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SB Preview vs Queens - FRONT

Softball Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Catamounts Battle Queens in Midweek Nonconference Action

Cullowhee, N.C. – Amidst a season-long 13-game homestand, Western Carolina softball takes a step out of Southern Conference play on Wednesday to welcome in-state foe Queens to the Catamount Softball Complex. The Catamounts and Royals are slated for a single game at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

The matchup between in-state foes is slated to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and have live stats through CatamountSports.com.

Admission to Wednesday's action – and all home games throughout the 2025 season – is free of charge, presented by First Bank. 

SCHEDULE CHANGE: Our three-game series with Samford slated to begin on Saturday, March 29 has now been moved up to a doubleheader on Friday, March 28 with a doubleheader slated for 3 p.m. Saturday's series finale is set for a 1 p.m. start from the Catamount Softball Complex. 

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Queens (8-18, 3-3 ASUN) vs Western Carolina (17-15, 2-1 SoCon)
WHERE: Catamount Softball Complex (Cullowhee, N.C.)     
WHEN: Wednesday, March 26 - 3 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Sidearm Stats 
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+

FOLLOW THE ACTION
TWITTER: @CatamountSB

About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts opened SoCon play with a 2-out-of-3 opening weekend series win over mountain rival East Tennessee State. Sophomore Lily Bell led the offense, hitting at a .700 (7-for-10) average with a double, triple, and four runs scored. Classmate Maya McPherson went 4-for-6 (.667) with five runs scored, two homers and four walks. As a team, WCU hit .347 (26-for-75) on the weekend as sophomores Sydney Dirks and Becka Wonsick joined McPherson's two homers, each connecting on a big fly.

In the circle, senior Tessa Juett allowed one earned run over nine innings of work with 14 strikeouts and a 1-0 record, as freshman Amanda Fulton also grabbed a win, allowing one earned run in a complete game with eight strikeouts. Juett was named the Southern Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week Monday afternoon by the conference office. The Berea, Ky., native grabbed a midweek win over Gardner-Webb, plus a shutout decision against mountain rival ETSU as part of a 2-0 week.

The weekly pitching award is the third for Juett in her Catamount career after receiving honors in both of the past two seasons for WCU. She's also the third Catamount to receive a weekly award from the SoCon this year, joining sophomores Maya McPherson (March 3) and Lily Bell (March 10) to receive top player awards from the league.

Bell begins the week ranked in the top spot in the SoCon in batting average (.480) while ranking second in the league in stolen bases (17). She also ranks second in on-base percentage (.548) and is atop the league in hits (47). Bell has hits in 11 of her past 14 games as she's tallied a hit or reached base safely in 30 of 32 games, including a team-high 16 multi-hit games. Bell has tallied four multi-hit games in her last five contests. Bell is among the nation's leaders in hits and batting average.

McPherson starts Wednesday's action tied for third in the league in runs batted in (33), including 27 RBIs in her last 18 games dating back to the opening matchup of the Catamount Classic. Dirks and McPherson are tied for eighth in the league with a team-high six homers.

Amanda Fulton is third in the league with eight complete games and is tied for fourth with eight victories. She also begins the week in fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (6.2), sixth in walks allowed per seven innings (2.2), and fifth in strikeouts (66). Tessa Juett is third in the league in strikeouts per seven innings (7.6), tied for fourth in complete games (6), and third in strikeouts (71).

As a team, WCU ranks second in batting average (.304), fourth in runs (157), third in hits (251), tied for third in homers (23), third in RBIs (148), second in stolen bases (46), third in on-base percentage (.373), and tied for third in slugging percentage (.444). On the pitching side, the Catamounts come in second in strikeouts (169), tied for third in shutouts (4), third in strikeouts looking (44), and second in complete games (18).

Scouting the Opposition – Queens Royals:
Queens (8-18, 3-3) dropped two of three to ASUN foe Jacksonville in its last on-field action, winning the series finale on Sunday by the score of 6-5. The Royals have dropped four of their previous five, including being swept in midweek action by Campbell. WCU and Queens have six common opponents in 2025, with both squads facing Jacksonville, Michigan, Boston University, Winthrop, Presbyterian, and N.C. A&T. Queens is 3-8 against those opponents, while the Catamounts are 8-4.

Queens has played 21 road or neutral site games so far in 2025, holding a 5-7 road record and a 2-7 mark in neutral site contests.

Freshman two-way Taylor Jones paces the Royals offense with a .352 batting average, including 25 hits with seven doubles and a pair of homers to go along with a team-high 15 RBIs. Senior outfielder Kaylee DeJesus sits with a .313 average with 25 hits, three doubles, and seven steals. Freshman outfielder Olivia Thornton holds a .308 average with two doubles, two homers, and 10 RBIs. Freshman catcher/utility Lauren Byrd leads the Royals with six homers.

The Royals are led in the circle by senior Abby Craver (3-9), who has a 5.80 ERA over 63.2 innings of work. She's totaled a team-best 38 strikeouts and four complete games. Jones has 34 strikeouts, while senior Jordan Dunn has recorded 31 punchouts.

Queens was tabbed eighth in the 12-team ASUN Preseason poll. The Royals are under the direction of Kella Armstrong, who graduated from Lincoln Memorial in 2021 and is in her third year in Charlotte.

Series History vs Queens:
WCU and Queens met twice before Wednesday's action with the Royals, who claimed both ends of a doubleheader a season ago in the Queen City. In last season's action, the Royals used a walk-off RBI triple in game one before a pair of two-run frames to complete the sweep in Charlotte. Tessa Juett went the distance for WCU in game one, allowing three hits and one unearned run with four strikeouts, suffering the hard-fought loss.

On Deck for Western Carolina:
Following Wednesday's single game in Cullowhee, the Catamounts close out their 13-game homestand with an updated weekend slate in a return to league play with Samford. The three-game set will now begin on Friday, March 28 with a doubleheader against the Bulldogs slated for 3 p.m... Saturday's series finale is set for a 1 p.m. start from the Catamount Softball Complex. 

All three games are scheduled to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through links on CatamountSports.com.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount softball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsb), or go to www.CatamountSports.com.
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Players Mentioned

Lily Bell

#3 Lily Bell

INF
5' 4"
Sophomore
L/R
Sydney Dirks

#77 Sydney Dirks

INF
5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
Tessa Juett

#1 Tessa Juett

P
5' 6"
Senior
L/L
Maya McPherson

#66 Maya McPherson

INF
5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
Becka Wonsick

#21 Becka Wonsick

OF/UT
5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
Amanda Fulton

#00 Amanda Fulton

P
5' 6"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Lily Bell

#3 Lily Bell

5' 4"
Sophomore
L/R
INF
Sydney Dirks

#77 Sydney Dirks

5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
INF
Tessa Juett

#1 Tessa Juett

5' 6"
Senior
L/L
P
Maya McPherson

#66 Maya McPherson

5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
INF
Becka Wonsick

#21 Becka Wonsick

5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
OF/UT
Amanda Fulton

#00 Amanda Fulton

5' 6"
Freshman
R/R
P