Category: College

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A whopper of a 3-week, non-conference series beckons High Country football aficionados in September, judging by the just-released 2023 Appalachian State schedule.

Before getting to that all-BCS level series, the Mountaineers host an in-state, FCS rival in  Gardner-Webb, on Sept. 2. The Bulldogs are not to be taken lightly after winning the Big South Conference championship in 2022, going undefeated (5-0) in league play. Overall, they were 7-6, but that also included narrow losses to the likes of Coastal Carolina (31-27), Elon (30-24), and Liberty (21-20). There is also a roundabout connection between GWU and App State: the Bulldogs head coach is Tre Lamb, whose cousin, Taylor Lamb was a record-setting quarterback for the Mountaineers and is now the QB coach at University of Virginia.

After hosting Gardner-Webb, App State gets into a challenging 3-game series starting with a visit to North Carolina on Sept. 9. Who can forget the woulda-coulda-shoulda comeback rally and narrow loss to the Tar Heels in their last encounter, in Kidd Brewer Stadium?

On Sept. 16, the Mountaineers welcome East Carolina to The Rock. It was only a couple of years ago (2021) that App State all but walked over the Pirates at Bank of America Stadium in the nationally-televised, season-opening Duke’s Mayo Classic, 33-19. The Pirates will be looking for revenge in what is likely to be a sold-out, standing room only encounter at Kidd-Brewer Stadium.

One of the more interesting matchups on the 2023 schedule comes on Sept. 23, when App State goes on the road to play Wyoming, in Laramie, Wyo. Founded in 1886 as a public land-grant institution, Wyoming has a storied athletic history with some notable football alumni, including current Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, former San Diego Chargers WR Malcolm Floyd, former Miami Dolphins RB Jim Kiick, former New York Giants safety Derrick Martin, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek, among several others.

No sooner do the Mountaineers return home from Wyoming than they have to make another road trip, this one to the Deep South and a Sun Belt Conference season opener at Louisiana-Monroe. Other Sun Belt road games include at Old Dominion (Oct. 21) in Norfolk, Va., at Georgia State (Nov. 11) in Atlanta, and at James Madison (Nov. 18), in Harrisonburg, Va.

Home Sun Belt games include the only mid-week contest, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, vs. Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers host “Homecoming” on Oct. 28 vs. Southern Miss and a week later have Marshall coming to town, on Nov. 4. They close out the regular season with a home game vs. Georgia Southern.

2023 SCHEDULE
Sat., Sept. 2 vs. Gardner-Webb
Sat., Sept. 9 at North Carolina
Sat., Sept. 16 vs. East Carolina (Family Weekend)
Sat., Sept. 23 at Wyoming
Sat., Sept. 30 at ULM*
Tues., Oct. 10 vs. Coastal Carolina*
Sat., Oct. 21 at Old Dominion*
Sat., Oct. 28 vs. Southern Miss* (Homecoming)
Sat., Nov. 4 vs. Marshall*
Sat., Nov. 11 at Georgia State*
Sat., Nov. 18 at James Madison*
Sat., Nov. 25 vs. Georgia Southern*

HOME GAMES IN BOLD
* Denotes Sun Belt Conference game

 

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. ATLANTA, Ga. — App State men’s basketball dominated from start to finish against Georgia State on Feb. 22, completing the season sweep of the Panthers, 78-52.

The Mountaineers posted their largest road win since Jan. 31, 2005, when App State took care of Longwood, 89-59.

App State made 14 of its 21 3-point attempts (Christopher Mantis and CJ Huntley combined for 10-of-14), the team’s best shooting performance from “downtown” since Feb. 11, 2011, when the Mountaineers made nine of 13 threes in a win over High Point.

The Black & Gold recorded 20 assists, the most of any contest against a Sun Belt opponent this season. Xavion Brown had six of those to go along with his nine points and six rebounds.

Mantis led the team in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, followed by Donovan Gregory with 16, Huntley with 14 and Terence Harcum with 11.

