By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State softball dropped the middle game of the series against Texas State on Saturday, 3-1.
The Mountaineers (18-12, 1-5 SBC) allowed no runs after the first inning, but the Bobcats (22-14-1, 3-4-1 SBC) matched that, allowing only one run in the third by Kayt Houston.
After the successful first inning by Texas State, Delani Buckner retired 12 of the next 13 batters, erasing the Bobcat momentum and allowing the Black and Gold to come within two. Buckner pitched all seven innings and struck out three batters.
In the bottom of the third, Sidney Martin followed Houston’s single with an RBI single to right field. App State’s leadoff pair have combined for six hits and four runs over the series so far.
Emily Parrott added a hit in her second consecutive start.
These two squads will play their series finale on Sunday at noon. The Mountaineers will complete their homestand on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Queens.
By Matt Present for App State Sports. LAFAYETTE, La. — With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, and Xander Hamilton’s pitch count nearing triple digits, pitching coach Justin Aspegren paid a visit to the mound.
Hamilton (win, 5-1) responded, getting an inning-ending flyout, to keep the Mountaineers in front by a run, as he marched off the mound shouting in excitement. Hamilton returned to the hill to strike out the side in the sixth inning, capping a career-high 13 strikeouts on the night, as the Mountaineers (14-10, 5-2) defeated Louisiana, 3-2, Friday at Russo Park.
Hamilton’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a single-game by an App State pitcher in recorded history (since 2013), while the Mountaineers’ 18 strikeouts as a team came within one of the program record for a game. App State’s 5-2 start to conference play is their best since joining the Sun Belt in 2015.
The Raleigh, N.C. native also struck out the side in the second inning, and struck out all nine hitters in the Louisiana order at least once during his outing. Hamilton allowed just two runs over six innings of work, throwing 115 pitches in the outing.
The bullpen maintained the standard that Hamilton established. Skylar Brooks came on in the seventh inning, and tossed two scoreless frames, striking out two, while allowing just one baserunner.
Freshman Jackson Steensma took over in the ninth, charged with protecting a one-run lead. Steensma wasted no time securing his fourth save of the season, as he struck out all three batters he faced to polish off the victory.
App State opened the scoring in the first inning with back-to-back singles from Xavier Moronta and Luke Drumheller. Hayden Cross then plated Moronta on an RBI groundout to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 advantage. Moronta also doubled and walked, reaching base three times in the contest.
After Louisiana answered with a run in the home half of the first, App State went back in front in the third inning when they loaded the bases and forced in a pair of runs on a walk and a hit by pitch.
The middle game of the series is set for 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, with App State righty Bradley Wilson facing off with fellow right-hander Jackson Nezuh for Louisiana. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By Bobby Neal. BOONE, N.C. — App State softball dropped its first series game against Texas State on Friday, 4-3.
Kayt Houston tallied a team-high three hits, including a leadoff triple to open the bottom of the first. Sidney Martin followed that with a two-run homer, her third bomb of the season. App State led by a pair of runs after one.
The Bobcats responded with three unanswered runs across three innings, leading to a pitching change for the final three. Sejal Neas pitched the first four and allowed only two earned runs. Kaylie Northrop relieved and tallied just one earned run to go along with three strikeouts.
Houston ignited the Mountaineers with a home run that reached the parking lot to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. The junior has tallied two homers this season.
Texas State brought in the winning run in the final inning despite a feisty day by the App State defense, which caught two runners stealing.
The Mountaineers and Bobcats will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. and on Sunday at noon. Any schedule changes will be announced on the team’s official Twitter page: @AppStateSB.
By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. AUSTIN, Tex/GREENVILLE, N.C./WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The App State track and field team had a busy Friday as it split to compete at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, Bill Carson Invitational in Greenville, N.C., and Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. The Mountaineers recorded two first-place finishes and totaled 19 top-15 finishes on the day. After the first day of competition, App State stands third in the men’s and women’s team standings at the Bill Carson Invitational.
