CONWAY, S.C. – The nationally-ranked No. 13 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will continue their nine-game road trip with a Sun Belt Conference matchup this Friday-Sunday, March 22-24, in a three-game series with the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on March 22, 3 p.m. ET on March 23, and 1 p.m. ET on March 24.
The game on Saturday, March 23 has been announced as a sold-out contest with both Friday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23, close to being sold out.
ROTATION
Friday, March 22
6 p.m. ET –
CCU - RHP Alexander Meckley (3-0, 2.60 ERA) vs.
APP – RHP Bradley Wilson (1-1, 5.84 ERA)
Saturday, March 23
3 p.m. ET –
CCU - RHP Riley Eikhoff (1-0, 7.97 ERA) vs.
APP – RHP Jackson Steensma (2-1, 5.57 ERA)
Sunday, March 24
1 p.m. ET –
CCU – LHP Henry Weycker (1-0, 2.45 ERA) vs.
APP – – RHP Dante Chirico (3-0, 4.30 ERA)
ABOUT THE CHANTS
• Coastal Carolina enters the week 17-4 overall and 2-1 in SBC play.
• The Chants defense has turned 25 double plays on the year, the second most in the NCAA.
• CCU has hit 10 home runs and eight doubles in the last five games, including three home runs by
Blake Barthol.
• Coastal has hit 46 home runs on the year as a team. Barthol leads the team, the Sun Belt, and is sixth in the NCAA with 12 home runs with
Zack Beach second on the team and the Sun Belt with nine bombs.
•
Derek Bender has reached base safely at least once in the 20 games he has played, including a current 10-game hitting streak.
•
Sam Antonacci has reached base via hit or walk in every game this season, while Barthol extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 19. Antonacci is second in NCAA in runs scored with 36.
• Meckley has been named the Friday starter in the last two weeks. He pitched 7.0 innings last Friday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
• Eikhoff moved to the Saturday start after allowing 16 runs over 9.2 innings of work on 19 hits. Against James Madison, the Bristow, Va., native allowed three runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings with a season-high six strikeouts against James Madison last weekend.
• Weycker will get his second Coastal start. He worked 2.0 innings, giving up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts last Sunday.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS
• The Mountaineers enter play at 13-6 overall and own a 1-2 record in the league, having knocked off Queens 15-5 in a midweek game.
• App State was picked to finish ninth in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll.
• The Mountaineer pitching staff has allowed 30 home runs and has struck out 160 opposing batters and issued 132 free bases. Batters are hitting just .245 against the Mountaineers.
• App's Dante Chirico anchors the pitching staff with a 3-0 record. Chirico has thrown 23.0 innings, allowing 12 runs on 16 hits with 24 strikeouts.
• The Mountaineers' Jackson Steensma has a 2-1 record. Steensma has worked 21.0 innings, giving up 14 runs on 21 hits with 21 strikeouts.
• App State's Bradley Wilson will start on Friday with a 1-1 record. Wilson has allowed 16 runs on 16 hits with 29 strikeouts over 24.2 innings of work.
• Appalachian State is hitting .270 and has belted 34 home runs, five triples, and 26 doubles for 144 RBIs.
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY WITH APPALACHIAN STATE
• The Chanticleers lead the overall series 14-3 on the diamond, with Coastal winning the 2023 series 2-1 at Springs Brooks Stadium.
• The longest winning streak was seven games by CCU from February 2002 to May 2018.
• The Chants and Mountaineers first met in Conway, S.C., in February 2002 in a contest that CCU won 12-5.
• Appalachian State last won in Conway on May 5, 2023, by score of 11-0. That was the first time the Chants had been held scoreless since March 5, 2022, versus No. 21 UNC, in a 4-0 road loss.
For complete coverage of CCU baseball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBaseball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