Huntley was the star of the first 10 minutes, making four consecutive 3-pointers as his team jumped out to a 22-10 lead at the 12-minute mark of the first half.

The Mountaineers stayed aggressive, posting a halftime score of 42-25. Gregory assisted four shots in the first half, totaling 300 in his career, which is good for 10th all-time at App State.

App State kept its foot on the gas in the final period, out-scoring the Panthers, 36-27. Mantis and Gregory combined for 23 points in the second half.

Defensively, the Mountaineers held Georgia State’s leading scorer, Dwon Odom, to a 25% night. The visiting team held the Panthers to 36.8% from the floor and 23.5% from deep. App State ranks 18th in the nation in field goal percentage defense and leads the Sun Belt.

Justin Abson blocked two shots, increasing his season total to 66. The all-time record at App State for blocks in a season is 75, set by Jeremy Clayton during the 2007-08 season. Ricky Nedd (1992-93) sits in second place with 67, one ahead of Abson.

The Black & Gold will finish their regular season on Feb. 24, 7 p.m. EST, at Georgia Southern. Next week, they will head to Pensacola, Fla. for the Sun Belt Tournament.

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The App State women’s track and field team closed out competition at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships on Feb. 21, with two broken program records and a gold medal for Jada Branch in the women’s triple jump. In the team standings, the Mountaineers took 11th with 29.5 points.

The 4×400-meter relay team of seniors Jelonnie Smith and Jada Branch, graduate student Hunter Robinson, and senior Mariah Atwater set a new program record with a time of 3:43.42, finishing fourth in the race. The quartet had set the previous record, 3:46.87, at this season’s VMI Winter Classic on Jan. 27-28.

Atwater also set a new program record and personal best in the women’s 400 meters after stopping the clock at 55.24, edging past the previous record of 55.25, which was set in 2020 by Jessica Dixon. Atwater finished fourth in Tuesday’s race.

Branch garnered gold in the women’s triple jump with a personal best leap of 12.85m (42′ 2″), which places her third in the App State all-time list.

Freshman Ava Studney tied for seventh with Louisiana’s Cameron Martinez in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 3.69m (12′ 1.25″).

Monday Rewind

In the women’s weight throw, sophomore Graysen Arnold finished fifth with a toss of 18.00m (59′ 0.75″), which moved her to sixth in the App State all-time list for the event. The distance medley relay team composed of sophomore Alexis Svoboda, Jelonnie Smith, freshman Addison Ollendick-Smith, and junior Jasmine Donohue clocked a time of 12:07.72 to finish sixth overall.

Women’s Team Standings | Final
1. Arkansas State – 106.5 points
2. Coastal Carolina – 76.5 points
3. Texas State – 73 points
4. South Alabama – 58 points
5. Georgia Southern – 56 points
6. Louisiana – 55.5 points
7. James Madison – 48 points
7. Marshall – 48 points
9. Southern Miss – 47 points
10. ULM – 46 points
11. App State – 29.5 points
12. Troy – 16 points
13. Georgia State – 2 points

By Matt Present for App State Sports. HIGH POINT, N.C. – Highlighted by a nine-run sixth inning, App State Baseball improves to 4-0 for the first time since 2011, defeating High Point, 16-7, Tuesday at Dillard Stadium.

After leading 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers tied the score with a pair of home runs off of App State reliever Caleb Cross (win, 1-0).

The Mountaineer offense responded in a big way in the top of the sixth inning. Dylan Rogers reached on an error to begin the frame, and Luke Drumheller followed with a walk. That set the stage for Golston Gillespie, who crushed a go-ahead three-run home run to right field, to put App State back in front, 6-3. Gillespie finished the night with a career-high six RBIs in the ballgame, the most by a Mountaineer in recorded history (since 2013).

