By David Rogers. CONCORD, N.C. — Charlotte native William Byron dominated most of the first three stages of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25 — and picked up the lion’s share of the available season championship points for the night by winning the first three stages and leading 283 laps — but the longest NASCAR’s Cup Series race and its excitement had only just begun.
With veteran Denny Hamlin and relative newcomer Carson Hocevar battling Byron for the lead toward the end of the third stage, a lot folks might have thought the fourth and final stage winner would come down to one of those three. Circumstances can change quickly, though, and it was Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain overcoming adversity to capture the coveted Coca-Cola 600 crown for 2025.
“Honor and Remember” was a major theme of the race, acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice of military veterans who have lost their lives while serving in the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or National Guard, their service making possible the freedoms we all enjoy.
After a pit stop, crew members representing each team queue up to refill their gas cans — reminiscent of the 1974 lines at gas stations during the Arab Oil Embargo and gas rationing. Photo by David Rogers for High Country Sports
There were storylines aplenty for this edition of the 600 mile marathon of a race, including:
Chastain won the race despite having to start from the No. 40 position when he crashed in practice a day earlier and had to use a backup car that his Trackhouse Racing team was still assembling at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, he disclosed to reporters after the race.
Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe started at the front, but quickly faded to the mid-pack and in Stage 3 was involved in a multi-car crash, but survived and rallied to finish No. 3, behind Byron, in the 40-car field.
After crashing in the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the afternoon, Kyle Larson started on the front row of the Coca-Cola 600 and led 34 of the early laps. But he spun out on lap No. 43, then his day went from bad to worse when he was involved with the same Stage 3 crash with Briscoe, on lap 246. Larson’s early spin allowed Byron to take the lead and dominate the first three stages — and the 2025 Cup Series leader, Larson, could never recover.
Hamlin and Byron exchanged the lead five times in Stage 3 and Stage 4.
The start of the 2025 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. LOS ANGELES, Calif. (remote) — In a field of 18 elite performers, Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance team member Amanda Vestri finished No. 5 on May 24, in Sound Running’s Track Fest hosted by Occidental College at Jack Kemp Stadium. Her time was a new ZAP Endurance club record among distaff team members.
Most of the runners had affiliations with the various athletic shoe and apparel companies, most notably Puma, New Balance, Saucony, HOKA and Under Armour. The Women’s 5000 event title was captured by Linden Hall (14:43.61, Puma), followed by No. 2 Melissa Courtney Bryant (14:48.20, New Balance), No. 3 Hannah Nuttall (14:50.42, New Balance), No. 4 Lea Meyer (14:58.85, New Balance), No. 5 Amanda Vestri (15:01.22)
“For Amanda, this was a great performance in establish a new personal record as well as the ZAP club record for the 5000-meter distance,” said Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance head coach. “It really demonstrates how effective her strength training has been in running longer distances like the half marathon for which she qualified for the U.S. world team earlier this year and sets her up for the U.S. championships in Eugene, Ore., in July. She will make her marathon debut in the fall.”
Saturday’s performance at the 5000-meters’ distance is Vestri’s second personal best established in 2025. In making the U.S. team for the World half marathon championships, Vestri ran a 1:07:35 in Houston on Jan. 19. Vestri qualified for July’s championships in Eugene at 10,000 meters with her 31:10.53 performance in London, England, on May 18, 2024.
Van Der Els sparkles in Men’s 5000
Just five seconds separated Blowing Rock’s Eric Van Der Els from first place in the Men’s 5000 Run at Track Fest, finishing No. 2 in 13:27.33. The ZAP Endurance runner finished just behind No. 1 Brian Barraza, of the Roots Running Project (13:22.09). No. 3 Jean-Simon Desgagnes, representing New Balance, crossed the line a little more than eight seconds behind Van Der Els, in 13:35.48.
Blowing Rock’s Dan Schaffer, also a member of the ZAP Endurance professional running team, was No. 7 in the 26-man elite field, crossing the line with a pack and less than a second behind No. 4, with a time of 13:36.37.
“Coming off surgery in December, this was a really good race and performance for Eric,” said Rea, the ZAP Endurance coach. “When you consider that his personal best of 13:21.78, just six seconds faster than today’s race, you have to be impressed. He is on track to meet the U.S. championships qualifying standard of 13:20 in the next few weeks.”
By David Rogers. CONCORD, N.C. — The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is right around the corner and High Country Sports will be there once again.