Texas Relays | Austin, Texas
Seniors Jada Branch and Taylor Smith represented App State at the Texas Relays, one of the most prestigious American track and field meets, for the first time in program history. Branch recorded a leap of 12.89m (42′ 3.5″) to place seventh in section B of the women’s triple jump. Branch’s first triple jump of the 2023 outdoor campaign is a mere 0.01m from her personal best of 12.90m (42′ 4″), which was recorded at the 2022 NCAA East Prelims and moved her to fourth in the App State all-time list.
Smith recorded a mark of 5.65m (18′ 6.5″) in section B of the women’s long jump, placing 15th overall. In the women’s 100-meter timed finals, Smith stopped the clock at 11.77 for a personal best, taking second in her heat and finishing 32nd out of 127 competitors. In the 100-meters category, Smith is now tied for eighth with LaBria King in the App State all-time list.
Bill Carson Invitational | Greenville, N.C.
Junior Chris Wainscott placed first in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 53.96m (177′ 0″) and took third in the men’s discus with a toss of 48.81m (160′ 1″). Fellow junior Nathan Karl placed fourth in the men’s discus with a mark of 47.46m (55′ 8″). Sophomore Daiyanna Cooper took second in the women’s hammer throw with a personal best toss of 54.29m (178′ 11″). Cooper’s toss moved her to third in the App State all-time list. Junior Megan Plummer rounded out the top-five in the women’s discus with a toss of 37.58m (123′ 3″).
Colonial Relays | Williamsburg, Va.
Senior Oliver Wilson-Cook clinched first with a personal best time of 29:53.08 in the men’s 10,000-meter invitational. His time moves him to third in the App State all-time list for the event. Junior Ryan Teuscher stopped the clock at 30:58.62 for a personal best of his own and to place 14th overall. In the women’s 10,000-meter invitational, senior Madison Christy finished 10th with a personal best of 36:49.51 and sophomore Linnea Maynard took 13th with a personal best of 37:15.38.
Up Next Action continues for the Mountaineers at the Bill Carson Invitational in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday. The meet resumes at 8 a.m. with events on the track and field events will follow at 9 a.m.
Sophomores Catherine Breault and Abby Granberg will compete in the women’s unseeded 10,000 meters at 10 a.m. at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. The men’s unseeded 10,000 meters will follow at 10:45 a.m., which will feature junior Ben Datte.
Team Standings | Day 1 | Bill Carson Invitational Men’s Teams | 3 events scored
1. Mount Olive – 38 points
2. Citadel – 27 points
3. App State – 22 points
4. UNCW – 16 points
5. East Carolina – 11 points
Women’s Teams | 2 Events Scored
1. East Carolina – 46 points
2. Mount Olive – 18 points
3. App State -14 points
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Remaining undefeated so far in the club’s maiden season, Watauga’s men’s volleyball team dispatched both of their first two opponents this past week, including Tri City Christian Academy (in High Point) on March 28 and Lexington High School (Home) on March 30.
What the fledgling Pioneer team displays in skill after only 14 practice sessions since forming the team they make up for in enthusiasm — as exhibited by the animated bench support for whoever might be on the court at any given time. That said, the Watauga roster is filled with athletes, mostly from the football team, so the fact that they are advancing pretty rapidly is not at all surprising.
Watauga men’s volleyball team in its 2023 first season. Photographic image by David Rogers
“None of these guys have played much volleyball before,” noted head coach Kim Pryor, who doubles as the women’s head coach in the fall semester. “We spent the first week only on two things: passing and setting. The second week we focused on understanding on some of the technical aspects and rules, such as the rotations, as well as serving the ball and attacking. I am impressed by the team members’ athleticism and enthusiasm for learning volleyball. We are still learning a lot of the basics, but they are advancing pretty rapidly.”
Freshman Brady Lindenmuth attributes a lot of the team’s early success to the discipline they have learned in the football program.
