Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball opens a season-long stretch of eight-straight home games this weekend, welcoming first-time foe Eastern Illinois to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium for a three-game nonconference series.
On the backend of the University's Spring Break, this weekend's weather-altered schedule includes a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, with game two to follow at approximately 5 pm – or 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one. The date and time of game three of the series will be made after looking at the updated weather forecasts for Saturday and Sunday.
Each game is slated to be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with free, live streaming audio and live stats both available through links at CatamountSports.com. Tickets for all three games are available online in advance at
CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
*** Please note that the bottom level of the baseball parking deck is blocked off for a weekend police K-9 training event; the ADA parking spots on the lower level are still accessible, but fans are asked to park on on the second level and above when attending Catamount baseball this weekend until the blockades on the lower levels are removed. Please do not move the barracades blocking the lower level parking. ***
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts look to snap a two-game slide with Friday's doubleheader against Eastern Illinois, coming off a midweek road loss at Gardner-Webb (L, 11-4), after dropping 2-of-3 against another set of Panthers at Georgia State last weekend. WCU left 31 runners on base in the series loss at Georgia State including 13 in the Friday opener.
The Catamounts continue to swing a heavy bat this year, hitting .332 collectively as a team with 204 hits including 68 for extra bases – a SoCon-leading 43 doubles, five triples, and 20 home runs. WCU is averaging 9.8 runs on 12 hits per game, while surrendering an average of 10.9 runs on 11 hits per contest with a .316 opponent batting average.
Ten Catamount regulars are batting above the .300 threshold this season with freshman
Jaylen Jones hitting .414 over his nine games, missing time due to injury in late February. Sophomore
Noah Quarless, who is platooning behind the plate with
Jack Spyke and
Cam Murray, is batting .409.
Among the everyday players to date,
Hayden Friese leads the squad at .389 with eight extra-base hits including five doubles and three home runs.
Trent Turner is hitting .370 also with eight for extras with four doubles, a triple, and three homers.
Mason Holton (.364) leads WCU with four home runs while
Elijah Smith (.345) has a team-best eight doubles and paces the squad with 25 RBI.
On the mound, weekend starters
Dusty Revis (18.2 IP) and
Davis Wright (19.0 IP) have chewed up the most innings while also ranking among the team leaders in strikeouts – Wright with a team-best 25 and Revis third with 16.
Cannon Pickell has 18 Ks over just 7.2 innings of work, while last week's SoCon Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Brandon Langley now has 14 punchouts.
Josh Ossiander, who is expected to get the ball second on Friday, has a team-best two victories.
Hitting Double-Digits:
- Western Carolina has scored double-digit runs in nine of its 17 seasonal games this year, posting a 6-3 record in those outings … the Catamounts scored a season-high 27 runs in a seven-inning victory over Rider in the series opener;
- WCU has collected double-figure hits 12 times this season, though its streak of nine-straight games with double-digit base knocks was snapped in the midweek against Michigan State with just eight total hits … WCU had a season-high of 17 hits twice – vs. Rider in Cullowhee and at Georgia State;
- The Catamounts have collected multiple doubles in 13 games this season with three-or-more two-base hits eight times, including a season-high six doubles the road win at Georgia State on March 8 … WCU had multiple triples (2) against Michigan State;
- WCU has multiple home runs in five games with a season-best four in a losing effort against Rider (L, 16-15) in game one of the Saturday doubleheader … WCU has also had six games without a home run;
- Catamount hitters have drawn double-digit walks three times to date – 11 against Maryland and 11 against Rider, with a season-high 17 free passes in game two of the Saturday DH against Rider … WCU has drawn 9-or-more walks three times this season.
Doubling Down at the Plate:
- WCU leads the SoCon with 43 doubles entering the weekend, a mark that ranks the Catamounts tied for 9th nationally overall. The 2.53 doubles per game average have the Catamounts tied for 16th nationally;
- Elijah Smith is tied for third in the SoCon with a team-best eight doubles, followed by Hayden Friese with five, and four other individuals with four doubles apiece.
Turning Double-Plays:
- After pacing the SoCon in double-plays turned a season ago, the Catamounts are at it again with 15 double plays turned over the first 17 seasonal games (t-26th) – one more than ETSU with 14;
- The Catamounts are tied for 43rd in the NCAA with an average of 0.88 double plays turned per game;
- Trent Turner has been a part of turning 11 double-plays to lead the team with Trey Spees helping flip eight.
