Cullowhee, N.C. – Southern Conference baseball preseason favorite Mercer comes to town on a busy weekend in #CatamountCountry, which includes three games on the diamond at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium and football's annual Spring Game on the gridiron at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field on Saturday at Noon.
The series opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, with game two scheduled for a special 3 p.m. start time following the Catamount football Spring Game that kicks at Noon. Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required), with live stats available through links at CatamountSports.com. Advanced tickets can be purchased online or through the Catamount Athletics ticket office on the first floor of the Ramsey Center or by phone at (828) 227-2401.
Mercer (25-8, 4-2 SoCon) is riding a three-game winning streak as it ventures into Cullowhee. Western Carolina (20-14, 3-3 SoCon) has scored 12 of its seasonal victories on its home field, carrying a 12-5 home mark into the weekend conference series, including a 2-1 mark against the preseason pick as the runner-up, Samford, back at the end of March.
The Bears took 2-of-3 in both of their two SoCon series to date, at home against The Citadel and on the road at UNC Greensboro last weekend. After dropping the opener against the Spartans, Mercer claimed the next two over UNCG and is riding the wave from a 12-1, seven-inning victory over West Georgia in the midweek.
WCU's midweek struggles continued with an 18-11 setback in a slugfest with USC Upstate back on Tuesday in Cullowhee. The Catamounts won 2-of-3 in the road series at Big South preseason No. 3- and Top 70 RPI – Winthrop last weekend in Rock Hill, S.C.
Around the Southern Conference:
Again, this weekend, six of the eight league schools are in conference play, while two step away from SoCon action for a road series. UNCG (14-19, 2-7 SoCon) visits Northern Kentucky, and ETSU (21-9, 6-3 SoCon) is in Nashville, Tenn., to face Belmont in three-game sets. In addition to Mercer visiting WCU in a key early-season SoCon match-up, The Citadel (16-16, 3-3 SoCon) stays in-state to face early conference leader, Wofford (22-11, 5-1 SoCon), in Spartanburg, while VMI (24-8, 2-4 SoCon) makes the long trek to Samford (14-17, 2-4 SoCon) for three in Birmingham, Ala.
Entering the weekend, FOUR SoCon teams are inside the national Top 100 in RPI: The Citadel (49), Mercer (68), ETSU (85), and WCU (93). All eight league teams are within the Top 152, including Wofford (119), UNCG (122), Samford (148), and VMI (152).
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Friday, April 10 – 5 p.m.
MER: R-Fr. RHP Garrett Lambert – (8 app., 8 GS; 2-0, 4.29, 35.2 IP, 42K, 20BB)
WCU: Soph. RHP
Carter Burnette – (8 app., 8 GS, 1 CG; 2-4, 4.76, 45.1 IP, 44K, 14BB)
Saturday, April 11 – 3 p.m.
MER: Jr. RHP Miguel Hugas – (9 app., 8 GS; 6-1, 5.31, 42.1 IP, 26K, 15BB)
WCU: Sr. LHP
Davis Wright – (8 app., 8 GS; 2-1, 7.71, 35.0 IP, 32K, 6BB)
Sunday, April 12 – 1 p.m.
MER: TBA
WCU: TBA
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts have split their first two SoCon series, taking 2-of-3 from Samford before dropping a pair in the three-game set at The Citadel. WCU last won consecutive games in that series win against Samford – and are looking for a sustained win streak since winning 6-of-7 in mid-March, holding a 4-6 record over its last 10 games.
Additional Catamount Diamond Notes:
- Jaylen Jones carries an active and team-long-tying 19-game reached-base-safely streak into Friday's series opener … Jones has matched Jackson Lyda with the 19-game streak, with both Walker Fox and Trent Turner trailing with 11-game active streaks;
- Noah Quarless carries WCU's longest active hitting streak into the weekend series at six straight games, one shy of tying the team's longest streak – a seven-game streak by Wyatt Stanley … Walker Fox has an active four-game hit streak entering Friday;
- Western Carolina enters the weekend having turned a SoCon-best 25 double plays this season, tied for 49th nationally;
- The Catamount pitching staff has made a vast improvement in limiting walks this season, issuing a SoCon-low 103 base on balls entering the weekend … WCU has a 3.19 walks allowed per nine-inning ratio, tied for seventh nationally in the NCAA … Davis Wright has a team-best 1.54 walk per game average, tied for 39th in the country;
- Carter Burnette ranks FOURTH in the SoCon with 44 strikeouts on the season, and Wright is fourth with 12 strikeouts looking.
The Bears come to Cullowhee as the SoCon's top-hitting team in hits (359) and average (.325), while also representing the SoCon's top-scoring team with 314 runs, averaging 9.5 per game. They have won five run-ruled games in seven innings. Mercer has a SoCon-leading 75 doubles and 66 home runs, ranking tied for 13th and tied for sixth nationally in those two categories. The offensive juggernaut averages two dingers per game, another stat that has the Bears ranked inside the Top 10 in the NCAA.
Five regulars are batting over the .300 threshold, with Titan Kamaka (.413) and Chris Katz (.405) still above the .400 mark on the year. Kamaka has a SoCon-leading 16 doubles, while Logan Sheperd and Brayden Kersey both have a team-leading 11 home runs, tied for second in the SoCon.
On the mound, Mercer has a 5.51 team ERA, fifth in the SoCon, allowing 5.9 runs per game to its opposition on just a .247 batting average against – tied for first in the league. Bear pitchers have a SoCon-leading 314 combined strikeouts, averaging 10.4 per nine innings
Western Carolina vs. Mercer – All-Time Series:
The Catamounts and Bears have met 38 times on the baseball diamond, dating back to 2007. WCU carries a slim 20-18 lead over Mercer in the head-to-head series, which includes an 8-8 mark in games played in Cullowhee all-time. The two teams split the four meetings a season ago, with Mercer winning the series in Macon with a one-run, 6-5, victory and a run-ruled, 13-3, victory in seven innings in the finale. WCU won 7-3 in Macon and dropped the Bears into the SoCon Tournament losers' bracket with a 10-3 win at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. WCU has won seven of the last 10 series meetings against Mercer.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts conclude a five-game homestand on Tuesday, April 14, with a 5 p.m. first pitch against archrival Appalachian State in the back end of the nonconference home-and-home at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. WCU won the first meeting between the two in Boone back on March 10, 13-3, giving the Catamounts wins in three of the last four series meetings. WCU has won two straight over the Mountaineers in Cullowhee the past two years.
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
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