Mountaineers Hit the Road With an Eye On the SoCon Title

Ryan Arrowood - From GoASU.com

Coming off of a huge series win on the road over the Samford Bulldogs and exacting a measure of revenge with a 5-3 triumph in Tuesday's home finale over Gardner-Webb, Coach Pollard and the Mountaineers (37-12, 20-7 SoCon) hit the road this week to wrap up the regular season at long-time rival Western Carolina (30-21, 14-13 SoCon). Taking 2 of 3 in Birmingham eliminated the Bulldogs from contention for the regular season Southern Conference championship and dropped Appalachian's magic number to 2 entering the final conference series of the year. The wins over Samford gained even more significance on Tuesday, as the Bulldogs defeated #5 Florida 12-7 and opened the door to the possibility that the SoCon could earn 3 bids to the NCAA tournament.


Trailing the Mountaineers in the standings is College of Charleston, who is one game behind ASU with a 19-8 conference mark. Charleston will visit UNC Greensboro for a 3-game series this weekend. However, Appalachian owns the tie breaker after taking the series from the Cougars last month at Smith Stadium. With 2 wins in Cullowhee, the Apps are guaranteed at least a share of the regular season title and the top seed in next week's tournament. Elon is also yet to be mathematically eliminated from title contention, as they sit at 17-10 in conference play. In order for the Phoenix to take the regular season championship, they must sweep The Citadel and hope for 2 Charleston losses and a sweep for the Catamounts.


Due to the start of next week's SoCon tournament in Greenville on Wednesday, all conference series are being pushed forward one day and running Thursday through Sunday to give the teams an extra day of rest to prepare for a long weekend of baseball. Taking the hill for Appalachian will be the normal weekend rotation of Ryan Arrowood, Seth Grant and Rob Marcello. Western Carolina has been a tough team to figure out this season, as they have lost 4 of their last 5 ballgames, including a surprising 11-5 defeat at home last night to a Winthrop team who is currently 16-33 overall and near the bottom of the Big South. However, WCU boasts a series win at Elon, a win over the Georgia Bulldogs and two victories over Clemson.


There is no question that Appalachian will get Western's best shot this weekend, as they would like nothing more than the spoil the championship hopes of their hated rival. The pressure will be squarely in the corner of the Mountaineers, as the Catamounts have been eliminated from title contention but have secured a spot in the 8-team field next week. Along with the accomplishment of winning their first regular season championship since 1987, seeding in next week's tournament will have an effect on scheduling. If Appalachian secures the top seed, they will begin play next Wednesday at 5:00 PM. However, if they fall to the second spot, first pitch will be at 10:00 AM. The later start would provide extra time to prepare and the chance to keep a regular routine, as well as allow time for the Appalachian fans in the area to make the trip down to Greenville. The stakes of this weekend's series are not lost on Coach Pollard or the team and I expect ASU to counter every punch they receive from the Catamounts.


My prediction: Appalachian takes 2 of 3