Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina redshirt freshman outfielder Jaylen Jones was today named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week for his performances in games played April 6-12. Jones hit .438 (7-for-16) with a trio of extra-base hits, scoring and driving in seven runs over the week that included a three-game sweep of SoCon Preseason favorite, Mercer.
 
The honor is the fifth spread between four different Catamounts this season, and the second by a WCU position player. Jones joins catcher Noah Quarless, who earned the very first SoCon weekly award to start the season back on Feb. 16. Two Catamount pitchers have combined for three awards, with Mason Snyder recognized twice and Carter Burnette honored on March 16.
 
Selections are made by the conference office from nominations submitted by the media relations or communications staff of each member school.
 
Jones was second on the squad in overall batting average, only trailing Noah Quarless, who hit .563 (9-for-16), with three doubles and a triple (.875 slugging) and three RBIs, to also be very worthy of a mention for the weekly plaudits. Jones had a double, a triple, and legged out an inside-the-park home run last week, driving home a team-high tying seven runs while scoring seven. He had a .500 on-base percentage, adding a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt to his ledger. Jones added a pair of stolen bases in three attempts last week.
 
A product of Loganville, Ga., Jones recorded three multi-hit games last week, while landing on triple sevens – seven hits, seven runs scored, and seven RBI. He opened the week with a 2-for-4 effort with two RBI and a pair of stolen bases against USC Upstate in the midweek. In the series opener against Mercer, Jones was 3-for-4 with a double in Friday's come-from-behind victory. On Saturday, he had two hits in a 2-for-5 effort, legging out a triple and an inside-the-park home run. He scored five runs and drove home three in WCU's 17-6, series-clinching victory.
 
Jones raised his seasonal batting average nearly 20 points last week to over .300 for the season, currently third on the WCU squad at .311.

All told, Western Carolina hit .354 collectively last week with 51 hits, including 18 for extra bases with 10 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. The Catamounts lit the scoreboard for 43 runs in four games, averaging 10.8 runs per game. In the series against the SoCon's top offensive team, Mercer, the Catamounts outhit the Bears by percentage, .368-to-.298, and 39-to-31 in hit totals. WCU also outscored the Bears, 39-31, in scoring their third-straight series sweep in games played in Cullowhee.
 
Western Carolina (23-14, 6-3 SoCon) closes its five-game homestand on Tuesday as the Catamounts welcome longtime mountain rival Appalachian State (19-15) to Childress Field / Hennon Stadium in the back-end of a nonconference home-and-home. WCU claimed the front end in Boone, 13-3, back on March 10, and seeks a third-straight home victory over the former league foe, currently in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.

Appalachian State has won five of its last six games this season, averaging over 11 runs on nearly 14 hits per game during that stretch. The Mountaineers are batting .312 collectively as a team with 72 doubles, 11 triples, and 25 home runs.

Projected Starting Pitchers - WCU vs. App State (Tues., April 14 - 5 p.m.):
APP: RHP Conner Barozzino (4 app., 2 GS; 0-3, 17.47 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3K, 2BB)
WCU: Sr. LHP Owen Austin (12 app.; 1-0, 4 saves, 6.43 ERA, 14.0 IP, 18K, 2BB)
 
Listed on the Mid-Major Power Rankings Top 25 for the first time this season, WCU leads the all-time series against the Apps, 85-54-1, including a 40-24 record in games played in Cullowhee.

Tied for second with ETSU in the conference standings three series in, WCU then returns to SoCon play this weekend with a three-game set at VMI, on post in Lexington, Va. That series opens Friday at 6 p.m., with each game scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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