Game Day - #43 Dawson Elder

It's Gameday and 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.

#43  Dawson Elder


POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-4
WEIGHT 210
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Taylorsville, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Alexander Central HS




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

Baseball: Chicago State Cougars

The Cougars of Chicago State University travel to Cullowhee for opening day for both teams. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 pm on Friday in Hennon Stadium.



Chicago State Cougars

When: Friday - Sunday, February, 14-16   4 game series, DH on Saturday
Game Times: Fri. 4:00 pm, Sat. 1:00 pm, Sat. 5:00 pm, & Sun.1:00 pm
Where: Childress Field, Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: none
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
CSU Location: Chicago, ILL
CSU Conference: Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
CSU Type: Public

The Series with CSU: This is the first meeting between these two schools on the baseball field.

CSU's 2019 record: 10-41 overall, 5-20 conference, 5-26 away


Projected Pitching Match-Ups:
Friday: WCU – Zebby Matthews (Fr., RHP) vs. CHST – Dylan Cumming (Jr., RHP)
Saturday – Gm 1: WCU – Chase Walter (R-Jr., RHP) vs. CHST – Brett Gregory (R-Jr., RHP)
Saturday – Gm 2: WCU – Corey Bright (Fr., RHP) vs. CHST – Rodny Valdes (Sr., LHP)
Sunday: WCU – Ty McCulloch (Sr., LHP) vs. CHST – Vinnie Venturi (Jr., LHP)

Game #25 - Wofford Terriers

The Cats travel to Spartanburg to face the #4 Wofford Terriers. Western is looking for the season sweep after picking up an 81-72 victory in Cullowhee on January 25th. 

Game #19 - Wofford Terriers

When: Saturday, February 15, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Richardson Indoor Arena, Spartanburg, SC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers, Daniel Hooker
TV/video: ESPN+
-announcer:  Jim Noble (PxP) Thom Henson (Analyst)
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 28-31 overall record against the Terriers. Western owns a 17-10 record in games played in Cullowhee between the two teams but ended a 5 game slide against Wofford on January 25.

Wofford's 2019-20 record: 16-10 overall, 10-3 home, 8-5 SoCon games

The defending SoCon champs come into this game riding a two-game home standing slide, Chattanooga and Mercer both picking up wins over the Terriers in the last 7 days.

Game Day - #44 Carson Lowder

It's Gameday and 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.

#44  Carson Lowder






POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 210
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Albemarle, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL North Stanly HS





Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

1 Day until First Pitch - #47 Tristen Campbell

It's only 1 day 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.

#47 Tristen Campbell



POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 230
CLASS Freshman
HOMETOWN Cheraw, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Cheraw HS




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

WCU Player of the Game (UNCG)

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

Carlos Dotson

                                                                       

Senior forward Carlos Dotson completed his fourteenth double-double of the season against the Spartans in the Greensboro Coliseum. Dotson scored 32 points, which was both a game and career-high in points scored. He also pulled down 12 rebounds, 8 defensive and 4 offensive. He was 11 of 20 in field goals and hit 10 of 15 from the free-throw line. Carlos also had 2 assists in the game.

Purple & Gold congratulates Carlos Dotson on his accomplishments in the UNCG game.



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

Join the conversation and leave a comment below

If it ended today........ (2-12-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament 

If it ended today........

After Wednesday's games...... February 12, 2020


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

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

2 Days until First Pitch - #2 Colin Bertsch

It's only 2 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.

#2 Colin Bertsch




POSITION Infield
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 195
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Plantation, Fla.
HIGH SCHOOL Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy HS




2019 (Freshman): Saw action in 38 of the team’s 53 games on the season including 15 starts – 10 at shortstop, three at second base and twice at third base … Collected 22 hits including four doubles, batting .282 with eight RBI and 15 runs scored … Posted three games with multiple hits including a pair of three-hit outings with one game with multiple RBI … Made his collegiate debut as a pinch-runner in the season-opener against Oakland (Feb. 15), scoring his first run in the eighth inning … Made his first collegiate start in game two against Oakland (Feb. 16) … Collected his first career base hit as a reserve in the eighth inning of game three of the Oakland (Feb. 16) series, registering an RBI on the base knock … Doubled twice for his first two extra-base hits as a part of a career-best three hits and two RBI in a road win at UNCG (March 30) … Delivered a pinch-hit walk-off game-winning single against Wofford (April 6) in WCU’s 4-3 victory … Named to the 2019 Southern Conference All-Freshman team as selected by the league’s head coaches ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Collected honorable mention All-Broward County honors at shortstop as a senior ... Was a part of a state championship team as a sophomore and a national title contender as a junior.