The Mountaineers were just getting started in the inning. Jonathan Xuereb reached on a walk, stole second, and then came in to score on a Xavier Moronta single to center. After Hayden Cross continued the rally with a single, C.J. Boyd sliced a two-run double down the right field line to make it a 9-3 App State advantage.

After a High Point (3-1) pitching change, Rogers, batting for the second time in the inning, drove in Boyd with an RBI single through the right side. Drumheller then walked and moved to second on a passed ball, and Gillespie followed with a two-run single to right to give him five RBIs in the inning and put App State ahead, 12-3.

Collin Welch started the ballgame for the Mountaineers and struck out three in four scoreless innings of work. Welch yielded just two hits and did not walk a batter. After giving up a pair of home runs in the fifth, Cross bounced back with a scoreless sixth inning of work.

Boyd belted his first home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning to make it 16-7. The Mountaineer left fielder also notched a pair of doubles, and finished the night with three RBIs and three runs scored.

App State opened the scoring with a three-run fourth inning. All three runs score on a two-out rally, beginning with a two-run single from Drumheller. Gillespie followed with an RBI single to push Drumheller across to score.

The Mountaineers finished the game with 18 hits, led by a career-high four-hit game from Hayden Cross. Moronta also tallied four hits, and now reached base 16 times in his first four games as a Mountaineer. The 16 runs and 18 hits are both the most for the Mountaineers since a 17-9 win over High Point at Smith Stadium last April.

Blake Sutton led the way for High Point in the loss, hitting two home runs to give him five long balls in the first four games of the season for the Panthers.

App State will face off with North Carolina A&T in a three-game weekend series. The teams will begin the set at Truist Point stadium in High Point on Friday at 5 p.m. The Mountaineers will then host the Aggies in their home opener at Smith Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+. Sunday the two teams will face off at 1 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro. The Aggies are 3-0 on the season following a three-game sweep of Maryland-Eastern Shore. They face Davidson for a pair of mid-week contests, Tuesday and Thursday.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Senior basketball guard Bryant Greene is all set to graduate from Appalachian State’s Walker College of Business and become the next generation in the family business, Boone-based cabbage producer Hollar & Greene, but those plans have recently been put on hold — with everyone’s blessing.

Instead, Greene will take advantage of his extra “COVID-19 year” of eligibility and return to play basketball for the Mountaineers during the 2023-24 academic year.

“The injury certainly had a lot to do with my decision,” Greene told High Country Sports on Feb. 20, the first day he was officially cleared to resume playing basketball for the 2022-23 season after injuring his foot last fall, “and that isn’t the way I want to go out my senior year, being hurt. I also talked to my family and Coach Kerns, as well as to other staff members.

“I really enjoy being on a team and there are only a certain number of years you can be part of this,” Greene continued. “My father (Tim Greene) said, ‘You can work for the rest of your life but you might as well be part of the team while you can.’ I really do enjoy it and I want to see App State Basketball succeed up here in the High Country. So, why not stay another year?”

When asked about Greene’s decision, App State men’s basketball head coach Dustin Kerns didn’t hesitate.

“I was ecstatic,” said Kerns, of learning about Greene’s decision. “This year has been difficult with the injury, but Bryant was playing good basketball before the injury, so to see him want to stick around I was really, really excited about that. He is a culture guy, a program guy. Having a guy who has been in the program for five years will be very beneficial. As a Boone native and someone who I think wants to live in Boone, it means a lot to him and his family to be a part of the App State program. As the head coach, I am ecstatic about his decision.”

The Watauga High School alum earned all-Northwestern Conference and all-District honors in high school, but has primarily been a scout team performer for the Mountaineers, a role he has relished even though every athlete wants to be on the court when the game is on the line.

“I don’t really think about my role,” said Greene. “In practice, I just try to go as hard as I can and push my teammates. If my role changes, it changes, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I am just here to help us win, however that is done, however I can contribute.”

Given that Greene will be a fifth year veteran, Kerns was asked whether Greene’s role had the potential to change.

