Cullowhee, N.C. – For the final time in nonconference play, Western Carolina softball hits the road in tournament action at the Eagle Classic hosted by Winthrop beginning on Friday from both Terry Field and Eagle Field at its on-campus facilities.
The Catamounts open the weekend on Friday at 3 p.m. against Boston University before battling the host Winthrop at 5:30 p.m. WCU returns to the diamond against Norfolk State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. before a rematch with the Terriers at 3 p.m. WCU then closes out the tournament with a second matchup against the host Winthrop with the first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Friday's matchup against Winthrop will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and all five WCU games will also have live stats through links on CatamountSports.com.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Western Carolina (8-10) vs Boston University (8-7)
WHERE: Eagle Field (Rock Hill, S.C.)
WHEN: 3 p.m. (Friday) | 3 p.m. (Saturday)
WATCH: Sidearm Stats (Both Games)
WHAT: Western Carolina at Winthrop (13-7)
LIVE STATS: Terry Field (Rock Hill, S.C.)
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. (Friday) | 12:30 p.m. (Sunday)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast (Friday) | Stat Broadcast (Sunday)
WATCH: ESPN+ (Friday)
WHAT: Western Carolina vs Norfolk State (6-7)
WHERE: Terry Field (Rock Hill, S.C.)
WHEN: 12:30 p.m. (Saturday)
LIVE STATS: Sidearm Stats
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
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TWITTER: @CatamountSB
About the Catamounts:
Coming off of a 5-0 weekend in the Catamount Classic, the Catamounts returned to the diamond on Tuesday to split a road doubleheader at Presbyterian, falling 9-1 in five innings before a 5-3 win in the backend of the doubleheader.
Freshman Courtney Marks and sophomore Lily Bell led WCU's offensive attack with four hits apiece as Bell lined a pair of doubles. Marks had two stolen bases, and Bell added her eighth theft to her team lead. Senior Natalie Henry added three hits, while sophomore Sydney Dirks, senior Mattie Mentel, and junior Rylee Butler had a pair of hits over the two games, with Dirks joining Bell with two doubles.
The five doubles from the Catamounts in game two are the most by a WCU squad since April 6, 2024, when six two-baggers were slugged as part of an 8-3 win over mountain rival ETSU.
Over the last 10 games, WCU has been led at the dish by Lily Bell at .484 (15-of-31) with 10 runs scored and five walks, followed by junior Rylee Butler at .414 (12-of-29) with eight runs and eight RBIs. In the circle, freshman Amanda Fulton leads the way with a 4-0 record to a 1.46 ERA, tallying 33 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
McPherson collected the SoCon's Softball Player of the Week honor on Monday afternoon. The second-year corner infielder tallied three multi-hit games as part of WCU's sweep of the competition in the Catamount Classic. A native of Lancaster, Calif., McPherson posted one of her best collegiate weeks, finishing 10-for-22 (.455) with two doubles and a home run with three runs scored. She also finished with a team-high 16 RBIs, tied for the national lead with 16 runs knocked in.
Bell begins the weekend ranked second in the SoCon in batting average (.472) while also ranking in a two-way tie for second in stolen bases (8). Bell also ranks third in on-base percentage (.540) as she's fifth in the league in hits (25). Bell also carried the team's longest on-base streak to Rock Hill, with 13 straight games reaching base safely. McPherson starts Tuesday's action tied for third in the conference in runs batted in (20).
Fulton enters the weekend tied for fifth in the league in wins with four, along with sitting in a tie for third in strikeouts per seven innings (6.8), tied for third in walks allowed per seven innings (1.52), and tops in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.44). Fulton also is tied for fifth in the league with 40 strikeouts. As a team, WCU is third in the league with 10 complete games, just behind Wofford (14) & Chattanooga (11), led by Fulton and classmate AG Batson with four apiece.
Western Carolina vs. Boston – Friday (March 7) & Saturday (March 8):
Scheduled as the opening opponent of the weekend and the backend of Saturday's doubleheader, Boston University (8-7) most recently fell to Brown last Friday, 8-7. The Terriers are on a skid of late, losing five straight, three of those being run-rule decisions against #24/21 South Carolina twice and UNLV, along with a loss to Fordham. BU began the season with a six-game win streak over LIU, FGCU x2, Boston College, Indiana State, and UMBC before the recent struggles.
Boston opens the weekend with Presbyterian before squaring off against WCU on Friday afternoon. The Catamounts and Terriers are slated for a rematch on Saturday before BU battles the host Eagles on Saturday night. The Terriers' finale is slated for Sunday morning against Queens.
