CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball begins a five-game road swing on Saturday, opening Southern Conference play by visiting chromatic foes Furman from Pepsi Stadium this weekend. First pitch of Saturday's twinbill is set for 3 p.m. before Sunday's finale begins at 1 p.m. from Greenville. Coverage of all three games with the Paladins is available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and available on live stats through CatamountSports.com.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Western Carolina (7-12) at Furman (13-14)
WHERE: Pepsi Stadium (Greenville, S.C.)
WHEN: 3 p.m. (Saturday DH) | 1 p.m. (Sunday)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast (G1 Sat.) | Stat Broadcast (G2 Sat.) | Stat Broadcast (Sun.)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ (G1 Sat.) | ESPN+ (G2 Sat.) | ESPN+ (Sun.)
TWITTER: @CatamountSB
GAME NOTES
Western Carolina begins a road-heavy portion of its schedule with 10 of the next 13 games taking place away from the friendly confines of Cullowhee. The Catamounts closed out a nine-game homestand on Thursday, hosting #7 Tennessee in front of a record-breaking 732 fans as the Lady Vols claimed a 6-0 win.
Freshman Lily Bell's recent hot streak continued Thursday with her seventh straight multi-hit game to run her seasonal batting average up to a team-high .431. During her current hit streak, Bell is hitting .571 (24-of-42) with multiple hits in eight of those 12 contests. Bell sits second in the league in batting average and is tied for second entering the weekend with her 10 stolen bases. The Woodstock, Ga. native also remains in the top ten nationally in toughest to strikeout, only being struck out once in 65 at-bats.
Bell is part of a quartet of Catamounts hitting over the .300 mark to begin conference play. She's flanked by junior Mattie Mentel (.429) with two doubles and a homer, freshman Maya McPherson (.314) with three doubles and a pair of homers, and junior Tessa Juett (.303), the Berea, Ky. native has four doubles and a triple to her name in 2024.
Juett leads the Catamounts in the circle with five wins, putting her in sole possession of sixth place in the league. She's also second in the conference with 54 strikeouts and is third in the SoCon in innings pitched with 61.0.
Coming off three straight wins over Big South foes including a doubleheader sweep of Presbyterian last time out, Furman is 13-14 entering the opening SoCon weekend. The Paladins have already seen action against Power Five opponents in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Louisville, collecting a win over the Cardinals.
One of five preseason All-SoCon selections, Ashlee Lykins leads the Paladins on the offensive side with a .389 average, which puts her sixth in the league in average. Lykins has also added 19 runs scored, three triples, and 10 stolen bases. Ansley Chiang sits at a .333 average, while Preseason Player of the Year Kiley Perry sits at .329 with three doubles, one triple, and four home runs while driving in a team-high 19 RBIs.
Lauralee Scott leads Furman in the circle with a 4-1 record making two starts among her 12 appearances. Scott has allowed 11 earned runs in 33.2 innings to pace the pitching staff. Sierra Tufts paces the Paladins in victories at 7-4 in making a team-high 13 starts, totaling 35 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. Tufts is tied for second in the league with her seven wins, while Scott is fourth in ERA.
Furman was tabbed fifth in the SoCon preseason poll as the Paladins had five selections to the 2024 Preseason All-SoCon teams led by the Player of the Year selection, Perry. Ashlee Lykins joined Perry on the first team, while Alex Rose Molinar, Caitlin Goldwait, and Sylvia Burroughs were named to the league's second team. Furman is led by Stacey Johnson-Whitfield, who's in her third season of leading the Paladins.
The Catamounts and Paladins have met 60 times before this weekend's SoCon opening series. Furman holds a 41-19 advantage in the head-to-head series, winning each of the last seven matchups between the two schools. In last season's series, Natalie Henry posted a .444 (4-for-9) average as the top returner offensively from WCU. The Catamounts are looking for their first victory in Greenville since April 23, 2016, as the Paladins have swept the last two series held in the Palmetto State.
Following the weekend series in Greenville, the Catamounts wrap up their five-game road swing from the Queen City on Tuesday, March 26, with a doubleheader against Queens set to begin at 1 p.m. from The Stick Williams Dream Fields in Charlotte. Both games of the twin bill will feature live stats available at CatamountSports.com and be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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