“I think it could change,” said Kerns of Greene’s role next year. “And that could be both on and off the court. I think it is safe to say that his role has the potential to change just being a guy who has been in the program a long time. He has worked hard.”

Greene’s role these past few years as “the villain,” in practices often taking on the persona as the next opponent’s best player in order to better prepare the Mountaineers’ starters and top guys in the rotation, has paid huge dividends in terms of his basketball IQ. He has studied a lot of film, examined a lot fof themes.

“Performing in that role could very well prepare him for being a basketball coach one day,” said Kerns. “Officially, he was cleared to be back today, playing. But even in being out, Bryant was still here, observing.

“Typically, when a guy is out for any length of time, like the four months Bryant was sidelined,” added Kerns, “on their first day back, as coaches we are reminding them of things, explaining things like terminology. But there was nothing of that today with Bryant. He picked up just like he had practiced with us last week.

“As coaches, we didn’t have to coach him up as he rejoined the team on the court today,” said Kerns. “He has been observant. He knows what to do. From that standpoint, there is certainly the potential translation to being a coach one day. He is always very mindful of what is going on, on the court.”

Greene himself admits that coaching in the future is in the realm of possibility.

“I have definitely learned a lot about basketball since being here,” said Greene. “After college basketball for one more season, I will focus on getting started in my family’s business, Hollar & Greene, but I definitely can see the potential for helping out with Watauga basketball someday. Maybe not as a head coach, but helping in some capacity, if they want me.”

Asked what he thought of the current Watauga men’s team and its No. 28 seeding in the 4A state playoffs, Greene said, “That is a dangerous No. 28 seed. Watauga is one of those teams where if they hit those threes, they are dangerous. They are one of those teams that could heat up real quick and beat anybody.”

Greene said that his academic major was in supply chain management, but he is working on a risk management and insurance minor.

“Next year,” he said, “I may go after another business major or start grad school (presumably and MBA). I haven’t really decided yet.

“Supply chain is a big thing for our family business because we grow and ship cabbage all over the world. It is a complete supply chain thing. And then, my uncle, Tony, is in a risk management and insurance position, so our discussion about those topics have led to my interest there. I did an internship with him and am currently working on a case study. I want to learn every aspect of it and I will probably travel around with him some this summer, some insurance workshops and stuff.”

But that is all in the future. While college athletics is a “job” for many athletes, not for Bryant Greene.

“I wouldn’t call it a job at all. I really love working out with the team and hanging out with the team after practice. Obviously, I enjoy every aspect of it or I wouldn’t be coming back. Not many people get to do this, so I don’t want to take it for granted. And this is a great coaching staff. I enjoy working with them every single day. Dustin Kerns is a great coach and he has some great assistants. It is a great staff to be around, every single day,” said Greene.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — During a marathon day with 30 matches, the first two set the tone for a dominant, title-clinching sweep of a SoCon tripleheader on Sunday,

App State Wrestling carried a strong start in a battle of conference unbeatens to a 22-14 victory against Campbell in a packed Varsity Gym, with nearly 1,000 fans in attendance, then followed that with a 43-0 shutout of Presbyterian and 47-0 shutout of Davidson.

Finishing as unbeaten, outright SoCon regular season champions for the second straight season, the 20th-ranked Mountaineers (12-2, 8-0) also secured their sixth title in the last eight years and 14th championship over the last three decades.

The first two matches in the App State-Campbell dual were ranked showdowns, with the Mountaineers collecting two huge victories to help them claim six of the first seven matches.

Battling sickness that kept him out of several practices during the week, Caleb Smith earned a tiebreaking takedown with 25 seconds left in a 4-1 win at 125 pounds against 32nd-ranked Anthony Molton, who entered Sunday with three top-15 victories. Ethan Oakley then delivered a takedown with 57 seconds left in the Sudden Victory overtime period at 133 pounds to win 3-1 against 22nd-ranked Domenic Zaccone. That result gave Oakley dramatic wins against top-25 wrestlers from Chattanooga and Campbell in the last two duals.

