MONTGOMERY, Ala. – App State used a ten-run sixth inning to rally previous Troy in an elimination recreation on Friday, advancing to play second-seeded Southern Miss on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. The Mountaineers are among the many ultimate 4 groups remaining within the Solar Belt Event, together with the Golden Eagles, Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana. The Mountaineers might want to beat Southern Miss twice on Saturday to advance to the convention championship recreation on Sunday. A win within the morning recreation would power an elimination recreation at 5 p.m. ET.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
App State (29-24, 16-13) takes purpose at their first 30-win season since 2013 after getting back from down 7-0 to defeat Troy, 14-10, in an elimination recreation on Friday. The Mountaineers scored 10 runs with two outs within the sixth inning to seize the lead. CJ Boyd hit two extra house runs for the Mountaineers, matching a program report along with his 17th of the season. He has now gone deep 12 instances in his final 14 video games. Boyd leads the Mountaineers with a .358 common and 53 RBI in 43 video games performed this season. Boyd can also be within the midst of a 17-game hitting streak, whereas fellow outfielder Xavier Moronta has hit safely in 19 in a row. Andrew Terrell has stolen a career-high 17 stolen bases, probably the most by a Mountaineer since 2013. Proper-hander Seth Whitley will make his second begin of the season for App on Saturday morning.
The Mountaineers capped off their greatest season since becoming a member of the Solar Belt, recording their 16th convention win on Sunday to safe a spot within the double-elimination bracket. The Mountaineers 29 wins total this season are their most since 2013. App State gained six of their 10 convention collection this season, whereas additionally knocking off No. 8 Coastal Carolina for his or her highest ranked win since 2013.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Southern Miss (39-16, 22-8) is ranked 16th within the nation and 21st in RPI. They superior to the Solar Belt semifinals with a 7-1 win over JMU on Wednesday during which Solar Belt Pitcher of the 12 months Tanner Corridor tossed a whole recreation, permitting simply an unearned run on three hits and struck out 9. They adopted that up with a walk-off win over Troy on Thursday. Southern Miss has gained 17 of their final 18 video games this season and gained eight of their ten Solar Belt collection of their first 12 months within the league. The Golden Eagles hosted a regional final season of their ultimate 12 months in Convention USA, profitable 47 video games on the marketing campaign and posting a 23-7 report in convention play. With a win on Saturday the Golden Eagles will report their seventh consecutive 40-win season (full 12 months). The Eagles are led on the plate by Slade Wilks who’s batting .303 with 18 house runs on the 12 months. Matthew Etzel holds a team-best .325 common and has stolen 20 bases in 23 makes an attempt. Proper-hander Matt Adams will make his 13th begin of the season on Saturday morning. In his final outing he was bounced after only one inning within the common season finale towards Louisiana.
SERIES HISTORY
The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles will meet for the primary time in program historical past on Saturday. Southern Miss was one among 4 newcomers added to the Solar Belt this season, and the one one among that group that was not on the Mountaineers common season schedule. The one convention groups that App State won’t play this season will probably be Texas State and South Alabama. The Mountaineers notably did play in Starkville, Mississippi within the NCAA Event in 1973 and 1984.
OFFENSE IGNIGHTED
The App State bats have come alive in Montgomery, tallying 15 hits in every of their three match video games, combining to attain 31 runs on 45 hits. App State has tallied 11 extra-base hits, with seven of their 9 starters batting over .350. As a crew the Mountaineers are slashing .372/.446/.579 within the match. They’ve additionally stolen eight bases in 9 makes an attempt.
ON THE RISE
Picked to complete 12th within the Solar Belt Convention preseason ballot, the Mountaineers completed the season in sixth place, going 16-13 towards Solar Belt foes, their most wins since becoming a member of the league in 2015. App State went simply 10-20 in Solar Belt play final season, marking a six-win enchancment. No different crew that was within the Solar Belt in each 2022 and 2023 gained greater than 4 extra video games this season than they did a 12 months in the past.
APP AT THE SBC
The Mountaineers have gained back-to-back elimination video games over James Madison and Troy the final two days. It marks the primary time since 2013 that the Mountaineers have gained a number of video games in a convention match. App State has gained a recreation on the Solar Belt match in every of the previous three seasons after not qualifying for the Solar Belt match of their first 4 seasons within the league. The Mountaineers made historical past with a 1-0 shutout of Texas State in 2021 to earn their first Solar Belt Event win. Eli Ellington recorded the ultimate 9 outs to safe the save of the competition, one among three totally different pitchers to toss three innings that day for the Mountaineers. App State adopted that up with a victory over Little Rock final season within the opening spherical of the match, advancing to the quarterfinals the place they misplaced to Georgia Southern. App State’s lone convention match win got here as a SoCon member in 1984. In addition they gained six common season titles, most lately in 2012 after they gained a program-record 41 video games and superior to the Charlottesville, Va. regional.
Double Elimination Format (Play In)
5/21/19 Louisiana (#8) L, 6-2
Pool Play Format
5/25/21 Texas State (West #6) W, 1-0
5/27/21 Louisiana (West #1) L, 7-2
Single Elimination Format
5/24/22 Little Rock (#8) W, 10-3
5/27/22 Georgia Southern (#2) L, 7-1
Double Elimination Format
5/24/23 Troy (#3) L, 10-9 (10 inn)
5/25/23 James Madison (#7) W, 8-7
5/26/23 Troy (#3) W, 14-10
BASHIN’ BOYD
CJ Boyd was named a First Workforce All-Convention outfielder within the Solar Belt Monday, and continued his house run barrage with a two-homer recreation towards the Trojans on Friday to present him 12 house runs in his final 14 video games performed. Boyd tied the App State single-season house run report of 17 house runs on the season set by Daniel Kassouf in 2012. Boyd has hit safely in 17 consecutive video games going 38-for-85 (.447) over that span. On the season Boyd is slashing .358/.395/.716 with 15 doubles and 10 stolen bases, turning into the primary Mountaineer since Wes Hobson (2010) to boast double-digit homers, doubles, and steals in the identical season.
In Solar Belt play Boyd completed within the top-10 within the league in hits (2nd – 46), slugging (4th – .782), OPS (3rd – 1.213), house runs (T-3rd – 12) batting common (4th – .387) doubles (T-7th – 11), and RBI (tenth – 33). He was named the Solar Belt Participant of the Week final Tuesday, following an impressive weekend towards Arkansas State. Boyd hit 4 house runs within the collection, going for 7-for-14 (.500) on the plate, whereas additionally doubling, scoring seven runs, and driving in seven extra.
X MARKS THE SPOT
Xaveir Moronta has been a worthwhile addition for the Mountaineers this season, since transferring in from Santa Fe Faculty (Fla.). The outfielder is driving a 19-game hitting streak, going 30-for-75 (.404) over that span, whereas batting .342 with 12 doubles in Solar Belt play. On the season the Miramar, Fla. Native is slashing .338/.448/.455 with 34 walks in comparison with 28 strikeouts. He has reached base in 46 of 53 video games performed this season. He joins Luke Drumheller and Golston Gillespie as the one Mountaineers to start out in each contest.
