegiate League ... Made seven appearances with one start, tossing a combined 14.1 innings ... Finished 0-3 with an 8.79 ERA, striking out 14 batters against 23 walks issued.




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

18 Days until First Pitch - #24 Jacob Corn

It's only 18 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#24 Jacob Corn

POSITION  Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT  6-5
WEIGHT  225
CLASS  Redshirt Junior
HOMETOWN  Landrum, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL  Landrum HS





2019 (Junior): Made 21 appearances on the season including two-weekend starts, recording at least two-thirds of an inning in each appearance … Tossed 27.2 innings on the year with a 5.86 ERA, posting a 3-1 record and securing four saves … Recorded 23 strikeouts against 18 walks … Tallied 32 fly ball outs and 24 groundouts including inducing three double-plays … Made his WCU debut in the second game of the season, tossing 2.1 relief innings against Oakland (Feb. 16), striking out three while allowing three runs on four hits in securing his first victory … Picked up his first save at WCU in the one-run, game-two victory over Indiana State (Feb. 27), walking and striking out one in an inning out of the bullpen … Scored the victory over Ohio State (March 10), tossing a WCU career-long 2.2 innings with his third win coming against Gardner-Webb (March 20) … Started at UNCG (March 29) and at home against Wofford (April 5), lasting just three combined innings between the two starts.

Prior to Western Carolina: Transferred to WCU from Spartanburg Methodist ... Over two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist, made 16 appearances including six starts posting a 5-1 record with a pair of complete games … Threw 41.2 innings, striking out 50 against 15 walks with a 3.89 ERA.

Personal: Full name is Jacob Levi Corn ... Is the son of Robbin and Keith Corn.



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

WCU Player of the Game (Wofford)

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

Mason Faulkner

                                                                       

Junior point guard Mason Faulkner scored 25 points to lead the Catamounts past Wofford, 81-72.  The victory ended a 3 game skid for the Catamounts and broke a 5 game losing streak to the Terriers.  Mason led all scored with his 9 of 18 field goals and hitting 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. He went 4 for 4 at the free-throw line, pulled down 2 rebounds and had 6 assists in the game.  

Honorable mention in the Wofford game goes to Onno Steger with 17 points, Carlos Dotson with his 10th double-double of the season, hitting 13 points and 12 rebounds, as well as Matt Halvorsen, hitting 12 points.

Thanks to all the entire Catamount team for giving us another game to remember

Purple & Gold congratulates Mason Faulkner on his accomplishments in the Wofford game.



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19 Days until First Pitch - #32 Chase Walter

It's only 19 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#32 Chase Walter

POSITION  Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT  6-7
WEIGHT  260
CLASS  Redshirt Junior
HOMETOWN  Peachtree City, Ga.
HIGH SCHOOL  McIntosh HS


Career: Over 36 career appearances and 178.2 innings over two seasons, he already ranks 19th in WCU program history with 188 career strikeouts.

2019 (Redshirt Sophomore): Made 19 appearances on the season including 11 starts – eight-straight to end the season – and eight relief efforts out of the bullpen … Posted a 4.84 ERA on the season, tossing a team-high 93.0 innings … 23 of the 92 hits he allowed went for extra bases with opponents hitting just .256 against the right-hander on the year … Matched a team-best with five victories with a 5-6 overall record, adding a save in WCU’s neutral field victory over Ohio State (March 10) … Led the Catamounts with a career-best 114 strikeouts, the second-most in the SoCon … His 114 Ks rank as the fourth-best individual season in program history … Recorded double-digit strikeouts four times on the season including a career-best 17 in a complete game victory over Furman (April 20) … His 17 strikeouts were the third-most by an individual in the NCAA in 2019 … Tallied seven-or-more Ks in eight of his 19 appearances ... Recorded 68 fly ball outs and a team-best 80 ground ball outs including 10 double-plays … Was a two-time Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week, earning the honors on April 15 following a 13-strikeout performance at Mercer (April 13) and on April 22 after his 17K outing against Furman, also collecting Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week honor ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2018 (Redshirt Freshman): Made 17 appearances with 14 starts, tossing a combined 85.2 innings … Finished the year 3-7 with a 5.46 ERA, the best among WCU’s starting rotation … Struck out 74 batters against 49 walks, recording at least one strikeout in all 17 appearances … Tallied three-or-more strikeouts in 12 seasonal appearances and had five-or-more K’s in eight appearances … Was named to the 2018 Southern Conference All-Freshman team … Made his WCU debut in relief in the season-opening weekend at East Carolina (Feb. 18) … Recorded his first collegiate start at nationally-ranked Louisville (March 2), striking out two over three innings … Struck out a career-high nine over 5.2 innings at VMI (April 13) … Scored his first collegiate victory after tossing 7.0 innings in a home win over Mercer (April 20), limiting the Bears to two runs on two hits with five strikeouts … Earned Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing a career-long 9.0 innings in a complete-game victory at Furman (May 5) … Struck out eight against the Paladins, walking two in allowing just one unearned run on four hits … In his second appearance of the SoCon Tournament, tossed 7.1 innings against top-seeded UNCG (May 26), limiting the Spartans to just four runs while matching a career-high with nine batters; Summer League: Pitched in 13 games for the San Luis Obispo Blues in the California Collegiate League, posting a 1-1 record with a pair of saves coming in two opportunities … Posted an ERA of 3.66 over 19.2 innings of work, striking out 28 against just nine walks.