After a ranked wrestler from Campbell (16-9, 7-1) won by major decision at 141, App State turned a 6-4 edge into a 22-4 advantage thanks to four-point major decisions from Jon Jon Millner (8-0 at 149), Tommy Askey (11-3 at 157 against Troy Nation, who had a top-33 RPI ranking), Will Formato (12-0 at 165) and Will Miller (16-3 at 174).

With three matches remaining and an 18-point margin in the team score, Campbell would need pins from its ranked wrestlers at 184, 197 and heavyweight to rally for a title-swinging victory. Luke Uliano’s tough work on top in the final two periods of a 5-1 loss clinched the dual for the Mountaineers.

App State followed that emotional victory with its 13th and 14th dual shutouts since 2020, starting with Smith’s 9-3 decision against Presbyterian’s Dominic Chavez, who had won 10-3 against Molton earlier this season.

With all-important individual seedings for the March 4 league tournament in Boone at stake even as the Mountaineers weren’t threatened from a team standpoint, App State’s starters didn’t suffer a letdown against the Blue Hose or Wildcats.

Smith (8-0), Oakley (7-0), Millner (8-0), Askey (8-0) and Formato (8-0) all went unbeaten in SoCon duals this season.

Before the final dual of the day, App State conducted a Senior Day ceremony to honor Millner, Formato, Cody Bond, Chopper Mordecai and Mason Fiscella.

Millner produced a pin in his final Varsity Gym appearance, giving him a 38-3 career record in the venerable building. He went 47-4 in duals during his App State career, including 30-0 in SoCon duals.

No. 20 App State 22, Campbell 14

125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. #32 Anthony Molton (CU), 4-1 dec.
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. #22 Domenic Zaccone (CU), 3-1 dec. (SV)
141: #33 Shannon Hanna (CU) def. Heath Gonyer (APP), 11-3 maj. dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Chris Rivera (CU), 8-0 maj. dec.
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Troy Nation (CU), 11-3 maj. dec.
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Dom Baker (CU), 12-0 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Brant Cracraft (CU), 16-3 maj. dec.
184: #31 Caleb Hopkins (CU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 5-1 dec.
197: #27 Levi Hopkins (CU) def. Carson Floyd (APP), 5-0 dec.
Hwt: #16 Taye Ghadiali (CU) def. Jacob Sartorio (APP), 17-8 maj. dec.

No. 20 App State 43, Presbyterian 0

125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Dominic Chavez (PC), 9-3 dec.
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Jacob Brasseur (PC), 8-1 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Trenton Donahue (PC), 7-1 dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Khalid Brinkley (PC), fall (1:25)
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Michael Ramirez (PC), 21-5 tech fall
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Tyler Chittum (PC), 15-3 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Zach Wells (PC), 12-2 maj. dec.
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Cordel Duhart (PC), fall (6:38)
197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Malcolm Wiley (PC), 6-4 dec.
Hwt: Jacob Sartorio (APP) def. Morvens Saint Jean (PC), fall (2:39)

No. 20 App State 47, Davidson 0

125: #14 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Hale Robinson (DC), fall (4:29)
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Jackson Sichelstiel (DC), 6-0 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Noah Burstein (DC), 10-1 maj. dec.
149: #9 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Matt McLaughlin (DC), fall (4:07)
157: #27 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Daniel Yetsick (DC), 12-3 maj. dec.
165: #27 Will Formato (APP) def. Marc Koch (DC), 10-0 maj. dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Brett Sanderlin (DC), 13-0 maj. dec.
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Cameo Blankenship (DC), 10-1 maj. dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) vs. Gavin Henry (DC), fall (6:46)
Hwt: Jacob Sartorio (APP) won by forfeit

By Matt Present for App State Sports. HICKORY, N.C. – App State opened the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs, and the offense never looked back, defeating Queens, 13-5, to complete an opening weekend sweep.