We're Going Streaking:
Western Carolina boasts THREE players with double-digit game hitting streaks and SIX players that have reached base in double-figure consecutive games. Left-side infielders
Trent Turner and
Mason Holton have 13 and 11-game hitting streaks, respectively, while
Trey Spees leads the six double-figure reaching base streaks.
Hayden Friese carried a nine-game reached base safely streak into this season, where he extended it 15 additional games before it was snapped in the Sunday finale at Georgia State after a 0-for-4 outing. His career-long RBS streak ended after 24-straight games, the longest streak for WCU this year.
Catamount Active Hitting Streaks:
13 games –
Trent Turner
11 games –
Mason Holton
10 games –
Jack Spyke
5 games –
Jaylen Jones
4 games –
Noah Quarless
3 games –
Elijah Smith
Longest Active Reached Base Safely Streaks:
17 games –
Trey Spees
15 games –
Trent Turner
12 games –
Cole Jones,
Elijah Smith
11 games –
Mason Holton
10 games –
Jack Spyke
5 games –
Jaylen Jones
4 games –
Noah Quarless
Misc. Catamount Diamond Notes:
- Western Carolina has left double-digit runners on base eight times this year through its first 17 games … 158 runners LOB through 17 games = 9.3 per game
- WCU is perfect on the season (4-0) when leading after both seven and eight innings – but has just one win in 10 games when trailing after the sixth inning;
- The Catamounts have not won a game in which they did not hit a home run (0-6) – and the win percentage is better with just one round-tripper (5-1) than when multiple home runs (2-3) by WCU;
- Western Carolina has allowed at least one home run in every game this season, including a season-high four by Maryland (Feb. 22) … WCU has surrendered multiple home runs eight times, including in three-straight games entering the weekend.
About the Opposition – Eastern Illinois Panthers:
Eastern Illinois (5-8) continues its 18-game road swing to open the 2025 season in Cullowhee this weekend. All 13 games to date have been played on the road – and none have been in the "Land of Lincoln," as the lone in-state game on the schedule up to this point – in Champaign against the University of Illinois – was canceled back on March 4.
The Panthers have just two wins in their last eight games played, dropping all three on the road at Austin Peay to end February and start March, and dropping 2-of-3 at Northern Kentucky last weekend. EIU won its most recent game, though, downing Bellarmine 15-8 back on Tuesday in Louisville, Ky.
Eastern Illinois is batting .229 collectively as a team entering the weekend with 103 total hits including just 22 for extra bases – 17 doubles and five home runs. Four regulars are batting over the .300 threshold with Zak Goodwin – who has played in seven of the 13 games with six starts – leading the way with a .455 average and a team-best nine RBI. Pierce Bauerle (.359) has a team-best 14 hits including three doubles, matched by Peyton Wilson (.267).
A combined 13 different pitchers have shouldered the load so far for Eastern Illinois with six different starters over 13 games played with two – Tyler Conklin (2-1, 4.74 ERA) and Tyler Kapraun (0-2, 6.30) both with a team-high four starts. None have made more than five appearances.
The Panthers are averaging 5.8 runs per game on eight hits per contest, while surrendering 6.4 runs on 9.7 hits allowed per game on a .282 opponent batting average.
The OVC did not select a preseason all-conference team – instead, each team selected one "Player to Watch," with EIU submitting aforementioned senior RHP Tyler Conklin who has a team-best 22 strikeouts against just five walks while limiting opponents to a .229 average against.
Based out of Charleston, Ill., Eastern Illinois was picked fifth out of the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference by the league's head coaches and communication directors. Southeast Missouri garnered 13 first-place votes to win the conference, followed by UALR, Tennessee Tech, and Morehead State.
Western Carolina vs. Eastern Illinois – The Series:
The Catamounts and Panthers have never met on the baseball diamond ahead of this weekend's three-game series.
Western Carolina vs. the Ohio Valley Conference:
The Catamounts have only faced THREE of the current 10 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, boasting a 24-5 record all-time against teams in that league. WCU has faced Morehead State (6-1), SIUE (3-0), and Tennessee Tech (15-4).
On Deck for the Catamounts:
Western Carolina remains at home for its next five games including Tuesday's midweek matchup against Big South foe Presbyterian on March 18. Admission to Tuesday's game is free of charge, courtesy of Ingles. WCU then opens its Southern Conference slate next weekend, hosting the VMI Keydets for a three-game set March 21-23. Next Friday's start time is 5 p.m., with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, and Sunday at 1 p.m.
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).