Prior to Western Carolina: Signed with Spartanburg Methodist out of high school, tossing 10.1 innings with 10 strikeouts as a freshman ... Was named to the Dean's List at Spartanburg Methodist;

High School: Three-year letter winner ... Was a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American and also an honorable mention in the Southeast Region ... Also played basketball as a prep where he led the state in field goal percentage as both a junior and senior.

Personal: Full name is Chase David Walter ... Is the son of Brian and Dana Walter ... Has two siblings - Will and Cameron ... His father, Brian, played college football at Duke from 1982-85 while his grandfather played at Auburn.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

20 Days until First Pitch - #12 Kitt Capell

It's only 20 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#12 Kitt Capell

POSITION  Catcher
HEIGHT  6-0
WEIGHT  220
CLASS  Senior
HOMETOWN  Prosperity, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL  Ben Lippen HS





2019 (Junior): Played in 22 of the team’s 53 games including five starts – three as the designated hitter and twice behind the plate at catcher … Finished the season 5-for-29, .172 with two of his five hits coming against Wofford (April 5) to match his career-high … Drove in a run on a bases-loaded walk in game three against Oakland (Feb. 16) … Nearly blasted a game-winning pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Furman (April 20) but his bid was pulled back over the fence in the right field … Made one relief appearance on the mound, tossing an inning at eighth-ranked Georgia Tech (May 3) allowing two runs – one earned – on three hits with an HBP and a strikeout ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2018 (Sophomore): Saw action in 29 of the team’s 58 seasonal games with nine starts … Started as the designated hitter six times with three starts coming behind the plate … Batted .167 on the season with eight hits in just 48 trips, driving in five runs while scoring three … Finished the season with the most pinch hits in the WCU lineup with three … Drew three walks to add to his .212 on-base percentage … His first collegiate base hit was a two-run home run coming in a pinch-hit role in game one of a doubleheader against Canisius (Feb. 23) … Tallied his first career multi-hit game with a two-hit outing as the starting catcher at home against Tennessee (March 27).

2017 (Freshman): Did not see game action.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Game #19 - Wofford Terriers

The Cats return to the Ramsey Center to face the defending SoCon champs, the Wofford Terriers who knocked off both Furman and VMI last week.

Game #19 - Wofford Terriers

When: Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers
TV/video: ESPN3
-announcer: Daniel Hooker
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: TerrierFans
The Series: The series between Western and Wofford started back in 1948 and Western owns a 28-30 overall record against the Terriers. Western owns a 16-10 record in games played in Cullowhee between the two teams but is on a 5 game slide against Wofford.

Wofford's 2019-20 record: 13-7 overall, 4-6 away, 5-2 SoCon games

The defending SoCon champs come to Cullowhee on a two-game winning streak, having won 5 of their last 6 games, while the Cats are on a 3 game slide in conference play.  Coming into this game, the Cats lead the conference in scoring offense with 81.1 ppg, while the Terriers are #9 posting 72.4 ppg. In defense, Wofford comes in at holding opponents to 67.2 ppg while the Cats are giving up 74.8 ppg.



 

21 Days until First Pitch - #17 Andrew Robinson

It's only 21 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#17 Andrew Robinson

POSITION Outfielder
HEIGHT 5-11
WEIGHT 205
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN McLeansville, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Eastern Guilford HS





2019 (Junior): Played in 34 games on the year with 11 starts including six in right field, four in left field, and one in center field … Batted .180 on the season with 11 hits including four doubles and a triple in 61 trips including a pair of two-hit games … Four of his 11 hits came as a pinch hitter, batting 4-of-16 (.250) in that role … Scored 12 runs while driving in three … Doubled twice in the season-opener against Oakland (Feb. 15) while recording a career-high five at-bats in game one of a doubleheader against the Golden Grizzlies (Feb. 16) … Matched a single-game career-high with two walks twice against Indiana State (Feb. 27) and Michigan State (March 9) … Finished the season hitless over his final 10 games, going 0-for-10.

