Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball hosts Presbyterian on Wednesday evening in the final nonconference home game of the regular season as the Catamounts and Blue Hose conclude a three-game, midweek seasonal series. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium, presented by Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital.
WCU has claimed the first two midweek meetings with the Big South Conference's Blue Hose with a pair of two-run victories, winning 4-2 in Cullowhee in mid-March and 9-7 in Clinton, S.C., in mid-April.
After compiling a run of seven wins over a nine-game span, Western Carolina (23-24) looks to get back to the .500 mark overall on Wednesday, while trying to halt a three-game slide. The Catamounts lost all three in Atlanta over the weekend against Georgia Tech – a team long considered a favorite to host an NCAA regional this year. WCU battled the Yellow Jackets tough in two of the three games, trailing 8-4 through five innings before dropping game one 13-5. The Catamounts battled through to the end in Saturday's 4-2 loss, carrying a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning.
Presbyterian (17-28) suffered its sixth-straight defeat on Wednesday night with a 7-2 road loss at Southern Conference foe, Wofford. The Blue Hose tied the game with a two-run Nick Smith home run in the top of the sixth inning, only to see the Terriers respond with a five-run home half on the way to the victory.
Western Carolina – Top Notes:
- Western Carolina ranks second in the Southern Conference with 485 total base hits, tied for 39th in the NCAA, and is third in the league with a .302 combined team batting average, 46th in the country;
- The Catamounts enter the week leading the SoCon with 100 combined doubles, tied for 36th in the NCAA … WCU is averaging 2.13 doubles per game, tied for 41st overall in the nation;
- WCU has turned 33 double plays this season, third in the SoCon and tied for 104th nationally … ETSU leads the league with 36 and Samford has 34 turned this season;
- Jack Spyke enters the week riding a career-long 12-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 23 straight games … Spyke enters Wednesday's game second in the SoCon with 17 doubles, tied for 49th nationally, while ranking tied for 36th nationally with a 0.40 doubles per game average;
- Brandon Langley leads the SoCon with eight saves, tied for 23rd nationally.
About Presbyterian:
Including six-straight losses, the Blue Hose have suffered defeats in 12 of their last 13 games. Two of the losses were recorded in seven innings, with one coming in extra innings – a 6-4 loss in 11 innings against Charleston Southern.
The Blue Hose come to Cullowhee batting .288 collectively as a team, averaging 5.8 runs on 9.6 hits per game. PC has 132 combined extra-base hits, including 91 doubles (4th in the Big South), eight triples, and 33 home runs.
Trey Fenderson leads Presbyterian with a .378 seasonal batting average – seventh in the Big South – with a team-best 54 base hits and ranks seventh in on-base percentage (.474). Jake Randolph is batting .349, Rhogue Wallace (.354), and Matthew Rollison (.310) as four Blue Hose players are batting over the .300 threshold. Fenderson has 18 extra-base hits (15 doubles, a triple, and two homers), second on the squad behind Amman Dewberry (.264), who has 19 – nine doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. Ryan Ouzts has 16 extra-base hits with eight doubles and a team-high tying eight homers.
PC's pitching staff ranks fifth in combined ERA at 7.37 over 378.2 innings, and is ninth out of nine teams in strikeouts with 272 total and 87 looking. Tyrell Williams (4.34) leads the team in ERA, fifth in the Big South, while also ranking fifth in opponent batting average (.256).
Game One (March 18 – Cullowhee) – Western Carolina 4, Presbyterian 2
Western Carolina scored all the runs it would need in the first two innings as the Catamounts scratched out four runs, including a three-run bottom of the first inning, as WCU claimed a 4-2 win in the first of three midweek nonconference meetings between the two.
Mason Holton struck out five over five solid innings in the starting role on the mound, and four Catamounts combined to drive home the four runs.
Trent Turner and
Brayden Corn both singled twice with run-scoring hits in the home half of the first, and
Hayden Friese doubled and scored in the opening frame. Friese added an RBI groundout for a second-inning insurance run to score Holton, who had led off the second inning with a double.
Cam Murray singled and lifted a sacrifice fly to score
Cole Jones with the eventual game-winning run.
Jake Randolph doubled as part of collecting three of Presbyterian's seven base hits, legging out a two-base hit in the first inning, where he was later driven home on a run-scoring double by Amman Dewberry. Nick Smith plated Dewberry in the sixth inning for PC's second run.
Game Two (April 15 – Clinton, S.C.) – Western Carolina 9, Presbyterian 7
Freshman
Trey Spees jumpstarted a six-run rally in the top of the third inning with a solo home run as WCU jumped out to a 9-2 lead over the opening five frames before holding off the Blue Hose rally to score the 9-7 victory at the PC Baseball Complex.
Spees, who collected both of his hits in the six-run frame, hit the first of three home runs.
Trent Turner skied a two-run homer over the left field fence in the fourth inning, and
Josh Ossiander belted his first career round-tripper with a solo shot in the fifth inning to help the Catamounts build their advantage.
Jack Spyke and
Noah Quarless both legged out two RBI doubles for WCU.
Freshman
Carter Burnette was credited with the victory after limiting Presbyterian to two runs while scattering six hits over his four-inning start.
Brandon Langley scored the save by striking out the side in the home half of the ninth inning to preserve the two-run win.
Presbyterian had four players record multi-hit games, with Matthew Rollison matching a school record with three doubles as part of a 4-for-5 effort. Trey Fenderson reached base three times with Connor Bradley and Jake Randolph both singled twice for the Blue Hose. A mid-game substitution, Rhogue Wallace hit a three-run, seventh-inning home run.
Western Carolina vs. Presbyterian – The Series:
The Catamounts and Blue Hose have met on the baseball diamond 14 times previously, with the series dating back to 1992, though most of the meetings have occurred since 2014. The two teams meet for the third time this year, and for a fourth consecutive season. WCU leads the series 10-4, including a 6-2 record all-time in games played in Cullowhee, with two consecutive wins. WCU has won four straight series meetings overall – and has wins in five of the last seven series meetings overall.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts close the home portion of their 2025 regular season with a critical three-game Southern Conference series against The Citadel Bulldogs (25-21, 9-6 SoCon), who come to Cullowhee tied for second place in the league standings. The series opens with consecutive 5 p.m. starts on Friday and Saturday, and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. with Senior Day and a special Mother's Day celebration at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Ahead of Friday's series opener,
The Community Table and
Ingles have combined forces with Catamount Athletics for a special food drive, "Groceries at the Gate." Patrons are encouraged to stop by any of the area Ingles Markets to purchase non-perishable items and bring those to the game to help benefit The Community Table, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide nutritious meals in a welcoming environment to neighbors in need across Jackson County. Any fans who donate food at the gate will receive
FREE admission to Friday's game.
Community Table Food Donation Requests: peanut butter, canned tuna or canned chicken, boxed macaroni and cheese.
Saturday's game, with a special 5 p.m. start time, is denoted as Scout Day with
FREE admission to all scouts, courtesy of Ingles. In addition to the traditional Catamount Dining concessions,
Farmhouse Lemonade and
Glazed and Infused will be in attendance to help celebrate WCU's final home Saturday.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., Western Carolina will honor its baseball seniors, as well as those players who are graduating, with a special on-field ceremony with University Chancellor Dr. Kelli R. Brown. The Catamounts will also honor their mothers with a special Mother's Day tribute during pregame festivities.
Tickets can be
purchased in advance online at CatamountSports.com. Each game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with
live stats linked to CatamountSports.com.
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).