Personal: Full name is Colin Cramer Bertsch ... Was born in Baltimore, Md. ... Is the son of Therese and George Bertsch.





Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

The Road to Asheville (2-12-20)

All 10 teams will be in conference action on Wednesday night.  All games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and tip-off is at 7 pm for all the games, except 7:30 for the Samford home game.


VMI at Chattanooga
Eighth place VMI (2-10) travels to Chattanooga to face the #6 Mocs (6-6). In this week's power rankings, it's #6 Mocs vs. #9 Keydets.  Massey gives the Mocs a big 10 point home advantage, projecting a 75-65 Chattanooga win.

The Citadel at ETSU
The last place Bulldogs travel to Johnson City to face the #1 Bucs in what is arguably the toughest place to win for a visiting team, the Freedom Center. To make matter worse for the dogs, the Bucs are ranked #3 in the Mid-major Top 25, and comes in #1 in our power ranking this week, while the winless in conference play Bulldogs are in 10th place. Massey projects an 87-62 win for the Bucs at home.

Western Carolina at UNCG
Number 5 WCU Catamounts travel to Greensboro to face the #3 Spartans in the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG is ranked this week at #10 in the mid-major top 25 poll and comes in at #3 in our power poll, while the Cats hold down the #5 position in the power poll. Massey projects the Cats as a 10 point underdog in Greensboro, as they project a 68-78 win for the Spartans, which will be a seasonal sweep for the Spartans if that score holds up.

Mercer at Wofford
Number 6 Mercer travels to Spartanburg to face the #4 Wofford Terriers in the Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford comes in at #4 in our power ranking while the Bears fill the #7 position. Of course, the Bears could pull off another surprise on the road, but Massey projects a 73-65 win at home for the Terriers.

Furman at Samford  
The #1 Furman Paladins travels to Birmingham to face the #8 Samford Bulldogs in the Hanna Center. Furman comes in at #7 in this week's mid-major top 25 poll and is #2 in our power rankings this week, while the Bulldogs hold down the #8 position in the power rankings.  Massey projects an 83-70 win for the visitors in this game, as there seems to be little home-court advantage at Samford.

SoCon MBB Power Rankings (2-11-20)

This is the ninth power ranking of the season. After 14 weeks of SoCon basketball, this is how we see the rankings. The top and bottom still look stable in the ranking, but as usual, a little change in the middle this week.

Look for the rankings published each Monday during the season.



1. (1) ETSU

2. (3) Furman

3. (2) UNCG

4. (5) Wofford

5. (4) Western Carolina

6. (7) Chattanooga

7. (6) Mercer

8. (8) Samford

9. (9) VMI

10. (10) The Citadel



Last week's ranking in parentheses

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

3 Days until First Pitch - #8 Jalen Jones

It's only 3 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.

#8 Jalen Jones

POSITION Infield
HEIGHT 5-10
WEIGHT 165
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN McDonough, Ga.
HIGH SCHOOL Union Grove HS




2019 (Freshman): Played in 50 games with 44 appearances in the starting lineup including 33 starts at shortstop, eight at second base, two at third base and once as the designated hitter … Batted .289 with 43 base hits including 11 for extra bases with nine doubles and two triples … Recorded 10 multiple-hit games including three, three-hit outings with four multiple-RBI games … Enjoyed hitting streaks of both six and seven games … Drew 12 walks with three HBPS to add to his .352 on-base percentage … Made his collegiate debut with a start at second base against Oakland (Feb. 15), driving in his first collegiate run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, scoring his first run in the fourth before tallying his first career base hit on an eighth-inning double to left field to plate his second run … Tripled in his second collegiate game, lacing a game-tying, two-RBI pinch-hit triple off the fence in center field against Oakland (Feb. 16) … Doubled twice in a 3-for-4, two RBI performance against Indiana State (Feb. 27) … Matched a career-high with three hits in a road win at UNC Asheville (March 6) and again against Elon (March 16).

