Cullowhee, N.C. – Just under a month away from the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases, at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., Western Carolina and mountain-rival East Tennessee State play a crucial league baseball series this weekend with postseason implications. The Catamounts host the Buccaneers for three at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium, with the two squads entering the series tied for second in the conference standings just past the midpoint.
With anticipated inclement weather across the region on Saturday, athletics officials at WCU decided to alter the series schedule, moving the opener to 3 p.m. on Friday as part of a doubleheader. After a break on Saturday, the series will conclude on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start.
Friday's doubleheader will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio available at CatamountSports.com. Sunday's series finale is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required). All three games will have live stats coverage with links online at CatamountSports.com.
A streaking Western Carolina has won seven of its last eight games, scoring double-figure runs in five of those wins with three run-ruled victories. ETSU has dropped four of its last six games, though each of those defeats came by three runs or less.
Around the Southern Conference:
All eight teams in the league are in action this weekend – but still to this date, the weekend schedule has yet to be exclusively SoCon matchups. Four teams have reached the eight-win plateau in conference play, with two of those taking the diamond in Cullowhee on Friday afternoon
Six of the conference teams meet head-to-head, with two again stepping out of league play. WCU (8-4) and ETSU (8-4) meet in a crucial second-place matchup in Cullowhee, while first-place Wofford (8-1) visits preseason league favorite Mercer (4-5) in Macon, Ga. UNCG (2-10) travels to Charleston, S.C., to face The Citadel (4-8) on the banks of the Ashley River.
Samford hosts Big South foe USC Upstate for three in Alabama, while VMI heads for the Piedmont for a trio of games at another Big South matchup at High Point.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Friday, April 24 – Game 1 – 3 p.m. (Listen to CSN)
ETSU – R-Jr. LHP Tadan Bell – 10 app., 10 GS – 4-2, 4.04 ERA, 49.0 IP, 46K, 17BB
WCU – So. RHP
Carter Burnette – 10 app., 10 GS – 2-5, 6.36 ERA, 52.1 IP, 48K, 17BB
Friday, April 24 – Game 2 – 6:30 p.m. (Listen to CSN)
ETSU – Jr. RHP Michael Harpster – 10 app, 10 GS – 5-1, 2.89 ERA, 53.0 IP, 59K, 26BB
WCU – Jr. RHP
James Fordham – 13 app., 5 GS – 4-2, 4.81 ERA, 43.0 IP, 33K, 18BB
Sunday – April 26 – Game 3 – 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
ETSU – Fr. RHP Cooper Jones – 10 app., 6 GS – 3-1, 2.96 ERA, 27.1 IP, 31K, 6BB
WCU – Fr. LHP
Evan Myers – 11 app., 9 GS – 3-1, 4.66 ERA, 36.2 IP, 29K, 22BB
Catamounts vs. Buccaneers – Storylines:
- In the final weekend series of April, WCU and ETSU are tied at 8-4 in the SoCon standings … WCU has league series wins over Samford (2-1), swept Mercer (3-0), and took 2-of-3 at VMI (2-1), with one series loss at The Citadel (1-2) that includes a one-run loss in the opener … the Catamounts hold three tiebreakers … ETSU has four league series victories, winning 2-of-3 at UNCG and Samford, at home against VMI and The Citadel, giving the Bucs four tiebreakers;
- WCU closes its seasonal conference slate by hosting ETSU this weekend, visiting league-leading Wofford, and hosting last-place UNCG … ETSU has trips to WCU and Wofford before hosting Mercer to close the regular season;
- Both teams are surging on the weekend this year … Western Carolina has won seven of its eight weekend series this year, with the lone loss coming at The Citadel … ETSU has won eight of its nine weekend series, with four sweeps … the Buccaneers have won six-straight series since the lone loss against James Madison, while the Catamounts are riding three-straight series victories entering the weekend;
- In Southern Conference play, ETSU's Tristan Curless is batting a league-best .511, with five doubles and two home runs for a .745 slugging percentage … WCU counters with Trent Turner, who is batting .460 against conference opponents with six doubles, two triples, and four home runs, slugging .900 … Cole Jones (.406) and Jaylen Jones (.366) are also hitting well in league play;
The Catamounts have moved into second in the Southern Conference with 64 home runs this season, only trailing Mercer (87), and are fourth with 83 combined doubles – just three back of Mercer, Wofford, and ETSU, each with 86 two-baggers. WCU has 153 combined extra-base hits (83 doubles, 6 triples, 64 homers) to rank second in the conference behind Mercer (177).
As a team, WCU has raised its seasonal average to .287, as six regulars are batting above the .300 threshold. Senior
Cole Jones has been on a tear, improving to a team-best .337.
Jackson Lyda, who was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list this week, is batting .322, followed by
Noah Quarless (.310),
Trent Turner (.309),
Jaylen Jones (.309), and
Wyatt Stanley (.302). Turner has a team-best 11 home runs, while Quarless leads five Catamounts with double-digit doubles with 14.
Since moving into Southern Conference play, the Catamounts have come to life offensively, batting .314 (128-of-408), with 49 extra-base hits and a SoCon-best 111 runs scored.
WCU's bullpen has played a complementary role during the recent run for the Catamounts, with relievers
James Fordham,
Mason Snyder, and
Davis Budd earning victories, with the likes of
John Lobs and
Kaden Fuller collecting saves.
Owen Austin, who has made the bulk of his appearances out of the pen, scored a couple of midweek wins as a starter.
The Catamounts are fourth in the conference with 317 team strikeouts, including a SoCon-best 99 looking.
Scouting ETSU:
The Buccaneers are right where they were predicted to be, tabbed third in the SoCon's Preseason Coaches poll with five named to the preseason all-conference team, three on the first team, including pitchers Michael Harpster and Derek McCarley, and outfielder Jamie Palmese. Two-way player Tristan Curless and outfielder Axel Melendez landed on the second team.
Four Bucs hitters are batting over the .300 threshold, led by the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, Tristan Curless, who ranks fourth in the SoCon with a .399 average. Curless has 13 home runs and 52 RBI this year, while Nate Conner has 11 homers for ETSU.
ETSU's pitching staff is second in the SoCon with a 4.63 team ERA, with 298 strikeouts. Harpster, scheduled to start game two, is third in the league with both a 2.89 ERA and 59 strikeouts. Game one starter Tadan Bell is fifth with a 4.04 ERA and is ninth with 46 Ks.
Western Carolina vs. ETSU – All-Time Series:
Longtime mountain-rivals, the Catamounts and Buccaneers have met 122 times previously on the baseball diamond dating to 1974, with WCU leading the series, 71-51, including a 37-27 advantage in games played in Cullowhee. The Bucs have held the upper hand in recent years, entering the weekend riding a six-game series win streak – and have wins in eight of the last nine head-to-head meetings. ETSU swept WCU in four games last season.
ETSU has also enjoyed its trips down the mountain over the last few seasons, likewise, winning eight of the last nine games played in Jackson County. The Bucs won 2-of-3, including a 9-8 win in 12 innings in the series rubber match in the most recent series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium in 2024.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
After facing the Buccaneers for three, the Catamounts have a much-needed reprieve without a midweek game before opening the stretch run of May with a showdown at current first-place Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., May 1-3. WCU plays seven of its final 11 games away from home, closing the regular season against UNCG at home May 14-16 before the SoCon Tournament in Greenville, S.C., May 20-23.
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