2018 (Sophomore): Saw action in 44 games with 34 starts spread between all three outfield positions – 19 in right field, 13 in left field, and once in center – with his other start coming as the designated hitter … Hit .165 collective on the year (21-for-127) with four doubles and nine RBI … Got off to a slow start to the season, going hitless in his first three games before breaking out with a three-hit (3-for-4) showing against eventual OVC champion, Morehead State (Feb. 20) … Had three, multiple-hit games including twice tallying three hits while also recording multi-RBI performances … Had a four-game hitting streak and a string of six-straight games in which he reached base safely … Went hitless in the final six games of the season, going 0-for-14 during that same span … Made one pitching appearance on the season, tossing a third of an inning with a strikeout and one hit allowed in game two of a doubleheader against Ball State (March 9).

2017 (Freshman): Played in 43 games making 27 starts including 21 starts in right field, four as the designated hitter, and two starts in left field ... Batted .314 ... Collected his first collegiate base hit as a part of a four-run eighth inning in the home-opener against Marshall (Feb. 24), tallying his first RBI on a run-scoring single ... Recorded his first career multi-hit game with a pair of singles in his first collegiate start at nationally-ranked North Carolina State (March 6), finishing 2-for-5 as the designated hitter ... Finished with 12 multiple hit games including 10, two-hit outings, while also posting three multiple-RBI games ... Belted his first collegiate home run as a part of a two-hit, three-RBI performance in a home win over Savannah State (4/25/17) ... Named to the 2017 Southern Conference All-Freshman team-- the eighth different Catamount recognized since 2011; Summer: Alongside his brother, Luke, played for the Waynesboro (Va.) Generals ... Saw action in 17 games, posting a .264 batting average with 14 ints including three doubles ... Tallied four RBI and 12 runs scored.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

The Road to Asheville (1-22-20)

Week twelve action tips off on Wednesday night, with four conference games on the schedule. All games tonight will be broadcast on ESPN+.



Western Carolina at Mercer 
The #4 Catamounts travel to Macon to face the #7 Mercer Bears in Hawkins Arena. The Bears are 5-4 in home games this season, while the Cats are 5-4 in road games this season. Western holds down the #4 position in our power rankings this week, while the Bears come in at #7. These two teams are headed in different directions when looking at the last two games, the Bears bring in two straight wins, while the Cats are on a two-game slide entering the game. This is the second meeting between the two teams, with the Cats winning the first contest in Cullowhee, 79-71 eleven days ago. Massey projects a 79-76 road win for the Catamounts.

The Citadel at Chattanooga 
The tenth-placed Bulldogs travel to #6 Chattanooga. The Citadel currently has no conference wins thus far in the season, but with the top-ranked scoring offense in the conference at 81.8 ppg, they certainly have the potential to win any game they play. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they also have the bottom-ranked team in scoring defense, giving up 79.1 ppg. In this week's power rankings, the Mocs are ranked at #6, while the Bulldogs come in at #10. Massey gives a big home-court advantage to the Mocs, where UTC is 7-1 this season. Massey projects an 83-71 victory for the home-standing Mocs.

Samford at Furman 
The #7 Samford Bulldogs travel to Timmons Arena to face the #2 Furman Paladins 8-1 at home this season but are 7-0 in games played in Timmons this season. After jumping off to a 2-0 conference record, the Bulldogs have dropped 4 straight conference games coming into Wednesday night's game. Furman is ranked #8 in this week's mid-major top 25 poll and comes in at #3 in our power rankings this week, while Samford is #8 in the power rankings. Massey project the Paladins pick up another win in Timmons, with an 83-66 win over the Bulldogs.

VMI at Wofford 
The ninth-placed VMI Keydets travel to Spartanburg to face the #4 Wofford Terriers in the Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers are 8-1 at home this season and have won 4 of their last 5 games, while the Keydets picked up their first conference victory last Saturday over the Citadel Bulldogs. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they come into the game with an 0-8 record in road games. Wofford comes into the game in 4th place in our power poll, while the Keydets are in 9th place in the rankings. Wofford ranks 8th in the SoCon in scoring offense at 72.7 ppg, while VMI is 7th at 73.4 ppg. Massey gives the Terriers a big home-court advantage, projecting an 85-65win for the Terriers.

