Cullowhee, N.C. – Winners of six of its last eight games, Western Carolina baseball returns home to wrap up April and its seasonal series against Big South foe Gardner-Webb as the Catamounts host the Runnin' Bulldogs on Tuesday in nonconference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. as WCU ends its string of eight consecutive games against canine mascots, and the fifth against a Bulldog moniker.
Tuesday's game is scheduled to be
broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with
live stats available through CatamountSports.com. Tickets can also be purchased online by
clicking here.
Western Carolina (22-21) had its season-long five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday in the series finale at Samford, falling to the Bulldogs 7-1. The Catamounts more than doubled their road wins over the past two weeks, though, with victories at Presbyterian (April 15), at UNC Asheville (April 23), and a doubleheader sweep at Samford (April 26).
Gardner-Webb (16-28) is mired in a six-game winless drought, suffering back-to-back series sweeps in Big South play against Palmetto State foes at Winthrop and at home to USC Upstate. Overall, the Runnin' Bulldogs have dropped eight of their last nine games, with the lone victory coming in 11 innings at in-state foe Campbell back on April 15.
Projected Pitching Match-Up:
WCU - Fr. LHP
Jacob Arnberger (9 app., 1-0 - 9.20) vs.
GW - R-Jr. RHP Devin Pressley (18 app., 1-1 - 9.35)
About Western Carolina:
WCU enters the week ranked third in the SoCon in overall seasonal batting average at .304 and is tied for the league lead with 448 total base hits. Paced by conference-leader
Jack Spyke with 16 doubles (45th nationally), the Catamounts lead the SoCon with 93 two-base hits, a mark that ranks tied for 33rd nationally.
Spyke leads six Catamount regulars above the .300 threshold offensively with a team-best .346 average, eighth in the SoCon. He has 20 combined extra-base hits.
Hayden Friese is second with a .331 average with 17 extra-base hits, while
Elijah Smith is second behind Spyke with 19 combined – 13 doubles, two triples, and four homers. Redshirt freshman
Wyatt Stanley is a third Catamount with double-digit doubles, legging out 10 to date, while
Trent Turner paces WCU with eight home runs – one more than both Friese and
Mason Holton with seven apiece.
On the mound, the Catamounts are fifth in the conference with 368 total strikeouts as a staff, including the second-most strikeouts looking at 113.
Davis Wright has a SoCon-best 69 strikeouts, with a league-leading 22 strikeouts looking, while
Dusty Revis is 13th with 54 total Ks. Defensively, WCU is third in the SoCon with 30 double plays turned this season.
Misc. Catamount Notes:
- Senior C/1B Jack Spyke compiled an award-winning caliber week last week for the Catamounts. Over four games, Spyke hit .500 (8-of-16) with half of his base hits going for extra bases, with three doubles and a two-run home run that propelled WCU to the game one win at Samford last Friday. He scored four runs while driving in three as the Catamounts posted a 3-1 record in four road games last week;
- Junior reliever Brandon Langley leads the SoCon with eight saves, a mark that ranks him 17th in the NCAA … With eight saves, Langley already ranks tied for ninth in the program's single-season record book, tied with Daniel Ottone (2009) and David Pember (1998) … WCU's single-season record is 14 saves held by both Preston Hatcher (2013) and Mike Manning (1994);
- WCU is 18-1 when leading after both five and six innings this season – and boasts a 16-0 record when carrying a lead through the seventh inning, and 15-0 when leading after eight innings;
Active Reached Base Safely Streaks:
Active WCU Hitting Streaks:
Scouting the Opposition – the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs:
Gardner-Webb comes to Cullowhee looking to halt a six-game slide and has losses in 13 of the last 15 games dating back to an 11-1 road loss at North Carolina and consecutive defeats against the Catamounts before game three of that set was canceled due to weather.
Five GWU regulars are hitting over .300 on the season, led by Garrett Macias at .333. Ryan Kennell (.331) has a team-best 58 base hits, including 11 for extra bases with nine doubles. Erskine transfer Dale Francis Jr. (.305) has a team-leading 27 extra-base hits, with a team-best 13 doubles, 12 home runs, and 52 RBI.
Two-thirds of Gardner-Webb's potential outfield was named preseason All-Big South in Nick Capozzi (.225, 20 RBI) and Lawson Knight (.224, 18 RBI). They were joined by Devin Pressley, who is 1-1 with a 9.35 ERA over 18 relief appearances and 17.1 innings.
Gardner-Webb was picked third in the Big South Conference preseason poll, just behind defending champion High Point and predicted runner-up USC Upstate, whom the Catamounts faced twice this season, splitting the two meetings.
Western Carolina vs. Gardner-Webb – The Series:
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs have met 36 times previously on the baseball diamond, with WCU leading the series 21-14-1. WCU is 11-7-1 at home and now 10-7 on the road in the series. The Catamounts have won two straight, though the last 10 meetings have been evenly split with five wins and five losses aside. All told WCU has wins in seven of the last 12 games against Gardner-Webb.
Western Carolina vs. the Big South Conference:
The Catamounts have faced all nine current members of the Big South Conference, boasting a 159-69-2 (.696) record in those meetings. WCU is above .500 against eight of the nine current members with one series – vs. Longwood (1-1) – all-even at a win apiece.
Charleston Southern (9-5-1); Gardner-Webb (21-14-1); High Point (29-9); Longwood (1-1);
Presbyterian (9-4); Radford (7-1); UNC Asheville (59-25); USC Upstate (10-7); Winthrop (14-3)
Up Next for Western Carolina:
Following its one-night stay at the home, Western Carolina concludes its stretch, where eight of nine games are on the road, with a trip to Atlanta, Ga., to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The three-game series at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium opens on Friday (May 2) at 6 p.m., continues at 4 p.m. on Saturday (May 3), and concludes Sunday (May 4) with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Each game is scheduled to be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra (
ACCNX, paid subscription required) with live stats linked online at CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to WCU Athletics and Catamount baseball including any game day schedule changes through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
