Cullowhee, N.C. - Winners of six of their last seven, Western Carolina baseball remained 20th in the 11Point7 Mid-Major Power Rankings for Week 10 and made its debut in the Diamond Sports Rankings (DSR) Mid-Major Top 25 at No. 18 this week. The Catamounts carry those rankings to Boiling Springs on Tuesday night, playing the back end of the nonconference home-and-home against Gardner-Webb with first pitch at 6 p.m.
 
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and links to live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
 
WCU (26-15) is the highest-ranked of the two Southern Conference teams in this week's 11Point7 Mid-Major Power Rankings, one spot ahead of league-leading No. 21 Wofford (29-11). The Catamounts are among four Southern Conference teams in the Diamond Sports Rankings, presented by D1Baseball and 6-4-3 Charts. ETSU slid three spots into 17th in the DSR Mid-Major Top 25, while WCU is at No. 18, Wofford is at No. 22, and Samford debuts at No. 24.
 
The Catamounts additionally advanced to No. 61 in the latest NCAA RPI through games played on April 19. WCU is the second-highest in the ratings percentage index, only trailing The Citadel (18-21) at No. 54. The Cats and 'Dogs are joined inside the Top 100 by Mercer (73), Wofford (91), and ETSU (98), with Samford on the cusp at No. 105.
 
More About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts enter the week riding both a strong offensive output and an equally impressive stretch by their bullpen. Over the last 10 games, Western Carolina has hit .315 (110-for-349), with 46 extra-base hits, including 20 doubles, five triples, and 21 home runs, slugging .582 as a team. WCU has averaged nearly 10 runs per game during that stretch (98 in 10 games) in posting a 7-3 record.
 
Four Catamounts have recorded double-digit RBI during the current 10-game stretch, led by Cole Jones and Mason Holton, both with 16 apiece. Trent Turner drove in 14 runs, and Jaylen Jones has plated 13. Cole Jones is batting a team-best .457 over the last 10 games, joined by Noah Quarless (.429) above the .400 threshold. A combined 10 of Turner's 15 hits have gone for extra bases – four doubles, two triples, and four homers – for a .385 average.
 
Meanwhile, Catamount relievers have all seven of those wins, including a 2-0 record for Mason Snyder and James Fordham, and a combined four saves between Snyder, John Lobs (1-0, 1 save), and two by Kaden Fuller. Scouting Gardner-Webb:
The Runnin' Bulldogs are 18-22 overall on the season, though 13 of their victories have come at home (13-7). The Red & Black dropped 2-of-3 at Radford over the weekend – and have lost five of their last seven, including a three-game sweep at Washington State, with the other win coming over Queens, 11-1 in seven innings last Tuesday (April 14).
 
Paced by Kelvin Agosto, who is batting .392 with 16 extra-base hits on the season, Gardner-Webb is batting .296 collectively as a team with 77 doubles, four triples, and 36 home runs. The Runnin' Bulldogs average 6.7 runs per game, while surrendering an average of 7.6 per game. As a pitching staff, GWU has a 7.17 team ERA with 265 strikeouts against 191 walks.
 
Gardner-Webb was picked eighth in the nine-team Big South Conference preseason poll.
 
Last Time We Met – Western Carolina 8, Gardner-Webb 4
Trent Turner belted a second-inning two-run home run, and Noah Quarless smashed a two-run blast in the fifth as Western Carolina downed regional rival Gardner-Webb 8-4 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium back on March 18. WCU executed a double-steal in the home half of the fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie with the eventual game-winning run as Elijah Smith swiped second, drawing a throw that allowed the Forest City, N.C., native Marshall McGowan to sneak home to put the Catamounts ahead for good, 3-2.
 
Jaylen Jones (2-for-4) doubled and laid down a sacrifice bunt as part of his two-hit effort, with Walker Fox (2-for-5) singling twice with an RBI and a run scored. Quarless (1-for-4) reached base twice with his fourth-inning, two-run homer and an HBP. But he nearly had a two-homer day as GWU centerfielder Merik Carter pulled one of his big flies back from over the top of the fence in centerfield.
 
Wyatt Stanley and Mason Holton both reached base three times in 1-for-3 efforts, drawing a pair of walks to accompany a single. McGowan reached twice with a single and a free pass, while Jackson Lyda walked twice in the winning effort.
 
For Gardner-Webb, Drew Ripepi finished 3-for-3, reaching four times with a pair of singles, a home run, and a walk. Daniel Smith (2-for-4) hit a two-run homer, and Matt Ilgenfritz (1-for-4) doubled for the third extra-base hit for the Runnin' Bulldogs in the loss.
 
Catamount starter James Fordham was credited with the victory, lifted at the top of the GWU order after tossing 4.2 innings. He countered a pair of walks with three of WCU's seven strikeouts as a staff. Scott Templeton struck out two in 1.2 relief innings, with a couple of runs allowed on a hit, with Griffin Guinther and Mason Snyder both fanning one. Kaden Fuller tossed a perfect ninth, facing just three hitters.
 
Western Carolina vs. Gardner-Webb – Series History:
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs have played 38 times previously on the baseball diamond, with WCU leading the series, 23-14-1. WCU has won four straight over GWU. WCU has won 10 of the 17 games played on the road in the series (10-7), though the Dawgs have won three of the last four meetings played at John Henry Moss Stadium.
 
The two teams met four times a season ago, with WCU winning three, each coming at home and two coming in run-ruled decisions. GWU won in Boiling Springs, 11-4, before the Catamounts claimed the next three wins at 9-5, 12-1 in eight innings, and 19-7 in seven innings.
 
On Deck for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts return home for a crucial Southern Conference weekend series against mountain-rival East Tennessee State this weekend in Cullowhee. WCU and the Buccaneers comprise two-thirds of the three-way tie for second in the SoCon standings, all trailing league-leading Wofford (8-1), which visits Mercer (4-5) this weekend in Macon, Ga.