SoCon MBB Power Rankings

This is the sixth power ranking of the season, after 11 weeks of SoCon basketball.



1. (1) ETSU

2. (2) UNCG

3. (3) Furman

4. (5) Wofford

5. (4) Western Carolina

6. (6) Chattanooga

7. (9) Mercer

8. (7) Samford

9. (9) VMI

10. (8) The Citadel




Last week's ranking in parentheses

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22 Days until First Pitch - #22 Ty McCulloch

It's only 22 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#22 Ty McCulloch

POSITION Left-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 165
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN Woodridge, Ill.
COLLEGE   Parkland College
HIGH SCHOOL Downers Grove South HS




2019 (Junior): Made 13 appearances with seven starts and six relief efforts … Tossed 39.0 innings with a 1-4 record and a 7.62 ERA, striking out 27 against 27 walks … 19 of the 46 hits he allowed went for extra bases … Made his WCU debut with a 4.1 inning relief winning effort in the season-opener against Oakland (Feb. 15), working around five walks with two strikeouts allowing an unearned run on just two hits … Made his first start against Notre Dame (March 13), tossing three innings with two earned runs allowed on four walks … Struck out a career-best five in the start against VMI (April 28), working 4.1 innings … Tossed a career-long 5.0 innings in the starting role at Samford (May 12) … Made the start for WCU in the SoCon Championship single-elimination game win over The Citadel (May 21) ... Named to the 2019 Spring Academic All-Southern Conference team and to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Transferred to WCU prior to Fall 2018 from Parkland College ... Boasted an ERA of 0.83 as a sophomore, posting a 2-0 record in 13 relief appearances with one save in 21.2 innings of work ... Only allowed three runs - two earned - on seven hits on the season ... As a freshman, tossed 21.1 innings in 14 relief appearances with a 1-1 record and a 5.91 ERA ... Struck out 20 against 12 walks ... High School: Was a starting left-handed pitcher and played first base as a prep ... Was an honor roll student.

Personal: Full name is Tyler Oliver McCulloch, but prefers to go by Ty ... Is the son of Cheryl and Tom McCulloch ... Has one sister, Megan ... His father played junior college basketball ... Collects vinyl records.




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

23 Days until First Pitch - #34 Jack Snyder

It's only 23 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.

#34 Jack Snyder

POSITION  Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT  6-1
WEIGHT 195
CLASS  Senior
HOMETOWN  Chicago, Ill.
COLLEGE   Triton College
HIGH SCHOOL  Marist




2019 (Junior): Made a team-high 24 appearances including 19 out of the bullpen with five starts … Posted a 2-4 seasonal record with a 6.98 ERA, tossing 38.2 innings … Struck out 26 batters against 26 walks … Recorded strikeouts in 17 of his 24 appearances … Made his WCU debut in the starting role, tossing 3.2 innings against Oakland (Feb. 16), allowing two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk … Struck out a career-high three against VMI (April 28) … Tossed a career-long 4.0 innings in a start against No. 8 Georgia Tech (May 3).


Prior to Western Carolina: Transferred to WCU prior to Fall 2018 from Triton College ... Was a two-time All-North Central Community College Conference (N4C) selection ... As a senior, tossed 24.1 innings over 11 appearances with a 0-2 record with six saves and a 2.59 ERA ... Struck out 20 against seven walks ... Triton won eight of the 11 games in which he pitched ... Pitched 45.1 innings in 13 appearances with eight starts as a freshman, finishing with a 7-3 overall record with a save and a 6.55 ERA ... Struck out 39 batters against 17 walks ... High School: Played baseball and football as a prep.

Personal: Full name is John Francis Snyder but prefers to go by Jack ... Is the son of Kathy and Jim Snyder ... Has two older brothers - Jimmy and Joey.



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Game #18 - at Mercer

In the eighteenth game of the season for Western Carolina, the Catamounts travel to Macon to face the home-standing Mercer Bears for their second game of the season.  Since the game in Cullowhee, the Bears have won two games, and the Catamounts are on a two-game slide.



Game #18 - Mercer Bears

When: Wednesday, January 22, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Hawkins Arena, Macon, GA
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Daniel Hooker
TV/video: ESPN+
-announcer:
Live Stats: Mercer Live Stats
Fan Message Board: MU Bear Down
The Series: The series between Western and the Mercer started back in 1978 and Western owns a 9-9 overall record against the Bears. Western owns a 6-5 record in conference play since 2015 when the Bears joined the Southern Conference.
Mercer's  2019-20 record: 8-11 overall, 5-4 away, 2-4 SoCon

Since the two teams met on January 11th in Cullowhee, the two teams have gone in 180-degree different directions, with the Bears winning two SoCon games, while the Cats dropped two SoCon games. Of course, the Bears played teams in the lower third record-wise of the conference, while the Cats played the #1 team in the conference in their two losses.