The Mountaineers’ (3-0) sweep was their first since they won three straight at Smith Stadium against Arkansas State March 19-21, 2021. They held Queens (0-3) without a hit through the first five innings of play.

On the third pitch of the bottom of the first inning, fifth-year senior Andrew Terrell crushed a home run to left-center field, and one batter later Xavier Moronta hit a line-drive shot over the right field fence, his first home run as a Mountaineer, to put App State ahead, 2-0, two batters into the ballgame.

One inning later, Terrell struck again. After Jonathan Xuereb reached on a run-scoring error to prolong the inning, Terrell delivered a 413-foot blast to left field to put App State ahead, 5-0.

Terrell became just the sixth Mountaineer since at least 2013 to enjoy a multi-homer game, and the first to do so since Joel McDaniel hit two home runs in a game at Coastal Carolina on May 17, 2019. Terrell had homered just twice total in his first four seasons at App State.

The App State offense scored at least two runs in each of the first five innings of play. Austin St. Laurent led off the third inning with a single up the middle, and after stealing second, scored on an RBI single from C.J. Boyd two batters later. Boyd then also stole second, and came into score on an RBI single from Luke Drumheller to put the Mountaineers ahead, 7-0.

Boyd then highlighted a four-run fourth inning with a two-run double down the left field line, as App State took an 11-1 lead.

Ryan Sleeper made his first start for the Mountaineers on the mound. The lefty struck out five in 2.2 innings of work. He exited with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, but Zach Lewis (win, 1-0) came in and induced a groundout to escape the jam.

App State pitching did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Queens broke through with back-to-back two-out singles.

The Royals scored an unearned run in the fourth inning to break up the shutout, and then took advantage of six walks and a hit batter in fifth inning, plating four more in that frame.

After the fifth inning, the Mountaineers bullpen finished strong. Trey Tujetsch struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, while Skylar Brooks and Jake Beaty each delivered a scoreless frame in their first App State appearances.

At the plate, App State finished with 11 hits, with five Mountaineers enjoying two-hit games.

The Mountaineers are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to High Point to face the Panthers. First pitch from Willard Stadium is set for 4 p.m. High Point is also 3-0 on the season, following a three-game sweep against Bryant to open the year.

By David Rogers. HICKORY, N.C. — For the first two innings of Appalachian State’s Feb. 18 baseball game vs. Queens at the Hickory Crawdads’ LP Frans Stadium, both teams got runners on base, only to be left stranded. But when the Mountaineer dam broke, it gushed to a 5-2 win over the Royals.

Mountaineer catcher Hayden Cross was involved in almost every aspect of his team’s run production, going 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs and a run scored, including smacking a double and a single while drawing a pair of base on balls.

Designated hitter Xavier Moronta added two runs scored while hitting 3-for-4, and getting hit by a pitch during one at bat.

Sophomore left fielder C J Boyd, junior right fielder Dylan Rogers, and redshirt senior first baseman Golston Gillespie were also credited with RBIs for their afternoon’s work.

Starting pitcher Bradley Wilson, a redshirt sophomore Lillington, N.C., pitched five innings of one-hit ball, including 3 strikeouts and 5 walks while facing 20 batters to pick up the win. Junior righthander, Dante Chirico earned the save after giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 errors during his 4 innings of work in relief.

The Royals got on the scoreboard in the top of the 6th inning when centerfielder Andrew McDermott tripled to center field, scoring second baseman Christian Maggio, who had walked and Nick Alderfer who had reached base on a fielder’s choice.

Attendance for the game was 594, enjoying the sunshine and perfect playing conditions.

With the win, App State improves to 2-0 on the young season, adding to the opening day win over the Royals, which was also a 5-2 decision. They close out the “home” series against Queens at LP Frans Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 19, with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Mountaineer lefthander Ryan Sleeper and Queens righthander Jeffery Maidhof are scheduled to start on the mound.

