Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball concludes both the road portion and the midweek nonconference slate of its 2026 schedule on Tuesday, traveling to Clinton, S.C., in the backend of a nonconference home-and-home against the Presbyterian Blue Hose. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Elton Pollock Field at the PC Baseball Complex.
 
Live stats coverage of Tuesday's game is available through StatBroadcast, linked online at CatamountSports.com.
 
After defeating mountain rival UNC Asheville in the midweek last Tuesday in Cullowhee, the Catamounts dropped three at ACC foe Wake Forest over the weekend. WCU could not capitalize on nine walks in Friday's series opener, and held a 5-1 lead in the finale on Sunday before the Demon Deacons rallied for the win. Presbyterian (11-41) won its series opener at home against USC Upstate last weekend before dropping the next two. Tuesday marks the final home game for the Blue Hose at the PC Baseball Complex.
 
Western Carolina (32-20, 12-6 SoCon) climbed two spots to No. 11 in the 11Point7 (@11Point7) Mid-Major Power Rankings, up from No. 13 a week ago. The Catamounts are joined in the poll by fellow SoCon foe Mercer in 16th after sweeping VMI at home last weekend to climb into a tie with WCU for the conference lead.
 
In the latest NCAA Baseball RPI, the Catamounts advanced slipped to No. 53 overall, only trailing Mercer at No. 38 in the league. Those two are a part of five SoCon teams in the top 100 of the Rating Percentage Index, joined by The Citadel (No. 64), ETSU (No. 86), and Samford (No. 96). Wofford is just outside the Top 100 at No. 107.
 
Around the Southern Conference:
Western Carolina enters the week tied atop the SoCon standings with Mercer, both at 12-6 in league play. Wofford (11-7) is a game back, with ETSU and Samford both two games off the pace at 10-8. The Catamounts hold the head-to-head tiebreakers with each of the four remaining teams among the Top Five in the standings.
 
This weekend, Wofford (11-8) visits Samford (10-8) and Mercer (12-6) travels to ETSU (10-8) in match ups that will decide the SoCon's regular-season championship. WCU and Mercer can both finish with a 15-6 conference slate, with Wofford's best achievable mark at 14-7 with a sweep of Samford. The Bulldogs can finish as high as 13-8 with a sweep of the Terriers, while ETSU can climb as high as 13-8 by sweeping the Bears.
 
Tuesday's Starting Pitching Match-Up:
PC – RHP Domaine Vann (5 app., 0 GS – 0-1, 10.13 ERA, 5.1 IP, 6K, 0BB)
WCU – Soph. RHP Bryant Kimbrell (8 app., 2 GS – 4-0, 1.93 ERA, 18.2 IP, 16K, 3BB)
* Both teams are expected to use several pitchers in Tuesday's midweek match up
 
Last Time We Met – Presbyterian 6, Western Carolina 5 (Recap):
Wyatt Stanley homered twice and drove in four of Western Carolina's five runs, clawing the Catamounts back to within a run with his second round-tripper coming in the home half of the ninth inning. However, the Catamounts were unable to overcome a pair of crooked numbers hung on the scoreboard by visiting Presbyterian, including a three-run third and a pair of insurance markers in the seventh, as WCU dropped a 6-5 decision in the front end of the nonconference home-and-home at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
 
Western Carolina vs. Presbyterian – Series History:
Tuesday's second of the two scheduled meetings marks the 17th head-to-head match-up between the Catamounts and Blue Hose on the baseball diamond all-time, dating back to 1992. WCU leads the series, 11-5, including a 4-2 mark in games played in Clinton, S.C., with back-to-back victories. The Catamounts had their five-game series winning streak dating back to 2023 snapped with the home loss back in late March.
 
On Deck for Western Carolina:
WCU closes the regular season this week, hosting in-state SoCon foe UNC Greensboro (21-29, 6-12 SoCon) beginning on Thursday evening at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The series includes 5 p.m. starts on Thursday and Friday, with a 2 p.m. finale on Saturday for Senior Day. Each game of the home finale is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
 
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