Boston University is led by freshman infielder Biz Baglieri with a .290 batting average with a triple and five runs scored. She has accounted for six RBI. Sophomore infielder Libby Walsh and outfielder Kylie Doherty both have .282 averages with 11 hits and eight runs scored. Doherty has used extra-base hits with a double, two triples, three homers, and a team-high 17 RBIs.
In the circle, the Terriers are led by junior standout Kasey Ricard with a 2.20 ERA in nine appearances with eight starts and four victories. Ricard has six complete games, along with 37 strikeouts and 54.0 innings. Ricard garnered multiple All-American honors in 2024 after a 28-4 record with a 1.23 ERA last season. Freshman Danika Nell has made an instant impact for BU with a 4-1 record over eight outings in 36.2 innings of work.
Boston University was tabbed to win the seven-team Patriot League under the direction of Ashley Waters who's in her 10th season at the helm in Boston. Ricard along with infielders Megan Coyle and Brooke Deppiesse were named to the all-conference team as Ricard was tabbed as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
WCU holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with Boston University as the two teams meet for the first time since 2016 when the Catamounts earned a 5-4 victory in Charleston along with a 9-1 win against the Terriers.
Western Carolina vs Winthrop – Friday (March 7) & Sunday (March 9):
Winthrop (13-7) begins its home tournament on a three-game win streak after defeating St. Bonaventure to close out the Coach Cooke Memorial and dispatching of Youngstown State and Mount St. Mary's in midweek action. The Eagles hold a 7-3 home record already in 2025.
The hosts open the weekend with a matchup against Norfolk State before squaring off against WCU in the nightcap. Winthrop plays host to Queens and Boston University on Saturday before a rematch with the Catamounts to close the weekend at the Eagle Classic.
Freshman utility/pitcher Katie Beck leads the Eagles offense with a .400 average (14-of-35) with three home runs and seven total runs scored. Beck is tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Peyton Bryden sits with a .356 average (16-of-45) as she's scored seven runs and hit a pair of big flies. Sophomore outfielder Tia Beckham has a team-high four homers as junior infielder/utility Grayson Buckner joins Beck with a team-high 11 RBIs.
In the circle, senior Megan Powell paces the Winthrop pitching staff with a 2.30 ERA along with a 5-3 record in 51.2 innings pitched. Powell has 50 strikeouts over 11 outings, including eight starts. Sophomore Lonna Addison has a team-high six wins and a 2.88 ERA in 48.2 innings with 40 strikeouts.
Winthrop was picked third in the seven-team Big South preseason poll led by Powell, who garnered all-conference honors from the league's coaches. Kendall Fuller is in her fourth season at the helm for the Eagles as the 2025 season begins her seventh season coaching after spending three years at Lees-McRae.
Winthrop holds a 12-11 lead in the all-time series with WCU, as the Catamounts have won each of the last three head-to-head battles. WCU earned a 2022 neutral site win in Jacksonville and a road matchup against the Eagles the last two times the schools met.
Western Carolina vs. Norfolk State – Saturday (March 8)
Norfolk State (6-7) sees its first action outside of the Commonwealth on Friday with its trip to Rock Hill. The Spartans come in having lost their last three, falling in a doubleheader to South Dakota before a one-run setback against UMass-Lowell. All 13 games that Norfolk State has played in 2025 have been a part of a pair of tournaments.
Norfolk State battles Presbyterian and Winthrop on Friday afternoon before a rematch with the Blue Hose on Saturday morning. The Catamounts are waiting in the wings on Saturday afternoon to close out the weekend for the Spartans.
Sophomore infielder Qween Edmonds leads the Spartans with a .447 average (17-of-38) with five doubles, followed by sophomore utility Kailey Bryant at .361 with three doubles, a triple, and six runs driven in. Bryant and sophomore utility Aniyah Michalak have tallied a team-best seven stolen bases.
In the circle, senior Brierra Tyler has a 3-1 record to go along with a 2.67 ERA over five outings with four starts for the Spartans. Tyler has a team-high 20 strikeouts, followed by freshman Amaya McPherson with a 2-3 record and a 2.76 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work.
Norfolk State was picked eighth in the eight-team MEAC preseason poll as the Spartans are under the direction of Angie Nicholson in her first season at the helm for Norfolk State. She's had previous coaching stops at Hampton, Georgia State, Ursuline, Cleveland State, Butler, and Eastern Illinois.
The two teams split a pair of matchups during the 2022 season, with the Catamounts earning a 12-4 run-rule win before the Spartans grabbed an 11-3 run in the same tournament in Huntington, W.Va.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
Following Sunday's finale in Rock Hill, the Catamounts open a 13-game homestand on Tuesday, March 11, with a doubleheader against N.C. Central from the Catamount Softball Complex. The two teams will open their doubleheader at 2 p.m., with game two to follow at 4 p.m. Both games will have live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
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