Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball opens an eight-game homestand on Thursday as it welcomes the Morehead State Eagles to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium for a four-game nonconference series. Game times on Thursday and Friday are 5 p.m., with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Each game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live stat links available online at CatamountSports.com.
Western Carolina (11-6) enters the four-game series after scoring a 10-run victory over mountain-rival – and Sun Belt Conference foe – Appalachian State, 13-3, on Wednesday night in Boone. WCU has wins over five Group of Five Conference members, including the victory over App State and Troy, the preseason No. 3 out of the Sun Belt Conference. WCU also took three of four from Mid-American Conference (MAC) foes Bowling Green and Akron, and upended American Athletic Conference preseason favorite East Carolina, in the Keith LeClair Classic.
Morehead State (9-8) has played 14 of its 17 games away from home this season, evenly splitting those road contests. Among the road wins are an 8-6 upset of No. 18 Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., and a 13-5 thumping of ACC-foe, Louisville. The Eagles soar into Cullowhee riding a four-game winning streak, taking three of four from Butler and outslugging UNC Asheville, 16-11, on Tuesday.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Thurs., March 12 – 5 p.m.
MSU: So., RHP Landon Waugh (4 app., 4 GS – 0-3, 11.34 ERA, 16.2 IP, 17K, 7BB)
WCU: Jr. RHP
James Fordham (5 app., 2 GS – 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 13.0 IP, 8K, 6BB)
Fri., March 13 – 5 p.m.
MSU: Jr., RHP Alex Miller (6 app., 1 GS – 0-0, 4.96 ERA, 16.1 IP, 15K, 10BB)
WCU: So., RHP
Carter Burnette (4 app., 4 GS – 1-2, 5.40 ERA, 20.0 IP, 23K, 9BB)
Sat., March 14 – 2 p.m.
MSU: So., LHP Kamden Hawks (4 app., 4 GS – 1-1, 10.13 ERA, 13.1 IP, 16K, 12BB)
WCU: Sr., LHP
Davis Wright (4 app., 4 GS – 0-1, 8.10 ERA, 16.2 IP, 12K, 3BB)
Sun., March 15 – 1 p.m.
MSU: Fr., RHP Connor Davis (4 app., 4 GS – 2-0, 5.40 ERA, 16.2 IP, 8K, 10BB)
WCU: Fr., LHP
Evan Myers (4 app., 4 GS – 2-1, 3.18 ERA, 17.0 IP, 12K, 7BB)
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts enter their eight-game homestand with a 6-1 mark at home this season in Cullowhee. WCU has evenly split its road and neutral field contests, sitting at 3-3 in true road games and 2-2 on neutral fields. In the latest RPI rankings, the Catamounts have moved inside the Top 100, ranked between No. 78 and 88, depending upon the outlet, trailing only Mercer (15-2) and the Citadel (6-8) in the SoCon.
WCU is 4-1 in one-run games this season, and has a pair of run-ruled victories – 12-2 in eight innings over Akron and 10-0 in seven innings against Radford in Charlotte. The Purple & Gold has only needed extra innings once this season, a 7-5 victory over George Washington in 10 innings in the season opener, winning with a
Noah Quarless walk-off homer.
Four Catamount regulars are batting above the .300 threshold as the team has raised its seasonal average to .264. WCU has scored 98 runs this season, averaging 5.8 per game on 8.7 hits per contest. Among the squad's 148 hits are 50 for extra bases, including 32 doubles, a triple, and 17 home runs. Sophomore
Jackson Lyda has moved atop the team leaderboard with a .333 batting average, 18-of-54, with four doubles.
Additional offensive leaders include:
On the mound, reliever
Mason Snyder continues his strong start in a Catamount uniform over his first five starts. This week's SoCon Pitcher of the Week, Snyder has a 3-0 record and has not allowed a run, while scattering nine hits, including seven singles. He boasts 22 strikeouts, second only to starter
Carter Burnette who has 23.
Additional pitching leaders include:
- Davis Wright – 0-1 record, 8.10 ERA over 16.2 innings, 12 strikeouts
- Carter Burnette – 1-2 record, 5.40 ERA over 20.0 innings
- Evan Myers – freshman has a 2-1 record with a 3.18 ERA over 17 innings with 12 Ks
- Owen Austin – is 1-0 with three saves over 8.0 innings, with 11 strikeouts
Scouting Morehead State:
The Eagles are batting .304 collectively as a team, boasting 181 base hits, including 71 for extra bases with 34 doubles, eight triples, and 29 home runs. The eight triples are among the national leaders this season. MSU is averaging 8.2 runs on 10.6 hits per game this year.
As the weather has warmed, so too has the Morehead State offense. During its current four-game winning streak, the Eagles have scored 52 runs, averaging 13 runs on an average of 13.5 hits
Aubrey Kearns is batting a team-best .403 (7th in the OVC) with a team-best 27 hits with nine going for extra bases and 17 RBI this season, while freshman Kyle Krupp (.393, 8th in the OVC) has six extra-base knocks, including a team-high three triples.
Additional Eagle leaders:
- Jaden Correa - .344 average with a team-best five homers and 18 RBI
- Nick Griffith - .322 average with six extra-base hits
- Davis Germann - .316 average with eight extra-base hits
- Eagle pitchers have a collective 7.97 ERA, with 112 strikeouts against 89 walks
Morehead State was picked ninth in the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference preseason baseball coaches poll. Sophomore catcher Caden Sheridan (.236) and sophomore RHP Landon Waugh, who has a team-best 17 strikeouts, were both listed as "Players to Watch" from the Eagles' roster.
Western Carolina vs. Morehead State – Series History:
The Catamounts have won six of the seven series meetings against the Eagles dating back to 1996, with the most recent game played in 2018 – a 6-2 WCU victory in Cullowhee. The two were scheduled for a return bout in Morehead, Ky., in mid-May of that same season, but inclement weather forced the cancellation.
Six of the seven meetings have been played in Cullowhee, with WCU winning five of those six at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium, sweeping a three-game series in 2011.
Morehead State is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Including a 6-1 record against the Eagles, the Catamounts are 26-6 all-time against teams currently in the OVC, facing four teams – Eastern Illinois, 2-1; Morehead State, 6-1; SIUE, 3-0; and future SoCon member, Tennessee Tech, 15-4.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
Following the four-game set against Morehead State, the Catamounts continue the eight-game homestand with a midweek visit from Gardner-Webb (March 17) before opening Southern Conference play against the 2026 preseason favorite, Samford (March 20-22).
WCU's season goes to the dogs in mid-March, beginning with the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb on Tuesday. The Catamounts will play eight-straight games against "Bulldog" monikers – Gardner-Webb (March 17), Samford (March 20-22), mountain-rival UNC Asheville (March 24), and three at The Citadel against the Bulldogs, March 27-29.
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