Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina opens its 2020 baseball season on Friday afternoon, hosting Chicago State in the first of a four-game series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch of Friday's season opener is set for 4:00 pm with a Saturday doubleheader slated for 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm and Sunday's finale to begin at 1:00 pm.
 
Chicago State of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is coming off a 10-41 overall record a year ago that included a 5-22 conference mark. The Cougars played a combined 36 of their 51 games away from home last season including 15-straight to open the season in true road or neutral field contests.
 
CSU returns five players in its lineup that started 30-or-more games last season that batted .229 collectively as a team with 68 doubles, seven triples and 12 home runs. Senior OF Andy Gaytan – one of 12 seniors on the Cougars' roster – returns a team-leading nine doubles offensively. The Cougs also return their team strikeout leader from last spring in Friday's projected starter, junior RHP Dylan Cumming, who recorded 60 K's in 2019.
 
Series History:
Today – and this weekend's four-game series – mark the first-ever meetings between Western Carolina and Chicago State on the baseball diamond … WCU has only faced one team in the current Western Athletic Conference (WAC) – two meetings (1-1) with Grand Canyon back in May of 1993.
 
Opening Weekend:
Western Carolina claimed its season-opener, 21-9, over Oakland last year as a part of a three-game series sweep on opening weekend … It was WCU's first three-game series sweep of opening weekend since 2012 when the Catamounts took all three from Fordham in Cullowhee.
 
Western Carolina has had some big wins on Opening Day including starting a three-game sweep of Pac-12 foe, Washington State, in 2013 and taking the first of two in a three-game set against Big Ten opponent, Purdue, in 2015. But perhaps there have been none bigger than upsetting No. 2 Mississippi State, 3-2, at Dudy Noble Field behind the 12-strikeout effort of former Catamount Jeremy Null.
 
Under head coach Bobby Moranda – who is entering his 13th season in Catamount dugout – Western Carolina has been victorious on opening day eight times, halting a three-year opening-day losing skid last season against Oakland … WCU has won its first three-game opening-weekend series – one in tournament action – a combined nine times with five three-game series sweeps.
 
Coverage:
There will be no audio or video coverage of this weekend's four game series – however, each game will have LIVE STATS through Sidearm Sports. Fans can also follow the action this weekend on social media on Twitter by following @Catamounts and @WCUCatamountBSB. WCU will also have special updates on Instagram (wcu_catamounts).

Follow every home game with LIVE STATS by clicking HERE.
 
Projected Pitching Match-Ups:
Friday: WCU – Zebby Matthews (So., 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)