Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball returns to action this Thursday through Saturday, hosting the Samford Bulldogs for a three-game Southern Conference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium in a rematch of last spring's conference championship match-up.
 
The series opens with a pair of 5 p.m. starts on Thursday (April 14) and Friday (April 15) with the first pitch in the finale scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Games one and three will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network available online at CatamountSports.com for Friday evening's game. Live stats for each game will also be available through the WCU Athletics website.
 
Western Carolina (14-18, 0-3 SoCon) looks to halt a three-game slide after dropping all three games of its league-opening series to ETSU in Cullowhee last weekend. The Buccaneers rallied in the ninth inning for a pair of two-run victories on both Friday (5-3) and Saturday (13-11) before claiming Sunday's slugfest. The Catamounts dropped to 16-25 in its first SoCon series under 15th-year head coach Bobby Moranda, dropping its eighth of the 14 league-opening series since 2008.
 
With five regulars batting over the .300 threshold, WCU is hitting .281 collectively as a team to rank fifth in the SoCon. Including a league-best 13 triples, the Catamounts have 115 extra-base hits this spring to rank third in the conference overall that includes ranking third in both doubles (65) and home runs (37). WCU has scored in double-figures 11 times this season with a 9-2 record when doing so, while securing double-digit hits a combined 15 times entering the series.
 
Heading into the weekend, WCU will shake-up its weekend pitching rotation for a second time this season. Redshirt senior RHP Zach Franklin moves into the game one starting role with junior RHP Zebby Matthews moving to game three on Saturday. Matthews' move bumps WCU's third starter, RHP Gavin Mortenson, into the game two role on Friday evening. Mortenson and Matthews have 17 combined starts this season with Franklin, who was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list, slated to make his eighth career start and first of 2022.
 
Under the direction of first-year head coach – but 17-year associate head coach for the Bulldogs – Tony David, Samford (15-15, 2-1 SoCon) comes to Cullowhee looking to snap a two-game slide. The Bulldogs opened SoCon play by taking 2-of-3 from VMI last weekend in Birmingham, dropping the finale 1-0 to the Keydets and then battling instate foe No. 17 Auburn to a 4-1 decision on Tuesday on the Plains.
 
The Bulldogs enter the weekend batting .241 collectively as a team – eighth in the SoCon – with  39 doubles, five triples, and 31 home runs among the 233 base hits collected. Samford's 75 combined extra-base hits are the fewest in the conference. With 159 runs scored, the Bulldogs are averaging 5.3 runs per game. Samford's pitching staff has a 5.93 collective ERA and has limited opponents to a .267 batting average against, fourth in the league. Bulldog pitchers have combined for 236 strikeouts this season with 132 walks and 53 hit batters, the most in the SoCon.
 
WCU and Samford have met 45 times previously on the baseball diamond with the Catamounts trailing in the series 19-26 overall. WCU has won 12 of the 18 previous meetings played in Cullowhee, carrying a 12-6 advantage at home into the weekend that includes taking 2-of-3 from the Bulldogs at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium last season.
 
The Bulldogs downed WCU twice in last year's SoCon tournament including hitting a pair of two-run, ninth-inning home runs to walk-off in the championship game, 8-6, after WCU was just two outs away from forcing the winner-take-all finale. Towns King hit a game-tying two-run homer with Max Pinto setting-off a wild celebration with his two-run homer that propelled the 'Dogs to the tournament title.
 
Additional Game Day Information:

• Fans are encouraged to utilize the new parking garage directly behind the stadium when coming to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium, or also continue to utilize the south baseball lot beyond the outfield fence. Please be reminded that tailgating of any sort is prohibited in the parking garage;
• Tickets are $11 for an adult reserved ticket, $8 for youth (ages 12 and under) reserved ticket … General admission tickets are $6 for an adult and $4 for youth (ages 12 and under) … Purchase tickets online in advance at CatamountSports.com;
• Reminders that the chairback seats in both the field level and upper grandstands are reserved for those season ticket holders … the General Admission ticket areas are located in the upper grandstands on both the first and third baselines … WCU students are encouraged to fill the "Cat Cage" student section, available in Section C along field level behind home plate – this is a first-come, first-serve section for WCU's students;
• WCU has implemented a "Clear Bag Policy" at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. All alcoholic beverages, outside food and beverages, and other items not permitted in the stadium must be discarded before entering the stadium seating areas … Also, please be reminded that pets are not allowed inside the grandstand seating area at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

 
Western Carolina wraps up what amounts to an eight-game homestand after the postponement of the UNCA game on Tuesday by hosting Gardner-Webb on Tues., April 19 at 5 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
 
Keep track of everything with WCU Athletics and Catamount baseball including weather-related schedule updates through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
 
Projected Starting Pitcher Match-ups:
Thursday, April 14  |  5:00 p.m.  |  Coverage: ESPN+  |  Live Stats
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – RHP Zach Franklin (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 24.0 IP, 30K, 6BB)
Samford – RHP Jacob Cravey (0-2, 3.70 ERA, 41.1 IP, 39K, 22BB)
 
Friday, April 15  |  5:00 p.m.  |  Coverage: CSN Audio   |  Live Stats
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – RHP Gavin Mortenson (2-4, 4.74 ERA, 38.0 IP, 31K, 11BB)
Samford – RHP Michael Ross (3-0, 3.34 ERA, 32.1 IP, 32K, 12BB)
 
Saturday, April 16  |  2:00 p.m.  |  Coverage: ESPN+  |  Live Stats
Probable Starters:
Western Carolina – RHP Zebby Matthews (1-5, 5.32 ERA, 47.1 IP, 59K, 9BB)
Samford – RHP Jalon Long (2-3, 6.19 ERA, 33.2 IP, 32K, 18BB)