The Bears rank ninth in the conference in scoring offense, posting an average of  72.2 ppg, while giving up an average of 72.1 ppg.  The Cats rank #2 in scoring with 81.2 ppg and are giving up 74.2 ppg.  The Bears currently have two players scoring in double figures, Djordje Dimitrijevic with 17.3 ppg, and Ethan Stair with 16.5 ppg.

Head Coach Greg Gary, in his first season at the helm of the Bears, had only two starters return from last season's 11-20 team. Not only did the Bears lose two seniors from last season, but they also lost 5 freshmen and one sophomore from that roster, possibly due to the coaching change. While much is made of building a team with transfers for ETSU, the Bears have 3 of 5 transfers as starters, and a total of 5 transfers on the roster.

Mercer’s Djordje Dimitrijevic was named the SoCon Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for games from Jan. 14-20.  Dimitrijevic averaged 25.5 points per game in leading the Bears to their first two league wins.  Dimitrijevic scored 26 points against VMI on Jan. 15, going 9-for-15 from the floor and hitting a career-high six 3-pointers, five in the second half, as the Bears rallied for their first SoCon win of the season, 73-62. The senior guard added two rebounds, an assist, and a steal to help Mercer to the comeback win, shooting 60 percent for the game, including 54.5 percent from 3-point range (6-for-11) as the Bears overcame an 11-point halftime deficit. Three days later at Samford, Dimitrijevic scored 25 points, going 8-for-13 from the floor (61.5 percent) and matching his career-high in made 3s with a 6-for-8 effort (75.0 percent) from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, five assists, and three steals as the Bears rolled to a 90-75 win and picked up consecutive victories for the first time since mid-November. For the week, Dimitrijevic shot 60.7 percent from the floor (17-for-28), 63.2 percent from 3-point range (12-for-19) and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line (83.3 percent), averaging 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.


Mercer Probable Starters:
Jeff Gary G R-So. 6-4 180 Austin, Texas / UNCW
Djordje Dimitrijevic G Sr. 6-2 180 Grdelica, Serbia / Western Nebraska
Daniel Love G So. 6-3 170 Orlando, Fla. / Dr. Phillips HS
Ethan Stair G R-Sr. 6-4 205 Hazel Green, Ala. / Hazel Green HS
Maciej Bender F Jr. 6-11 245 Warsaw, Poland / West Virginia

24 Days until First Pitch - #38 Luke Robinson

It's only 24 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season. Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.

We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#38 Luke Robinson

POSITION  Catcher
HEIGHT  6-3
WEIGHT  230
CLASS  Senior
HOMETOWN  McLeansville, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL  Eastern Guilford HS






2019 (Junior): Started all 53 of the team’s games including 29 at first base, 23 at catcher, and one as the designated hitter … Finished the season with a career-best .299 batting average with 60 base hits including 11 doubles, four triples (second on team, tied for fourth in the SoCon), and 11 home runs, the third-most on the team and ranked seventh in the league … Finished seventh in the SoCon in slugging percentage at .557, third on the WCU squad … Drove in 44 runs to rank third on the squad … Added 14 walks and was second on the squad with 15 HBPs – fifth in the SoCon … Recorded 18 multiple hit games including 15, two-hit outings and multiple RBIs 12 times, third on the team … Homered twice with three RBI in a home victory over Oakland (Feb. 16) … Doubled and blasted a grand slam home run as a part of a 3-for-5, career-high six RBI outing at mountain-rival UNC Asheville (March 6) … Collected a career-high four hits including a double and a triple at ETSU (March 22) … Appeared on the initial watch list for the Buster Posey Award given to the NCAA’s top national collegiate catcher.

2018 (Sophomore): Played in 38 games making 37 starts including 28 at first base, eight as the designated hitter, and once behind the plate at catcher … Batted .281 with 39 hits in 139 trips, collecting seven extra-base hits including five doubles and two home runs … Drove in 20 runs while scoring 14 … Had four, multi-RBI outings … Finished with nine, multiple-hit games with seven, two-hit outings and a pair of three-hit games … Put together a career-long, 10-game hitting streak in mid-March that featured six, multiple-hit games including a three-hit outing against Ball State (March 9) … Was sidelined for over a month between April 14 and May 22 – with a fractured hand suffered on an HBP at VMI (April 14) … Returned for the Southern Conference Tournament, going 6-for-24 in his return to the lineup … Will carry a four-game hitting streak into the 2019 season and has an active streak of reaching base safely in 12-straight games; Summer League: Played in two games in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth-Denis Red Sox, going 1-for-3 at the plate.