“Those acronyms that Coach Habich and the assistant football coaches repeat over and over again, well we live them and they carry over into other sports as well as life. GPE: Give Perfect Effort. WTW: Work to Win. TBM: Team Before Me. Put all of those things together and, with discipline, we have a winning formula in whatever we are doing,” said Lindenmuth.
Having been around volleyball since he was carried courtside by his coach mother, cradled in her arms as a 4-month old toddler, the now 6-5 football wide receiver and linebacker Jackson Pryor probably has a head start on playing the game. Like his teammates, though, he has not played much other than informal pickup games at the beach and perhaps in PE activities.
It may not be ‘top form’, but Jackson Pryor of Watauga men’s volleyball was instrumental in the team’s sweep over Lexington on March 29, with 12 kills in three sets. Photographic image by David Rogers
“We have been thinking about this for awhile,” Pryor, a junior, told High Country Sports after the Lexington match in Lentz Eggers Gym. “Now we have it put together and it is great to see so many of my football teammates and friends enjoying this experience and participating as well as supporting each other so enthusiastically.”
While currently a club sport without varsity status, Coach Pryor explained that may be changing.
“There are several high school age men’s volleyball clubs in North Carolina,” said Pryor. “There is a petition circulating to formalize the sport and give it varsity status.”
Given the enthusiastic culture already being cultivated at Watauga, the Pioneers are hoping that recognition comes sooner rather than later.
@ Tri-City Christian Academy, March 28
The Pioneers got an early taste of heart-throbbing, intense action in TCCA pushing the match to five sets, with Watauga pulling out a win in the team’s first competition: 18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 30-32, 15-9.
Steele Nealy, Trathan Gragg and outside hitter Jackson Pryor arguably had the most impressive stat lines on the night. Nealy recorded 19 assists and four service aces while Pryor tallied 14 kills, two service aces, two solo blocks and two block assists. Meanwhile, Gragg added a whopping seven service aces as well as eight kills.
Patrick Nguyen (4 service aces), Bennett Lappin (3 service aces) and Brady Lindenmuth (5 kills) also made significant contributions to the stat sheet in the win.
vs. Lexington
Some combination of being home in the friendly confines of Lentz Eggers Gym in front of a large, partisan crowd and having a winning match under their belts, the Pioneers swept Lexington Senior by successively wider margins: 25-21, 25-17, 25-11.
The Pioneers were led, statistically, by the same trio — plus one:
Steele Nealy: 20 assists, 3 service aces
Jackson Pryor: 12 kills, 1 service ace, 2 solo blocks, 5 digs, 6 serve receptions
Brady Lindenmuth: 2 service aces, 9 kills, 1 solo block
Patrick Nguyen also recorded five digs and four successful serve receptions, while Caleb Dewey was prominent on the stat sheet with a pair of kills and a solo block.
On Monday, April 3, Watauga travels to Morganton to play Draughn High School’s team, then returns home on April 18 to face North Henderson.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An offensive explosion by the Pioneers in the 4th inning on March 30 and clamp down pitching with tough defense triggered the high school “mercy rule” on March 30, Watauga defeating Freedom, 16-4, after four and a half innings played.
The Pioneers led 4-0 after the bottom half of the first when Jacob Dilley hammered a home run with Maddox Greene aboard, then Tristan Salinas followed up with a solo shot. Cooper Riddle got in on the first inning action with a double to the left field fence, then scored from third base on a wild pitch.
Versatile outfielder and pitcher Johnny Ray slides safely into second base on March 30 during Watauga’s 16-4 win over Northwestern Conference foe Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers
Freedom evened things up at 4-4 in the top half of the second, but Watauga answered in the bottom of the frame when Jameson Hodges scored on a wild pitch and Greene tagged up and came home on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Salinas.
Both teams went scoreless in the third inning and the Patriots were unable to put anything across in the top of the 4th, so Watauga was nursing a 6-4 lead entering their 4th inning at bat.
