ETSU to square off with Western Carolina this weekend
CULLOWHEE, N.C. (March 22, 2019) – The ETSU Bucs will travel over the mountain for the second time this week, this time stopping in Cullowhee, N.C. The Bucs will open their Southern Conference schedule with Western Carolina beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23 beginning at 1 p.m. The series will conclude with a single game on March 24 at 1 p.m.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Date: Saturday, March 23-Sunday, March 24
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | Catamount Softball Complex
Teams: ETSU (13-11-2) at Western Carolina (10-12)
Weather: Saturday - High: 62 Low: 33; Sunny / Sunday – High: 65 Low: 44; Mostly Sunny
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3
Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball
Battling the Bucs
The Bucs have struggled as of late, falling in four of their last five games including a 7-1 loss at Appalachian State on Wednesday. ETSU is still led at the dish by Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) with a .354 batting average to compliment seven homers and 29 runs batted in. Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) is second on the team in hitting with a .318 average and a team-high 24 runs scored. As a unit, the Bucs are batting .283 with 15 homers and 134 RBIs. ETSU is led in the circle by junior right hander, Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) with a 5-5 record and a 3.05 ERA.
Since joining the SoCon in 2014, the Bucs are 5-6 in SoCon-opening series. The Bucs have opened up league play against the Catamounts twice since joining the conference, dropping both series to Western Carolina by the final of two games to one.
Clashing with the Catamounts
The Catamounts are 10-12 on the season having gone through a bit of a skid themselves with five losses in their last seven games. Western Carolina is 1-0 at home this season after defeating Sacred Heart by the score of 3-1 on March 6. Hunter Gibbons leads the Catamounts in batting with a .297 average, while also pacing the team in both homers (3) and RBIs (13). Madison Armstrong pairs up with Gibbons for a good 1-2 punch, batting .281 with 12 runs batted in. Kinsey Liscio leads Western Carolina in wins with six, holding a 6-3 record with a 4.65 ERA. As a team, the Catamounts have a 4.73 ERA which ranks fourth in the SoCon.
Series History
The Bucs are 19-10 all-time against Western Carolina, having won four consecutive showdowns against the Catamounts. ETSU is 6-5 all-time when playing games in Cullowhee, N.C. The Bucs are also 6-5 against Western Carolina since rejoining the Southern Conference.
Keeping up with the Bucs
For complete information on ETSU softball, follow the program via social media on Twitter (@ETSUSoftball), Instagram (@etsubucssoftball) and Facebook (@BucSoftball). For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball link.