2017 (Freshman): Played in 33 games with 19 games among the starting rotation including 17 starts at catcher and two as the designated hitter ... Batted .218 with 19 hits including four for extra bases in 87 trips ... Had a pair of three-game hitting streaks while reaching base in seven-straight ... Recorded five, two-hit games with five multi-RBI games on the season, recording 17 RBI ... Caught four would-be base stealers from behind the plate, adding 17 assists ... Tallied his first collegiate base hit by legging out a double, diving into second base to avoid the tag in a run-down after slipping rounding first base in the season-opener against St. John's (Feb. 17) in tournament play in Myrtle Beach, S.C. ... Posted a career-high three RBI against Marshall (Feb. 25) and at nationally-ranked North Carolina State (March 6) ... His first multi-hit game came in the Keith LeClair Classic against Appalachian State (March 4); Summer League: Played with the Waynesboro (Va.) Generals in the Valley League where he was named a South Division All-Star, scoring an insurance run in the 5-0 South team's victory ... Played in 30 games on the summer with a .279 batting average, collecting 24 hits with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs ... Both drove-in and scored 13 runs.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

25 Days until First Pitch - #40 Christian Sidoti

It's only 25 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season.

Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats. We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#40 Christian Sidoti

POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 185
CLASS Senior
HOMETOWN St. Charles, Ill.
COLLEGE  Grand Valley State
HIGH SCHOOL St. Charles North HS

No statistics available for this season.




Prior to WCU:  
2019 (Junior) Grand Valley State University

2018 (Sophomore) Parkland Community College - Posted a 5-1 record with a 1.56 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 2018.

2017 (Freshman) Parkland Community College



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

The Road to Asheville (1-18-20) the results

The weekend started with a bang as Wofford knocked off #1 Furman in the Friday night game. Here are Saturday's game recaps.


Furman at Wofford  (Friday)
Wofford's Chevez Goodwin scored 18 points & Nathan Hoover 17 to lead Wofford past Southern Conference leader Furman, 66-52 Friday night. Trevor Stumpe finished with 11 points for the Terriers scored on a putback before the game was a minute old, kicking off a 12-0 opening run, the Terriers led from wire-to-wire. The Terriers held Furman to 32% shooting in the opening period. Furman was scoreless for the first six minutes of the game, as Noah Gurley led the Paladins with15 points and Mike Bothwell added 13. The Paladins leading scorer Jordan Lyons was held to five points, all scored at the free-throw line. Lyons was 0-for-8 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from distance.


ETSU at Western Carolina 
The Bucs' Isaiah Tisdale scored 26 points lead ETSU past the Catamounts 85-66 on Saturday. It was never close as the Bucs lead from tipoff to the final buzzer to maintain the top position in the SoCon. The Buccaneers finished the first half with a 52-34 lead. Tisdale finished with 6 3-pointers in nine attempts beyond the arc and the Bucs were 29- of-58 (50%) shooting and 17 of 22 from the foul line. The Bucs now have won four straight and nine of 10. Western was without the services of their big man, Carlos Dodson due to an injury, and the offense never clicked without his presence inside. Mason Faulkner led the Catamounts (12-5, 4-2) with 18 points, Xavier Cork scored 16 and Matt Halvorsen 11. Western Carolina has dropped back-to-back contests, first to Furman then tonight ETSU, following a five-game win streak.


The Citadel at VMI
This game was bound to produce a first conference win for one of the two participants, and just might have been the most exciting contest of the day in the SoCon. The Keydets' Jake Stephens scored 18 points to lead five VMI players in double figures as VMI broke a seven-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, with an 88-79 win over the Citadel. Kaiden Rice posted 17 points for the Bulldogs, whose losing streak now is at six games.


Mercer at Samford 
Mercer's Ethan Stair scored 26 points to lead the Bears past Samford 90-75 on Saturday, whose losing streak has now reached four games. Djordje Dimitrijevic scored 25 points & Jeff Gary contributed 13 points for Bears, who have now strung two wins back to back. Josh Sharkey, the Bulldogs' leading scorer coming into the game with a 19 point average, failed to make a shot from the floor, going 0 for 6. Robert Allen had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs & J.P. Robinson added 15 points and Brandon Austin 14.


