Cullowhee, N.C. – Fresh off its four-game season-opening sweep of Chicago State, Western Carolina (4-0) travels east this weekend to coastal South Carolina for three games in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina.
Due to forecasted cold temperatures on Friday and impending weather on Monday, the full tournament schedule has been shifted to squeeze each game in between the two parks, altering the previously announced slate for the Catamounts. WCU will now play twice at TicketReturn.com Field – Friday morning and Sunday afternoon – and once in Conway at Spring Brooks Stadium on Saturday morning.
Six teams – WCU, Coastal Carolina, Illinois, Kennesaw State, Saint Joseph's, and West Virginia – all hit the beach for a weekend filled with games between the Chanticleer's home stadium, Spring Brooks Stadium, and TicketReturn.com Field in Myrtle Beach, home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Class A Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Catamount Game Notes:
- WCU swept all four games from Chicago State on Opening Weekend, the first-ever meetings between the Catamounts and Cougars on the baseball diamond … WCU won its season-opening game for the ninth time under head coach Bobby Moranda (13 seasons) with Friday's 14-4 victory – it was also the second-straight season WCU was victorious on opening day … the Catamounts claimed their season-opening series for the 10th time under Moranda that includes six sweeps – five, three-game sweeps and last weekend's four-game series sweep;
- Western Carolina's 4-0 start to the season is the best for the Catamounts since winning its first four games of 2012 – a three-game sweep of Fordham and a road victory at Winthrop … WCU then dropped its fifth game in tournament action that season, falling to Maryland at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C. … the Catamounts also opened the 2009 season with four-straight wins, sweeping Bowling Green before winning game one against Southern Cal (USC) as a part of taking 2-of-3 from the Trojans in Los Angeles;
- Western Carolina opened the 2010 season with five-straight victories, the best start to a season in program history … All told, WCU started 2010 at 8-1 as a part of a 37-21-1 overall mark and a runner-up finish in the SoCon Baseball Tournament;
- Catamount Baseball and head coach Bobby Moranda support Coastal Carolina head baseball coach Gary Gilmore in his recently-announced battle against liver cancer … WCU joins the other participants in the Brittain Resorts & Hotels Invitational by saying, #GilleyIsOurGuy!
Going Streaking – Active Hitting Streaks:
- Justice Bigbie – 4 games – each game to date this season
- Will Prater – 4 games – one game (2019), each of the three he's played this season
*Snap* Get on Base – Reached Safely Streaks:
- Justice Bigbie – 13 games – 9-straight to end 2019, first four of 2020
- Daylan Nanny – 9 games – 5-straigt to end 2019, first four of 2020
- Immanuel Wilder – 8 games – 4-straight to end 2019, first four of 2020
- Will Prater – 4 games – one game (2019), each of the three he's played this season
Western Carolina vs. Illinois (1-2)
When: Friday, Feb. 21 | 11 am
Where: TicketReturn.com Field | Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Coverage: Fighting Illini Sports Network (audio) |
Illinois Live Stats
Projected Starters: WCU – Soph. RHP
Zebby Matthews vs. Illinois – Junior LHP Jimmy Burnette
Scouting Illinois:
The Fighting Illini were slotted sixth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll which only ranks the top six teams in the projected finishing order. Illinois earned a 36-21 mark last year and advanced to their 12th NCAA Tournament. They finished in a tie for third in the conference standings with Minnesota and Nebraska. Among the returnees for the Illini is pitcher Garrett Acton, who earned first-team All-Big Ten plaudits. Acton set a Big Ten single-season record with 19 saves and had a 2.18 ERA. Pitcher Ty Weber was second on the team with 79.2 innings pitched, earning a 4-3 record and a 3.28 ERA. Both Acton and Weber were joined on the Big Ten Baseball Preseason Honors List by sophomore shortstop Branden Comia.