App State travels to High Point on Feb. 21 before returning for a 2023 official home opener at Smith Stadium on Feb. 25, vs. North Carolina A&T.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. CHARLOTTE, N.C. – App State softball split the opening day of its 2023 season at Queens University, defeating the Royals 5-2 in Game 2 after a 5-4 loss in the opening contest.

Sejal Neas threw the first six innings of the second contest, punching five strikeouts and allowing only one run. Offensively, three home runs were hit by the Black & Gold throughout the day, including a 3-run bomb by Kylie LaRousa in the second game.

On the day, App State earned nine runs to Queens’ seven, and out-hit the Royals, 16-11.

Recapping Game 1 (Queens 5, App State 4)

After two scoreless innings by both squads to start, Mary Pierce Barnes scored the first run of the 2023 season in the top of the third, homering to right-center to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead. Barnes has recorded nine home runs in her career.

The Royals responded with three consecutive runs in the third and fourth innings, giving themselves a two-run lead heading into the fifth.

During the top of the fifth, preseason All-Sun Belt selection Kayt Houston and Barnes hit back-to-back singles, landing them at third and first base, respectively. With two outs, Kaley Coltrain singled to left field, bringing in Houston for Coltrain’s first RBI as a Mountaineer.

Queens posted two runs in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 5-2.

As App State needed a spark in the sixth, Sidney Martin delivered, landing the first home run of her career to cut the lead to two.

The pressure shifted to the defense in the bottom of the sixth. Down by two runs with two on and one out, Taylor Thorp and McKenzie McCullen ended the inning with a double play.
The Black & Gold kept their foot on the gas in the top of the seventh, as Addie Wray and Houston each singled to open the inning, advancing to second and third during a throw.

With two runners on and no outs, the Royals, up by two runs, brought in their relief pitcher. Coltrain was walked shortly after, loading all three bases with one out.

McCullen reached first on a fielder’s choice, bringing in a run by Wray, cutting the lead to one in what would be App State’s final run of the contest.

Delani Buckner started the day in the circle and was later relieved by Kaylie Northrop, who struck out two batters.

The Mountaineers had 10 hits in the contest, including three by Houston.

Recapping Game 2 (App State 5, Queens 2)

App State never trailed in the second match. Thorp got the scoring trend started in the second inning, singling up the middle and bringing in Martin’s second run of the day.
Pairing that score with two straight innings of no Royals on bases, App State led 1-0 heading into the fourth.

After Coltrain brought in an unearned point, LaRousa stole the show, raising the lead to five with a home run to left center. Thorp and McCullen were on base.

Neas, who also assisted three putouts, held Queens scoreless until the bottom of the sixth.

The Royals would score one run in each of the last two innings as Neas would eventually be relieved by Kapri Toone, who made her first appearance in the Black & Gold.

Thorp and McCullen made their second double play of the day to finish the game. Over both games, McCullen led the fielders from first base with 15 putouts, one assist and a perfect fielding percentage.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will compete in the Pinnacle PC Invitational with matchups against IUPUI, Seton Hall and Presbyterian next weekend, in Clinton, S.C. Their first home game will be on Mar. 8 against North Carolina.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — In the Feb. 4 home-and-home rematch at the Holmes Convocation Center, in front of the season’s largest crowd (3,870), James Madison returned a “favor” in defeating Appalachian State, 63-57.

A first meeting on Jan. 7 saw the Mountaineers surprise the then nation’s No. 1-ranked scoring offense, limiting the Dukes to just 62 points while going on a tear, offensively, to win 71-62. With just over eight minutes to go in that Harrisonburg, Va. tilt, App State led by as many as 20 points before James Madison was able to close the gap, but the Dukes still fell way short of their season-long scoring average closer to 85 points per game, according to NCAA statistics.

But in the rematch, 36 percent free throw shooting by App State was unlikely to get the job done. The Mountaineers made only five of 14 shots from the charity stripe, nine points missed that would have made all the difference in the world.