Chattanooga at UNCG
The Spartans' Isaiah Miller scored 26 points leading UNCG over the Mocs 72-52 on Saturday night. Angelo Allegri scored 15 points and had six rebounds as UNCG won their 3d straight game. Ramon Vila scored 15 points to lead the Mocs, as this game broke their 2 game win streak. David Jean-Baptiste scored 10 points and Matt Ryan had nine.



The rankings - (1-17-20)
1. 6-1 ETSU
2. 5-2 Furman (tie)
2. 5-2 UNCG (tie)
4. 4-2 Western (tie)
4. 4-2 Wofford (tie)
6. 3-3 Chattanooga
7. 2-4 Mercer (tie)
7. 2-4 Samford (tie)
9. 1-6 VMI
10. 0-6 Citadel

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

26 Days until First Pitch - #36 Andrew Bullock

It's only 26 days until the Western Carolina Baseball team takes the field at Hennon Stadium for the first pitch against the Chicago State Cougars to open the 2020 baseball season.

Let's take this time to meet this season's Cats with Bats.  We will highlight them by class, starting with the seniors and ending with the brand new freshmen Catamounts.


#36 Andrew Bullock

POSITION Infield
HEIGHT 6-2
WEIGHT 230
CLASS Redshirt Senior
HOMETOWN Chesapeake, Va.
HIGH SCHOOL Grassfield HS




2019 (Redshirt Junior): Played in all 53 games with 42 starts including 33 as the designated hitter, five in left field, two in right field, and twice at first base … Finished the season with a .279 batting average with 46 hits including 12 doubles, a triple, and three home runs Scored 24 runs while driving home 27 on the year … Posted 14 multiple-hit games with a pair of 3-hit games and six multiple-RBI outings … Made two pitching appearances on the mound including his collegiate debut against Utah (March 2) at the Keith LeClair Classic, striking out one against a walk in an inning of work … Was touched for three runs on four hits including two doubles in an inning against Wofford (April 5) … Enjoyed a career-long six-game hitting streak in late March … Doubled in six of his final 11 games of the season … Was approved for a medical hardship on Jan. 23, regaining his third year of eligibility … Summer League: Returned to the Fon du Loc Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League.

2018 (Junior): Only saw action in 13 games with 11 starts – eight as the designated hitter, three at first base – before being sidelined with a hand injury … Had surgery on March 26 to repair the injured hamate bone – one of the hand’s eight carpal bones at the base of the hand … Was batting .316 with 12 hits in 38 at bats at the time of his injury … Four of his 12 hits went for extra bases including two doubles and two home runs … Drove in six runs over his 13 games played while also scoring six runs … Though he didn’t return to action on the field, did return to practice late in the 2018 season … Applied for a medical redshirt; Summer League: Won a Northwoods League championship with the Fond du Loc Dock Spiders ... Finished the summer with a .293 batting average (56-of-191) over 56 games with six doubles and two home runs. He drove in 32 runs to finish second on the championship squad on the summer.

2017 (Sophomore): Played in 35 games with 21 games started, each as the designated hitter ... Also saw relief work at first base during the season ... Started the year slowly, with an average below .200 through his first 11 appearances before a 2-for-3 showing at UNCG (March 24) ... Finished the season with a .289 collective batting average, posting 24 hits including four doubles and two home runs ... Had five, multiple-hit games with one multi-RBI outing ... Matched his career-long with a four-game hit streak in mid-March ... Went a career-best, 4-for-4, matching career-highs with two home runs, a double, and three RBI in a win over Wofford (May 7) ... Closed the season with WCU's only multi-hit game in the SoCon Tournament against Samford (May 25), finishing 2-for-3; Summer League: Played in 55 games in the Northwoods League, collecting the first-ever RBI base hit to plate the first-ever run for the expansion Fond Du Loc Dock Spiders ... Batted .322 with 66 hits including 17 doubles and seven home runs, driving in 44 runs on the summer ... Bullock had a RBI double on May 30 ... Bullock also hit the first grand slam in team history in early July in a win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks ... Named Northwoods League Player of the Night on Aug. 3 after going 6-for-6 with two home runs, a double, four runs scored and five RBI.