Prior to Western Carolina: Played infield and pitched as a prep at Union Grove HS ... Hit .300 as a senior after batting .324 as a junior on the varsity squad ... Credited with 24 RBIs and 42 runs scored over his final two years as a prep ...Was named to the 2016 Main Event Showcase Top Prospect List.

Personal: Full name is Jalen Anthony Jones ... Is the son of Charisse and Erroll Jones ... Youngest of four children - Erica, Eric, and Mona ... His mother cheered at Albany State.




Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

Game #24 - UNCG

The Cats go on the road to face the third-place UNCG Spartans on We. The Spartans are on a two-game winning streak after dropping a road match in Johnson City to the ETSU Bucs. UNCG is 12-3 in games played in Greensboro this season.


Game #24 - UNCG Spartans

When: Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at 7:00 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcer: Gary Ayers, Daniel Hooker
TV/video: ESPN+
-announcer: Scott Pryzwansky (PxP) Darryl Kosciak (Color)
Live Stats: UNCG Live Stats
Fan Message Board: UNCG Sports
The Series: The series between Western and UNCG started back in 1979 and Western owns a 31-24 overall record against the Spartans. Western is 26-19 in games played since UNCG joined the SoCon.  However, the Cats are on an 8 game slide against the Spartans.

UNCG's 2019-20 record: 19-6 overall, 12-3 in home games, and 9-3 SoCon games

Offensively, UNCG is led by junior guard Isaiah Miller, whose average of 18.5 points per game and 21.7 points per SoCon contest both rank first in the conference this season. With 11 wins in Greensboro, the Spartans are tied for the fifth-most home wins by a UNCG program in history.

The Spartans rank in the top-five of Division I men's basketball for five major team statistics. They rank first in turnover margin (plus-7.4), second in total steals (249), fourth in turnovers forced per game (19.00) and fifth in steals per game (10.0) -- Spartan guard Isaiah Miller leads the SoCon with 18.2 points per game and 20.8 per game against conference opponents -- Senior James Dickey completed the 17th double-double of his career against Samford, pulling down 16 boards while scoring 13 points. Eight of his 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass



UNCG Probable Starters
Miller, Isaiah - junior guard  (6' 189 lbs)  18.4 ppg
Massey, Malik - senior guard  (6'3" 195 lbs)   6.1 ppg
Allegri, Angelo - sophomore forward  (6'7" 205 lbs)   7.9 ppg
Hunter, Kaleb - sophomore guard  (6'4" 194 lbs)   10.1 ppg
Dickey, James - senior forward  (6'10" 210 lbs)   8 ppg

D1 - NC college MBB rankings (2-10-20)

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


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


Thoughts?

4 Days until First Pitch - #10 Michel Goehrig

It's only 4 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.

#10 Michel Goehrig

POSITION Catcher
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 220
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Suwanee, Ga.
HIGH SCHOOL North Gwinnett HS




2019 (Freshman): Played in 27 games with 20 starts all coming behind the plate at catcher … Collected 10 base hits including three doubles, batting .208 on the season with eight runs driven in … Saw his first action as a defensive sub in the third game against Oakland (Feb. 16), drawing an eighth-inning walk and scoring his first career run … Tallied his first collegiate hit on a single up the middle in the road win at UNC Asheville (March 6) … Made his first career start in a neutral field win over Ohio State (March 10) at Fluor Field … Recorded his first career extra-base hit on a second-inning double against Gardner-Webb (March 20) … Posted a career-high two hits and three RBI in a 2-for-4 showing in a start at UNCG (March 30), adding a pair of walks … Drove in two for his second multiple-RBI game against VMI (April 27), adding a walk and a stolen base ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Was the primary catcher for a North Gwinnett baseball team that went 60-12 over his final two seasons as a prep including a 36-4 overall mark as a junior and 24-8 as a senior ... Was named to the 2017 Sunshine Southeast Showcase Top Prospect Team.

Personal: Is the son of Erin and Mike Goehrig ... Has two siblings - Ashley and Zach ... Was born in Williamsport, Pa.



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

If it ended today........ (2-9-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament 

If it ended today........

After Saturday's game...... February 9, 2020


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

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

4 Days until First Pitch - #14 Dylan Wheeler

It's only 4 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.

#14 Dylan Wheeler

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

5 Days until First Pitch - #15 Zebby Matthews

It's only 5 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.