But there were other shortcomings, too, to have made a difference. The Mountaineers’ three players coming off the bench in the on-court rotation are collectively credited with playing 40 minutes. Points scored by the trio? Zero. Christopher Mantis, Tamell Pearson and Dibaji Walker did take seven shots between them, but none fell through the hoop and kissed the net.

The Mountaineers’ bench performance is surprising when you consider App State’s different combinations of bench players came into the came ranked at No. 53 out of 352 NCAA D1 programs. Those “reserves” (all have also started games) rotating in have been averaging more than 24 points per game, according to stats maintained, regularly updated and published by the NCAA.

Nonetheless, there were thrills for the partisan home crowd, on a night when former head coach Bobby Cremins was among the spectators. Cremins was at the helm when App State made the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament in 1979, as a member of the Southern Conference. It was the first time App State had qualified for “The Big Dance,” otherwise known as “March Madness.” They have made it only two other times, in 2000 (head coach, Buzz Peterson) and 2021 (current head coach, Dustin Kerns).

Cremins and all the rest of the Holmes Center fans saw the Mountaineers dig a hole for themselves, going down by 14 points with 42 seconds left in the first half. App State guard Terence Harcum then offered a foreshadowing of what was to come after intermission when he drained a 3-pointer just three seconds before the halftime buzzer, narrowing the deficit to 11 points at the break.

Harcum hit another 3-pointer just 15 seconds into the second half to pick up where he left off. Another basket inside by freshman Justin Abson followed and suddenly the Mountaineers had closed the deficit to a manageable 6 points, 30-24.

JMU guard Takal Molson countered with a couple of made free throws, a layup and a 3-pointer to stretch the Dukes’ lead back out to 11 points, but App State’s C J Huntley and Donovan Gregory intermixed some baskets of their own to keep the Mountaineers in the hunt, at 37-30.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Harcum brought the Mountaineers to within one point, at 37-36, which also brought hope to the App State faithful raising the roof off the arena walls a smidgen in appreciation.

But the trail to another Sun Belt Conference win ran cold at that point. Good offensive production from the Dukes’ Molson, Tyree Ihenacho, Terrence Edwards, and Julian Wooden, along with disruptive defense vs. Mountaineer possessions down the stretch kept App State at bay.

With the loss, the Mountaineers’ season record fell to 13-12 overall and 6-6 in Sun Belt Conference play. They’ll look to improve on that Feb. 9 when they travel to Monroe, La., to face ULM (11-14 overall, 7-5 SBC). They stay on the road for a Feb. 11 tilt at South Alabama, in Mobile.

NOTEWORTHY

• With his scoring contributions early in the second half, senior Donovan Gregory became the 35th App State men’s basketball player to reach 1,000 career points scored.
• According to records kept by App State’s Strategic Communications team, Gregory became one of “at least 13 players in program history” with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
• A Charlotte native, Gregory cleared the boards for his 500th rebound on Dec. 2, against Marshall.
• Also on Feb. 4, Gregory became the seventh player in program history to record 150 career steals.
• Freshman Justin Abson continued to make an impression on Division 1 basketball with three blocked shots against James Madison. That increases his season total to 57, the most ever by an App State freshman and the third-most by a Mountaineer. The three blocks on Feb. 4 moves Abson into a tie for 9th in the nation with Isaiah Cozart of Eastern Kentucky and Liam Robbins of Vanderbilt. The App State record for most blocks in a season is at 75, recorded by Jeremy Clayton in 2007-2008.

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

• APP Donovan Gregory: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• APP Justin Abson: 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocked shots, 2 points
• APP Terence Harcum: 20 points (five 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• APP Xavion Brown: 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
• JMU Takal Molson: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• JMU Terrence Edwards: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
• JMU Julien Wooden: 12 points, 4 rebounds
• JMU Noah Freidel: 10 rebounds
• JMU Tyree Ihenacho: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 steals