Grant, Kassouf Reel in SoCon Awards as the Apps Prepare for Showdown With Charleston

On Tuesday, Appalachian State took home the Southern Conference Player of the Month and Pitcher of the Month awards as Daniel Kassouf and Seth Grant were honored by the league for their play during a month that saw the Mountaineers go 16-3. Grant posted a perfect 5-0 record in March with an impressive 2.18 ERA to go with 20 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Seth ends the month riding a streak of 14.1 scoreless innings, including a complete game shutout at Elon on March 24. His performance against the Phoenix allowed Appalachian to avoid the sweep and keep their hold on first place in the conference standings.


Player of the Month Daniel Kassouf terrorized opposing pitching to the tune of a .458 batting average. In 19 games, Kassouf racked up 8 HR, 7 doubles, 26 RBI and 25 runs scored. Daniel hit safely in all but one game and crossed the plate in 15 of 19 contests in March. His incredible month has put him in position to have a legitimate shot at the Southern Conference triple crown as he currently sits 2nd in batting average, 3rd in RBI and 2nd in HR. He is the only SoCon player in the top 3 of all major hitting categories.


During my first visit to Smith Stadium this season for the Rider series, I knew I was going to like Daniel for a few reasons. First, he came to the plate to "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, which deserves applause in itself. Second, it was a windy 30 degree day in Boone with snow flurries and he played the entire game in short sleeves. Fresh off of the LSU series that included Kassouf's game winning HR in game two, he proceeded to tally 7 hits over the 4 game series to lay the groundwork for his Player of the Month campaign en route to a dominating 4-game sweep. With Kassouf anchoring the offense along with Tyler Tewell and Will Calloway (each of whom are top 10 in the SoCon in batting average and RBI), the speed of Hector Crespo at the top and timely hitting throughout the line-up, this Mountaineer team is worth the price of admission.


The fan support will be needed this weekend as the Mountaineers prepare for their biggest home series in several years when they play host to the College of Charleston Cougars. Currently, Appalachian (22-5, 7-2) sits in first place in the conference by percentage points over C of C (21-9, 11-4). A series win would likely allow ASU to maintain their position at the top of the standings and place the Mountaineers in an enviable position as they prepare for the stretch run. The Cougars come into the series having lost 3 of their last 4 ballgames, the most recent being a 7-0 home loss to South Carolina after dropping 2 of 3 at Georgia Southern last weekend. The Apps must take advantage of this opportunity to distance themselves from the field and build on their perfect 15-0 mark at home. If you are in the High Country this weekend, stop on by Smith Stadium and lend your support during this crucial conference tilt as Ryan Arrowood, Seth Grant and Rob Marcello will take the ball for the Mountaineers. First pitch is at 6:00 Friday, 3:00 Saturday and 1:00 Sunday.


*Picture from GoASU.com