Greene started things off with a 1-out single, followed by three consecutive doubles by Dilley, Salinas, and Riddle, then a home run by Johnny Ray powered over the right field fence to clear the bases and up the score to 11-6. After walks to David Pastusic and Jake Henderson, Pastusic store third base and Henderson snatched second. Then Pastusic scored when the shortstop muffed Hank Matthews grounder, increasing the Pioneer lead to 12-4.
Watauga rightfielder Hank Matthews has a bead on the ball, March 30, in Watauga’s 16-4 win over Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers
But Watauga still wasn’t done. With Hodges at bat, Henderson scored from third on a wild pitch (score: 13-4) before Hodges walked, Matthew moving to second. The team having batted around, Greene returns to the plate for the second time in the inning and singles to right, Matthews crossing the plate easily but Hodges coming home from second base, just beating the throw from the right fielder (score: 15-4).
Greene advanced to 2nd base on a sacrifice ground out by Dilley, then hustled home for his second run of the inning when Salinas slapped a single to left that was mishandled by the leftfielder. It was the last run of the game, which ended at 16-4 when the Pioneers retired the Patriots in order for what would be their last at-bat in the top of the fifth, the mercy rule in effect.
Jameson Hodges pitched all five innings for the Pioneers, allowing four runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking two.
Now 11-3 overall, 3-1 in conference, the Pioneers have three games on their schedule for next week, weather permitting. They are at North Buncombe (Weaverville) on April 3, on the road to Ashe County on April 4, then home to face South Caldwell on April 6. All three varsity games are scheduled for first pitch at 6:30 p.m.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Clipboards and stopwatches were on hand in abundance on March 30 at Appalachian State’s Sofield Indoor Practice Facility, as well as in the North End Zone facility and Kidd Brewer Stadium. That’s because 27 National Football League scouts were on hand, as well as representatives from the Canadian Football League and NASCAR’s Stewart-Haas Racing organization for the Mountaineers’ 2023 “Pro Day.”
Ten seniors and “super seniors” were put through their paces in various performance tests and skill drills, some generally for all positions but others that were position specific.
Steve Jones, Jr. had a good Pro Day at App State, with the fastest 40-yard dash time of 4.47 seconds and smoothly running various drills. Photographic image by David Rogers
Notably not represented among the participating observers were the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints, according to the list compiled by the university’s Strategic Communications team. All of the others had one or more scouts or coaches on hand to evaluate the 10 candidates, all hoping to continue playing football at the next level by being selected during the NFL Draft, April 27-29, or at least signing a UDFA (undrafted free agent) contract. From the CFL were the British Columbia Lions. An interesting wrinkle to the representatives evaluating the talent was in Stewart-Haas Racing. Many of the pit crew members in NASCAR are former college football players as the teams have gotten more athletic over the years.
The testing results, as compiled by App State Sports’ Strategic Communications team:
Offensive lineman Cooper Hodges shows some speed and quickness at App State Pro Day on March 30. Photographic image by David Rogers
“Pro Day continues to emphasize the growth of our program and the quality of our student athletes,” Appalachian State athletic director Doug Gillen noted to High Country Sports on the sideline of the event. “They come to App State to play at the highest level of college football so it is great to see all of the NFL scouts here today. Our student athletes are having an opportunity to showcase their skills.”
The growth of Pro Day is not lost on Gillen either.
“We are seeing more and more scouts come every year for Pro Day,” Gilllen said before adding, “but really we see them come through every week, so we know there is a lot of interest in the quality of college football here at App State. This is just another testament to what we are doing and the opportunities we provide for teams to recruit some of our players.”
Running back Camerun Peoples is put through the paces in a drill before dozes of NFL team scouts and coaches on Pro Day at App State, March 30. Photographic image by David Rogers
App State’s strategic communications team added miscellaneous notes and perspective on some of the student-athletes’ individual performances:
Running back Cameron Peoples and edge rusher Nick Hampton were back in Boone after playing in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and participating in the NFL Combine, in Indianapolis. For Pro Day, those two primarily focused on position drills after going through the comprehensive testing portion at the Combine.