Series History – Western Carolina vs. Illinois:
- The Catamounts and Fighting Illini have met three times previously on the baseball diamond, most recently in the 2010 season – a 4-2 WCU victory at the Keith LeClair Classic hosted by ECU in Greenville, N.C. … WCU leads the series, 2-1;
- WCU and Illinois first met in 1986, a 15-14 Illini victory … the Catamounts won a second slugfest in 2006, 14-13, at the Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Fla.
Western Carolina vs. the Big Ten:
- Illinois is one of two Big Ten foes the Catamounts will face in 2020 – next weekend, WCU squares off against Michigan State in the First Pitch Invitational, tournament action in Greenville, S.C.
- WCU has faced nine of the current 13 members of the Big Ten all-time, posting a 21-14 overall record: Illinois, 2-1; Indiana, 1-2; Maryland, 0-1; Michigan State, 1-2; Nebraska, 3-1; Northwestern, 3-0; Ohio State, 7-5; Penn State, 1-0; Purdue, 3-2.
Western Carolina vs. Kennesaw State (3-1)
When: Saturday, Feb. 22 | 11 am
Where: Spring Brooks Stadium | Conway, S.C.
Coverage: Live Stats (by Coastal Carolina)
Projected Starters: WCU – R-Junior RHP
Chase Walter vs. Kennesaw State – Freshman RHP Gage Vailes
Scouting Kennesaw State:
Picked to finish seventh in the ASUN Conference this year, the Owls opened the season with three home victories over St. John's, Saint Peter's and Cincinnati scoring a combined 36 runs in those three games. KSU welcomes back a trio of offensive threats led by Preseason Player of the Year senior outfielder Terence Norman, who led the ASUN in batting averaging in 2019 (.350). Also returning are Justin Russell, who had conference-highs of 12 homers and a .609 slugging percentage, and Tyler Simon (66 H, .301 BA). Early this season, Alex Carballo is leading the ASUN with nine RBIs and is second in batting average (.500) through the first week of the season; he also ranks third with a .917 slugging percentage.
Series History – Western Carolina vs. Kennesaw State:
- WCU leads the all-time series with Kennesaw State, 10-8, despite dropping three-straight including the home-and-home meetings most recently in 2017 … WCU's last win in the series came in 2015 as a part of two-straight over the Owls;
- WCU and KSU are slated to meet in Cullowhee on Tuesday, April 7.
Western Carolina vs. the ASUN:
- WCU has faced five of the current nine members of the ASUN all-time, posting a 22-16 overall record: Jacksonville, 2-3; Kennesaw State, 10-8; Liberty, 6-2; North Florida, 0-1; Stetson, 4-2.
Western Carolina vs. Saint Joseph's (1-3)
When: Sunday, Feb. 23 | 2 pm
Where: TicketReturn.com Field | Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Projected Starters: WCU – Junior RHP
Ryan Mitschele vs. SJU – Senior LHP Lucas Rollins
Scouting Saint Joseph's:
Voted ninth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, Saint Joseph's opened the season with a 7-3 victory over Ohio State before dropping three in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Hawks finished last season 21-28 and 13-11 in A-10 play.
Series History – Western Carolina vs. Saint Joseph's:
- WCU and Saint Joseph's meet for the first-time on the baseball diamond this weekend;
Western Carolina vs. the Atlantic 10:
- WCU has faced seven of the current 13 members of the Atlantic 10 all-time, posting a 106-33-1 overall record – a number skewed because of the 117 meetings with former SoCon-foe, Davidson (91-26): Fordham, 3-0; George Mason, 4-2-1; LaSalle, 3-1; Richmond, 1-1; St. Bonaventure, 2-0; VCU, 2-3.
Up Next:
Following the weekend in tournament play in South Carolina, the Catamounts return home to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium for a mid-week nonconference match-up with Georgia State on Wednesday, Feb. 26 slated for a 4:00 pm first pitch in #CatamountCountry.
WCU returns to tournament play next weekend at the site of this year's Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases – Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. The Catamounts will take part in the 2020 First Pitch Invitational, hosted by Michigan State. WCU faces Ball State (Feb. 28), Big Ten foe Michigan State (Feb. 29) and Big XII foe Kansas (March 1) in tournament play.
