Softball 4/3/2025 1:45:00 PM Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Softball Heads to Scenic City for SoCon Road Series

Amended series schedule begins Friday at 6 p.m. before DH Saturday at 1 p.m.

Cullowhee, N.C. – Catamount softball continues its trek through the Volunteer State beginning Friday night for a Southern Conference series with defending champion Chattanooga in the Scenic City. The amended series schedule begins on Friday at 6 p.m. before a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Frost Stadium.

The series between the Catamounts and the Mocs will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through CatamountSports.com.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Western Carolina (18-19, 2-4 SoCon) at Chattanooga (25-9, 4-1 SoCon)
WHERE: Frost Stadium (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
WHEN: Friday, April 4 - 6 p.m. | Saturday, April 5 – 1 p.m. (DH)
LIVE STATS: Sidearm Stats (All 3 Games)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ (Fri.) | ESPN+ (Sat. G1) | ESPN+ (Sat. G2)

FOLLOW THE ACTION
TWITTER: @CatamountSB
GAME NOTES

About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts began the month of April on the wrong end of a hard-fought 4-0 decision at #7/6 Tennessee from Knoxville on Tuesday night. Senior Tessa Juett went the distance for the eighth time for WCU, striking out and allowing just four hits in the circle. Sophomore Sydney Dirks reached base on a single in the seventh inning with classmate Maya McPherson reaching base twice on a hit-by-pitch and a walk.

Sophomore Lily Bell is among the nation's leaders in hits, batting average, and stolen bases. She enters the weekend in Chattanooga ranked second in the SoCon in batting average (.451) and third in the league in stolen bases (17). She also ranks third in on-base percentage (.519) and leads the league in hits (51) with knocks in seven of the last 10 games with a team-high 18 multi-hit games. She has also reached base safely in 33 of 37 games. Bell has tallied five multi-hit games in her last eight contests.

McPherson starts the weekend fourth in the league in runs batted in (34), including 20 in March alone. Dirks took the team lead in home runs with her seventh against Queens on March 26. She is tied for fifth in the league in long balls, just ahead of McPherson with her six big flies.

In SoCon play, Bell and McPherson lead the league as the only two players to hit at a .500 clip in the opening two weekends. Bell is second in the league with nine hits, and McPherson is tied for fifth in SoCon action with six runs scored. She also has a league-high .611 on-base percentage and is one of nine players in the conference to have multiple homers in conference play.

Freshman Amanda Fulton is tied for third in the SoCon with eight complete games and is tied for fifth with eight victories. She also begins the weekend in a tie for fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (6.1), tied for sixth in walks allowed per seven innings (2.4), and sixth in overall strikeouts (68). Juett is third in the league in strikeouts per seven innings (7.4), tied with Fulton for third in complete games (8) and third in total strikeouts (90).

As a team, WCU is fourth in the SoCon with a .296 batting average including the third-most hits (278) with the fourth-most home runs (24) as part of the ranking fourth in slugging (.425). WCU is tied for fourth in scoring with 166 runs and is third in RBI (157). On the base paths, the Catamounts are tied for second in stolen bases (49) while on the pitching side, WCU is second in strikeouts (193) including the third-most looking with 51. The Catamounts are tied for third in shutouts (4) and tied for second in complete games (20).

Scouting the Opposition – Chattanooga Mocs:
Chattanooga (25-9, 4-1) begins the weekend after a tight 3-2 victory in midweek action over Jacksonville State on Wednesday night. The Mocs have been solid in SoCon play, winning two of three over UNCG before sweeping an abbreviated series against Mercer last weekend. WCU and UTC only have two common opponents in the 2025 season, Gardner-Webb and Georgia State. The Mocs have a 3-0 mark compared to a 3-2 record for the Catamounts.

Senior outfielder Camryn Cernuto leads the UTC offense with a .380 batting average with a team-high 41 hits including a pair of doubles and triples and 11 RBIs. Cernuto also leads the Mocs with 13 steals, which checks in the fourth in the league. Junior infielder Zoe Wright begins the weekend at .338 with a conference-high tying three triples as senior utility Olivia Lipari has a .326 average with a team-high 10 doubles while scoring 26 runs and drawing a team-high 21 walks.

Senior infielders Acelynn Sellers and Presley Williamson lead the Mocs with seven homers apiece, as Williamson has a team-best 29 RBIs.

Chattanooga boasts the top two strikeout pitchers in the SoCon, led by junior Peja Goold, who's 13-4 with a 1.69 ERA and a team-high 12 complete games. Goold has a league-high 127 strikeouts, along with five shutouts. Classmate Taylor Long is 9-0 with 17 appearances and nine starts, posting 98 strikeouts in 80.2 innings.

Chattanooga was picked in the top spot of the eight-team SoCon preseason poll as the Mocs earned six of a possible eight first-place votes. Cernuto and Goold both earned first-team All-SoCon honors, with Goold named Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Lipari, Snell, and Pitts each were named to the league's second-team in the preseason all-conference honors. The Mocs are led by Frank Reed, who's in his 24th season at the helm in the Scenic City. He's accrued over 780 at UTC and received six coach of the year honors.

Series History vs Chattanooga:
The Catamounts and Mocs renew one of the longest-standing rivalries in Western Carolina softball history as the two schools have met 59 times. UTC has claimed wins in each of the past four series meetings, including a three-game sweep a season ago in Cullowhee. WCU has a win in both of the past two road series as Chattanooga has a 22-6 lead in the all-time series in the Volunteer State.

In the 2024 matchups, Taylor Waitley had a team-high .571 average (4-of-7) with a double, 2 RBIs, and a pair of freebies. Lily Bell hit .455 batting average (5-of-11) with three steals, while Tate Stewman and Maya McPherson both homered.

On Deck for Western Carolina:
Following the weekend in Chattanooga, the Catamounts return to the friendly confines of the Catamount Softball Complex on Saturday, April 12, to open a three-game SoCon series against Wofford. Saturday will feature a doubleheader set for 1 p.m. before Sunday's series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. All three games are slated for ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats provided at 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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