Steve Jones, Jr. ran the fastest 40-yard dash, at 4.47, but the 6 fee, 5.625 inchs, 301 lb. Anderson Hardy drew perhaps the most cheers when the offensive lineman posted a 40 yard dash time of 4.96.
Tight end Henry Pearson’s 30 repetitions on the bench press of 225 lbs. would have ranked him highest among the tight ends at the Combine.
Peoples did not test on the bench press at the Combine, but is 19 reps on Pro Day would have been good enough for No. 4 at the Combine.
Brice showed off his arm strength, accuracy and leadership by directing an extensive outdoor throwing session with several on-the-money deep throws, including one that resulted in a smooth, over-the-shoulder catch from Pearson. Both running backs also ran routes for Brice, as did some veteran receivers on the 2023 team, and Hodges delivered a few snaps as a center after starting at tackle for the Mountaineers and playing guard in his all-star game appearance.
Henry Pearson’s 4.79 seconds in the 40-yard dash was respectable on NFL Pro Day at App State on March 30, but his 30 bench press reps at 225 lbs. would have placed him No. 1 among tight ends at the earlier NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Photographic image by David Rogers
By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Capturing the No. 1 finishing position in 13 out of 17 track and field events on March 29, Watauga dominated Alexander Central and South Caldwell in the tri-meet involving the only three 4A schools in the Northwestern Conference
By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Sweeping the top three spots in the 100-, 200-, 400-, 1600-, 3200- and 300-Meter Hurdles track events, as well as all four relays and taking top honors in long jump and pole vault the Watauga men’s track team pretty much ran away from South Caldwell and Alexander Central in the March 29 tri-meet between the Northwestern Conference’s only 4A schools.
By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — What is essentially a corner quagmire in Blowing Rock will soon get a facelift — and become a “pump track” adjacent to Davant Field.
The cycling attraction is the brainchild of local resident Evan Cutlip as a community project that will help him earn his Eagle Scout accreditation. Cutlip appeared before Blowing Rock Town Council on March 14, presented his plan, deftly answered the council members’ questions and, in the end, gained their unanimous approval.
Evan Cutlip went before Town Council with his plans for a ‘pump track’ on March 14. Photo courtesy of Ron Cutlip
The project site is located between the Davant Field baseball diamond and Clark Street, currently overgrown with rhododendron and other bushes, as well as home to fallen dead trees, leaves and branches.
In young Cutlip’s plan, much of the overgrown conditions will be eliminated and dead limbs and branches removed. Added will be a 5-10 feet wide pump track complex of what extreme sports enthusiasts call “berms,” “rollers,” and various “obstacles.” Small bridges are planned for the riders to traverse over a small creek and existing stormwater drainage areas.
Very little of the rhododendron bushes will need to be removed. “Just enough to make a path for the track,” he said.
Evan Cutlip’s plans for a small ‘opump track’ for the area behind the Davant Field baseball diamond. Photo submitted
The track itself will be comprised of fine, crushed stone that will be compacted so that even heavy rainfall should have little impact, Cutlip told High Country Sports in a March 26 interview.
The young Boy Scout estimates that it will require as few as three weekends for him and his crew of scouts and community volunteers to complete the project. Since Boy Scouts is in large part about developing leadership skills, it was not lost on Cutlip what one of his biggest challenges will be.
“One of my biggest challenges will be getting everyone to listen to my instructions and executing those instructions,” he said.
Going before the Blowing Rock Town Council was fairly intimidating, Cutlip admitted.
“At first it was pretty scary,” he said. “It looked like the courtroom from a movie. It was big and the people there looked very professional. In one sense, it felt like I was in court for doing something bad! But then I realized that you can also go to court for some good things, too. I was able to power through it with maybe only a little bit of a shaky voice.”
Cutlip recalled that the commissioners asked a lot of questions about how the track would be built, the supplies used, funding, as well as safety concerns.
