Cullowhee, N.C. – Coming off its third SoCon series win of the season, Western Carolina softball steps out of conference for the final time at home on Tuesday afternoon in doubleheader action against Gardner-Webb at the on-campus Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex. Tuesday's action is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch, with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.

Both teams look to erase losses to end their respective league weekends, as the Catamounts dropped their finale on Sunday after earning Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Samford. The Runnin' Bulldogs lost two straight against Presbyterian, as GWU has fallen in 10 of its last 12 games.

MATCHUP: Gardner-Webb (25-18) vs Western Carolina (26-16)
Date: Tuesday, April 14
Time: 3 p.m. (Tuesday DH)
Location: Cullowhee, N.C.
Site: Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina swept last Saturday's doubleheader at Samford, 2-1 and 8-4, before falling in the finale, 3-0, on Sunday. WCU won its second-straight SoCon series over Samford in Birmingham.

Junior Sydney Dirks belted a two-run game-winning home run in the opener as she and senior Taylor Waitley led WCU's offense in Alabama with four hits apiece, with Waitley posting a pair of doubles. Senior Tate Stewman had three hits, including her 12th homer of the season. In the circle, sophomore Amanda Fulton and freshman Briony Bunsic combined to throw 16.2 innings with two unearned runs allowed and 10 strikeouts as the pair grabbed a win and Fulton earned her fourth save of the season.  

Junior Maya McPherson continues her impressive play in 2026, leading the SoCon with a .444 batting average, a mark that has her inside the Top 50 in the NCAA. She leads the SoCon with 63 hits – a stat that ranks her inside the top 15 nationally – that includes a league-leading 15 home runs and 50 RBI. She also ranks in a tie for fourth with 10 doubles. Combined, her .862 slugging percentage is tops in the SoCon.

Dirks hit her 12th homer of the season to move into a tie for third in the league, while her 44 RBIs put her fourth in the conference. The Mocksville, N.C. native is fourth in slugging percentage (.713) and ninth overall in batting average (.375). The Catamount power-hitting trio of Dirks, McPherson, and Stewman, has aided WCU to 54 home runs as a team, first in the SoCon by seven.

With the squad's three homers in Birmingham, the Catamounts eclipsed the 2022 squad for third-most in a single season in program history.

Fulton has 12 victories to rank second in the SoCon, while her 11 complete games are tied for first in the league. She boasts the fifth-best ERA at 2.56 over 127.1 innings pitched, the most in the SoCon. Fulton is additionally third in strikeouts per seven innings (6.9), with her 126 strikeouts third in the SoCon. She also sits inside the top 10 in the NCAA with four saves, matching the highest WCU mark since 2016.

Additional offensive leaders include:

• Dirks — 32 runs (t-4th), 52 hits (3rd), 12 homers (t-3rd), nine doubles (t-7th), 46 RBIs (4th), . 374 batting average (9th), .727 slugging percentage (3rd), 14 multi-hit games, 12 multi-RBI games.
• Lily Bell – 45 hits (t-6th), 40 runs (1ST), three doubles, two triples, .308 average, 14 RBIs, 20 stolen bases (2nd), 13 multi-hit games.
• Waitley – .341 average, seven doubles, 30 runs (t-7th), 24 RBIs, 44 hits, two homers, seven stolen bases
• Stewman – .314 average, 20 runs, 37 hits, 26 RBIs, four doubles, 12 homers ()
• SoCon team hitting ranks: .303 average (2nd), 259 runs (1ST), 349 hits (1ST), 49 doubles (5th), 54 homers (1ST), 240 RBIs (1ST), 59 steals (2nd), 121 walks (t-4th), .374 on-base pct. (t-3rd), .497 slugging pct. (1ST).
• SoCon team pitching ranks: 26 wins (3rd), 4.53 ERA (4th), 191 strikeouts (3rd), 180 earned runs (5th), 4.8 strikeouts per seven (3rd), four saves (T-1ST)

Scouting the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs:
Gardner-Webb (25-18) comes off a difficult Big South weekend that saw the Runnin' Bulldogs drop 2-of-3 at home to Presbyterian. GWU has struggled in recent games, with midweek losses to Appalachian State and Clemson, and falling two-of-three to USC Upstate and all three to Winthrop.

The two teams have six common opponents: Furman, Queens, Winthrop, USC Upstate, Clemson, and Presbyterian. WCU has a 10-2 record against the group, compared to GWU's 5-9 mark. Gardner-Webb is 6-10 in true road games this year and is also 2-1 in neutral site contests.  

The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by:

• Annicka McLaughlin – team-best .416 average, 52 hits, 36 runs, 11 walks, six stolen bases
• Alli Stidham – .407 average, 35 runs, 55 hits, eight doubles, two triples, six homers, 30 RBIs, 17 walks
• Maggie Knight – .407 average, 21 runs, 46 hits, 10 doubles, 38 RBIs, 23 walks, four hit-by-pitches
• Reese Collier – .406 average, team-best 47 runs, team-high 63 hits, 12 doubles, 11 homers, team-best 56 RBIs, .723 slugging percentage
• Big South team hitting ranks: .349 average (1ST), 299 runs (1ST), 424 hits (1ST), 82 doubles (1ST), nine triples (2nd), 30 home runs (3rd), 271 RBIs (1ST), .505 slugging percentage (1ST), .418 on-base percentage (1ST).

In the circle:

• Alli Stidham – team-high 10 wins, 4.33 ERA, 98.2 innings, team-high 80 strikeouts, six complete games
• Glenna McLamb – seven victories, 4.68 ERA, 88.1 innings, 61 strikeouts, seven complete games, four saves
• Big South team pitching ranks: 25 wins (T-1ST), 5.58 ERA (6th), 167 strikeouts (4th), 218 earned runs (5th), 4.27 strikeouts per seven (4th), 1.89 WHIP (4th)

Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs – All-time Series History:
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs have met 25 times before Tuesday's doubleheader, with WCU holding a 14-11 lead in the series. The two teams split the meeting back in February in Boiling Springs, with GWU earning the 10-7 game one victory before WCU grabbed the 13-7 win in the finale. The Catamounts have controlled the series in Cullowhee with eight wins in 11 games, including victories in four of the past five games.

Becka Wonsick, Maya McPherson, and Sydney Dirks each homered as the trio, along with Tate Stewman, had four hits apiece in the February twin bill. Dirks had a grand slam homer.

On Deck for Western Carolina:
WCU continues its five-game homestand with a return to SoCon play beginning on Saturday, April 18, against Chattanooga. The Catamounts and Mocs open with the doubleheader on Betty Peele Field at the Catamount Softball Complex beginning at 1 p.m. before Sunday's matchup, at 1 p.m. All three games are slated for ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.

Fans can follow WCU softball on Facebook, Twitter (@CatamountSB), Instagram, and CatamountSports.com.