Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball hits the road for the first time this season on Wednesday (Feb. 22), traveling to Clinton, S.C., to face the Presbyterian Blue Hose out of the Big South Conference. The first pitch at the PC Baseball Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
Audio coverage of Wednesday's game through Presbyterian's network as well as live stats are available through a link online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Western Carolina (2-2) split its season-opening, four-game series with Akron over the weekend, opening the head coaching career of program alum Alan Beck. The Catamounts swept Saturday's doubleheader, earning the first win of the season and the first victory for Beck with the 6-1 victory in the seven-inning, game one before taking the nightcap, 11-6.
 
Junior infielder Pascanel Ferreras paces the squad with seven hits and a .438 batting average through opening weekend with a team-high tying two doubles and three RBI. Senior Jordan Starkes (.375) and junior Drew Needham (.357) likewise carry batting averages over .300 on the season through four games while catcher Kyle Harbison (3-for-7) is hitting .429 through three games including a pair of starts. Collectively as a team, the Catamounts are batting .274 with an average of 7.8 runs per game while limiting the opposition to .235 at the plate and six runs per game.
 
Redshirt sophomore RHP Coby Ingle is projected to make his first appearance in a Catamount uniform on Wednesday after transferring to WCU ahead of last season from NC State. A product of Reidsville, N.C., Ingle last pitched in a game as a freshman back in 2021, making 11 relief appearances with a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings of work with 13 strikeouts.
 
Presbyterian (1-2) dropped two of its season-opening three against Georgetown in Cary, N.C. The three-game set was decided by a combined six runs with the Blue Hose dropping two games by one and two runs, respectively, and claiming a three-run, 5-2 win on Saturday.
 
Coming off a 22-win season a year ago, the Blue Hose were picked eighth in the 10-team Big South Conference in the preseason coaches poll. PC is averaging 3.7 runs per game on .230 hitting as a team through its first three games while also only surrendering 3.7 to the opposition on a .232 batting average against.
 
WCU and Presbyterian meet for just the 10th time on Wednesday with the Catamounts leading the series, 6-3. All told, the two teams have split the last four meetings dating back to 2017 and the Catamounts have won two of the three meetings held in Clinton, S.C.
 
Following Wednesday afternoon's road game, the Catamounts continue their home-heavy opening schedule by hosting the Xavier Musketeers out of the Big East Conference this weekend at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium in Cullowhee. Friday's series opener – the seventh all-time meeting between the two – is scheduled for 4 p.m., with Saturday's game at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The first and third games of the series are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats through CatamountSports.com available for all three games.
 
Friday's series opener also marks the first game at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium where alcohol will be available for purchase through Catamount Dining concessions. Selections of beer, wine, and hard seltzers will be available for purchase – must be 21 years of age with a legal ID and a limit of one beverage per transaction.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
 
Western Carolina (2-2) at Presbyterian (1-2)
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | 3 p.m. | Coverage: PC Audio  |  Live Stats­
Projected Pitching Match-Up:
WCU – R-Soph. RHP Coby Ingle
Presby – Fr. LHP Mason McDaniel