The ‘pump track’ will be carved out of a wooded area behind the Davant Field baseball diamond. Photographic image by David Rogers
When grilled by members of the board of commissioners at the March 14 town council meeting, Commissioner Pete Gherini raised the question of town liability in the event of a rider’s injury.
“No more than anyone using other parts of the town’s recreation facilties,” he said in answer to a similar question from High Country Sports in the March 26 interview. “It would be the same as a kid who might jump off of a high structure in the playground and break his leg. And it would be similar to any county liability at Rocky Knob Bike Park.
It is my eagle scout project dream.
now i am actually doing it.
“It was difficult at my age and experience thinking about stuff like insurance,” Cutlip added, “but they were important questions to be asked and for me to consider. Basically, I told them it would be like someone riding their bike in the park or playing baseball here. People bike everywhere and many do stupid stuff, everywhere they go.
“I think this pump track could actually result in a decreased number of injuries from biking. You look around Davant Field and there are potential biking dangers all around, from hills to gates and loose gravel. This actually gives people a place to ride where they wouldn’t have to break any rules,” said Cutlip, “and where they can feel like they don’t have to do something dumb to have fun.”
Looked at from Clark Street, the area intended for Evan Cutlip’s ‘pump track’ is a quagmire of overgrown rhododendron, brush and debris. Photographic image by David Rogers
Pump tracks are popular among young generations of bicycle enthusiasts and Cutlip indicated that the nearest one to Blowing Rock is 30 minutes’ drive away and made with concrete. He used Boone’s Rocky Knob Bike Park, which was funded in large part by Watauga County and its Tourism Development Authority as a comparative example.
With pump tracks, the rider may use his pedals to get started but then gathers speed without the pedals, using upward and downward pressure as he or she goes over the rollers. The berms are banked turns in the track, similar to what you might see on a NASCAR track, only on a much smaller scale, Cutlip said.
When asked about maintenance of the track, Cutlip said that his Boy Scout troop, which is based in Boone since COVID-19 forced the merger of the Blowing Rock and Boone units, are “… always looking for ways to complete service hours. We’ll need to do maintenance on the track about twice a year.”
Blowing Rock Recreation Director Jennifer Brown spoke at the town council meeting and was very much in favor of the feature’s addition to the park by Cutlip, as well as for its cleaning up the area adjacent to Davant Field.
At its longest section closest to Clark Steet, Cutlip estimated the track would be about 80 feet long. He said it should be one-way, so that riders are not as likely to collide with one another. He also estimated that at any one time up to 10 riders could be using the track safely
In the town council meeting, Commissioner David Harwood asked about policing the use of the track.
Cutlip replied that while it would be ideal for a clear line of sight from Clark Street and other potential vantage points so that policemen passing by could view the activities, most tracks are self-policing. He also stated that signage about rules about such things as hours of being open to use is important.
In answer to a question from Commissioner Doug Matheson at the town council meeting, Cutlip emphasized that barriers in certain sections between the track and, for example, the walkway and bleachers next to the baseball field would be important to protect both the rider and any bystanders.
Evan Cutlip’s ‘pump track’ is a community service project aimed at helping him attain Eagle Scout certification. Photographic image by David Rogers
Cutlip said that he envisioned the pump track’s creation for his Eagle Scout project about three years ago, when he really started getting into scouting. He is tapping into the skills and knowledge of his father, Ron Cutlip, who is a professional landscape architect as well as one of his scout leader.
“Becoming an Eagle scout requires much more than just a community service project but it is an important part. Usually, it involves bigger things, such as rebuilding something or helping out with the fire department, that sort of thing. This is what I have chosen to do to practice my leadership, which is mainly what an Eagle Scout project is for. Boy Scouts is all about leadership,” Cutlip explained to High Country Sports on March 26. “I’ve had bikes on my mind and specifically doing a pump track for over three years. It is my Eagle project dream. Now I am actually doing it.”