#15 Zebby Matthews 

POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 200
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Cullowhee, N.C.
PRIOR COLLEGE  Walters State CC
HIGH SCHOOL Smoky Mountain HS




Prior to Western Carolina:  Played one season at Walters State:
Walters State baseball team went to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2019.

Matthews record at WSCC:
APP 19  -  GS 10  -  W 8 -  L 2  -  SV 1 -  IP 61.1  -  ERA 2.79  -  K 54

                                                 
                                                           

Justice Bigbie - preseason All-American

Courtesy WCU Media Relations         

6 Days until First Pitch - #31 Davis Tyndall

It's only 6 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.

 #31 Davis Tyndall

POSITION Right-Handed Pitcher
HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 185
CLASS Sophomore
HOMETOWN Morehead City, N.C.
HIGH SCHOOL West Carteret HS




2019 (Freshman): Pitched in nine games with eight relief appearances and one start … Finished with just 9.1 innings of work with an ERA of 22.18 over the small sample size … Recorded 10 strikeouts as a freshman against 22 walks and five hit batters … Made his collegiate debut with an inning out of the bullpen in the season-opening victory over Oakland (Feb. 15) … Tossed a career-long 3.2 innings against Wofford (April 5), striking out a career-high four … Struck out two in the two-thirds of an inning he recorded against both VMI (April 26) and at Samford (May 10) ... Named to the 2018-19 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Was a three-year varsity standout, pitching and playing outfield ... As a junior, ranked inside the top 30 in five statistical categories in North Carolina's 3-A division including sixth in both batting average (.493) and stolen bases (23), 11th in runs scored (30), 14th in on-base percentage (.548) and 27th in slugging percentage (.626) ... Finished with eight doubles and 21 RBI as a junior... In limited playing time as a sophomore, hit .353 in 11 games with seven runs and three RBI ... Played in the Powerade North Carolina State Games ... Also played for the Dirtbags youth baseball.

Personal: Full name is Davis McRae Tyndall ... Is the son of Gilian and Robert Tyndall ... Is the middle of three siblings - Michael and Courtney.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations


                                                

If it ended today........ (2-5-20)

The SoCon Basketball Tournament 

If it ended today........

After Wednesday's game...... 2-5-2020

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

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

Game #23 - Furman

The Furman Paladins travel up the mountain to face the Cats in the second game of the yearly series looking to pick up a sweep, but the Cats are looking to protect the home court and not let the Paladins have the tie breaker against the Cats.



When: Saturday, February, 8 
Time: 2:00 pm
Where: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, NC   
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-Radio Announcer: Gary Ayers
TV/video: ESPN+
-TV Announcer: Daniel Hooker
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats
Message Board: Go Paladins

The Series: The series between Western and the Paladins started back in 1977 and the Cats trail 29-47 overall against Furman, but Western is 20-14 in games between the two teams played in Cullowhee.  The Cats are on an eight game slide to the Paladins, last winning in Cullowhee in 2016, by a score of 73-62.

Furman's 2019-20 record: 19-5 overall, 7-4 away games, 9-2 SoCon

Furman was tabbed to finish third in preseason polling of the SoCon’s coaches and media but currently sits in a first place tie with ETSU, both sporting a 9-2 conference record.  The Paladins currently sit in 7th place in this week's mid-major top 25 poll.

The Paladins come to Cullowhee riding a 4 game in streak, looking for the season sweep over the Cats, having beat the Cats on Jan 15th in Greenville, by a final score of 83-79. The Paladins,  outscored Western 15-2 on points off of turnovers and committed just seven miscues in the game, including two turnovers in the second half. Furman shot 45.9% from the field, converted on 19-of-25 trips to the charity stripe and fashioned a 36-32 scoring advantage in the paint.

The Paladins rank 2nd, behind the Cats in scoring offense posting 77.8 points per game (ppg), and 3rd in defensive scoring, giving up only 66 ppg. The money maker for the Cats can be the 3-point shot, as the Cats rank first in the SoCon in 3-point percentage, and the Paladins are in 6th place in that category.



Furman Probable Starters
Senior/Guard - Jordan Lyons, 5'11" 190
Junior/Guard - Alex Hunter, 5'11" 185
Junior/Forward - Clay Mounce, 6'7" 205
Soph/Forward - Noah Gurley, 6'8" 210
Soph/Forward - Jalen Slawson, 6'7" 210