2016 (Freshman): Played in 36 games with just four official starts, though he was the first guy off the bench in the designated hitter role much of the season as WCU generally pinch hit a placeholder for the DH on the scorecard ... Batted .304 as a freshman, collecting 24 hits in 79 at bats ... Had seven extra-base hits including six home runs and a double ... Recorded 16 RBI ... Tallied his first collegiate base hit on a pinch-hit single against Niagara (March 2) ... Hit his first career home run in a pinch-hit role, a two-run blast at No. 3 North Carolina (March 22) ... Posted a pair of three-hit games against Mercer (May 1) and UNCG (May 14), belting two home runs in the latter ... Homered three times in the UNCG series, collecting SoCon Baseball Player of the Week plaudits with a .545 weekly batting average ... Raised his seasonal batting average 54 points over the final month of the season ... Missed the Southern Conference Tournament after taking a fastball to the head/face on the final weekend of the regular season in a nonconference series at Kent State (May 19) ... Returned to the lineup with a face guard at the NCAA Clemson Regional ... Selected to the Southern Conference All-Freshman team by the league's head coaches ... Recorded a 7-for-21 (.333) batting average as a pinch-hitter. Summer League: Played in 36 games including six in the postseason, posting a .273 batting average with 30 hits in 110 at-bats for the Waynesboro Generals in Virginia in the Valley League ... 11 of his 30 hits went for extra bases including six doubles and five home runs, hitting homers in four-straight games ... Recorded nine, two-hit games over the summer ... Drove in 23 runs while also scoring 23.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-time first team All-Region and two-time All-Monitor Merrimac Conference selection and a team MVP honor as a senior ... Batted over .400 in each of his final three seasons as a prep including a career-high .472 average as a junior ... Twice led Grassfield High to regional play with three-straight winning seasons his final three years ... High school coach was Gary Spedden.

Personal: Full name is Lewin Andrew Bullock ... Is the son of Lewin and Pam Bullock ... Has two siblings, Ashley and Austin ... His father, Lewin, played college football at Elon College.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Pack the RAC on Saturday night

Catamount Nation, @WCU_MBB is back in the Ramsey Center in just under 24 hour to face off against @ETSU_MBB. Help us #PackTheRAC & protect our 7-0 record on the home hardwood. See you tomorrow in #CatamountCountry! pic.twitter.com/kYTwK5dVuJ

— Catamount Athletics (@Catamounts) January 18, 2020

Game #17 - ETSU Bucs

The #1 Buccaneers travel to Cullowhee to face the #2 Catamounts in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week that will be broadcast by the Nexstar stations, as well as, on ESPN+. The Bucs are ranked #6 in the Mid-Major Top 25, while the Cats are receiving votes and are #30.



Game #17 - ETSU Bucs 

When: Saturday, January 18, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers, play by play - Daniel Hooker, color
TV/video: Nexstar / ESPN+
-TV announcer: Pete Yanity - play-by-play and Dean Keener - analyst
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Fan Message Board: Buccaneer Nation
The Series: The Cats are 24-52 against the Bucs, and are currently on an eight-game slide against ETSU. The Cats are 14-23 against the Bucs in Cullowhee.

ETSU's 2019-20 record: 16-3 overall, 5-1 SoCon, 5-3 away games this season

The Bucs and Cats both have one loss in conference play, and that loss is to the same team, Furman. Western is coming off a road loss to Furman, while the Bucs have a road loss against the Paladins earlier in January.

In their first five SoCon games of 2020, ETSU’s defense has been stifling. The Bucs are holding opponents to 56.2 points per game while forcing 16.3 turnovers and limiting them to a 30.7 shooting clip from three (23-75). On the flip side, ETSU is averaging over 81 points and shooting at nearly the 50 percent clip in its first 14 games – has been held to 57.5 points, while shooting 38 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc (19-84).

In this week's mid-major top 25 poll, the Bucs are the SoCon top-ranked team, coming in at #6, while the Cats are in the "others receiving votes" (#30). The Bucs top this week's SoCon power ranking, while the Cats come in at #4. Western leads the league in scoring offense at 82.2 ppg, while the Bucs come in at #4 scoring an average of 76.7 ppg. The big factor in this game will be defense, the Bucs specialty. ETSU is holding teams to an average of 61.6 ppg, while the Cats are giving up 73.6 ppg. Western's 7 game home win streak is on the line, but Massey project the home-court advantage will not be enough to overcome the Bucs defensive efforts and projects a 76-72 road win for ETSU.

The Bucs have three player averaging double-digit points this season, Tray Boyd with 13.3 ppg, Bo Hodges with 12.7 and Jeromy Rodriguez with 10.7 ppg.


Probable ETSU starters:
Bo Hodges, Guard Jr. 6-5 210 - 12.7 ppg
Patrick Good, Guard Jr. 6-0 175 - 8.7 ppg
Isaiah Tisdale, Guard Sr. 6-1 195 - 7.3 ppg
Vonnie Patterson, Forward Jr. 6-4 200 - 3.2 ppg
Lucas N’Guessan, Center Sr. 7-0 230 - 7.5 ppg