Widely regarded as one of the five most prestigious NASCAR Cup Series races, one of the “Crown Jewel” events alongside the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 the Brickyard 400 and the NASCAR All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the year at 600 miles and the only one with four stages (100 laps each). It is a test of endurance, pit and tire strategy and driver willpower.
Joey Logano spins out in Turn 4 during the 2018 Coca Cola 600. Photo by David Rogers
Winning the Coca-Cola 600 is a dream come true for those who have accomplished the feat and way up there on their respective bucket lists for those NASCAR drivers who haven’t won it.
Here’s what some of the sport’s biggest names had to say about the significance of winning the Coca-Cola 600, courtesy of Speedway Motorsports interviews:
Ross Chastain, No. 1, Trackhouse Racing
“I do not have the words to describe it. That race has just been such a staple of our sport for so long and just the extra 100 miles, looking back, how it’s changed the outcome of who was leading at 500 and who won the race, and the dynamic of the race.”
Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing
“You know, any time you go to Victory Lane at the (NASCAR) Cup (Series) level, it’s special. That was my first race ever in the (NASCAR) Cup Series, winning and tracking down Jimmie Johnson, who was probably the best at Charlotte Motor Speedway at the time on a fuel mileage race and it was pretty dramatic and, it was awesome being at our hometown track, it feels like a home win.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8, Richard Childress Racing
“You know, winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway is special because it is the Coca-Cola 600. It is man versus machine, the longest race of the year and it’s one of the Crown Jewels of our sport, so obviously you want to take home that race. For me, I was finally able to accomplish that a few years ago, and it felt really good.”
Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
“Knowing that you’ve got so many friends and family there watching, it’s always just special winning, in that backyard. It was really great to do the champagne toast afterward in the suite. You got members there that have been part of the Speedway Club for decades and to have that moment with them after they just watched you do some work and come out on top is a special moment.”
Chase Briscoe, No. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
“It would mean a ton. That is definitely a Crown Jewel race. It was one I was super close to, two or three years ago, and I kind of made a huge mistake with three laps to go and it’s one that has stung ever since. So, it’s a race that would be super, super special to win. Just all the pageantry that comes with that race, the ring, the jacket, going up after the race, there’s just a ton of things about that race that make it so special. To be able to win that race would mean a lot to me for sure.”
Joey Logano, No. 22, Team Penske
“That has haunted me for a long time. The Coke 600 is definitely really high on my list of races I want to win. As a Coca-Cola racing family driver for my whole career, that’s one we gotta get done. Whether it’s because I’m part of the family or the really cool Coca-Cola fridge that they give away, or the fact that it’s just the Coca-Cola 600 and what that means to your career, all those are plenty of reasons to want it really bad.”
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, Legacy Motor Club
“Winning the Coke 600? I don’t know if there are words to necessarily describe it. It’s a Crown Jewel Race. So much history, probably one of the hardest races to win, in my opinion. The track changes so much over the 600 miles, starting in the day, falling to nighttime, trying to keep up with the race track adjustments with your race car. Where the lines are moving on the race track. There’s so much that goes into it. You have to be flawless. Drivers have to be flawless for 600 miles, in the longest race of the year that we run. It would definitely mean a lot.”
Ricky Stenhouse, No. 47, HYAK Motorsports
“It would be huge for us to win the Coke 600. It’s one that feels like we’ve had really good cars that’s finished in the top five, top ten, a few times, and it’s one of my favorite mile-and-a-half racetracks we go to. So, if we could win there, going back to my first ever Cup race I went to, that’d be pretty special.”
Daniel Suárez , No. 99, Trackhouse Racing
“The Coke 600 is definitely one of those races on my bucket list. It’s such an amazing, special race, and I hope that I can win the race, hopefully every time.”
TICKETS:
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By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. — Six Mountaineers have advanced to the NCAA East First Round, as announced on the NCAA website on Thursday. Graduate student Patrick Freeman, redshirt senior Calbert Guest, junior Ava Studney, sophomores Matthew Gray and Kendall Johnson and freshman Lilly Nichols have been accepted into the competition.
The NCAA East First Round will be hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 28-31. The meet will be available to stream on ESPN+.
A trio of Mountaineers will be making their second appearance at the NCAA East First Round, having qualified in previous years. Both Gray and Studney will make their second consecutive appearances in the meet, as the pair previously qualified in the men’s and women’s pole vault categories in 2024. Guest will make his return to the Jax Track at Hodges Stadium, where he made his previous appearance in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2023.
Freeman and Gray will start the Mountaineers off on Wednesday with the men’s pole vault, which is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. The duo had broken the school record at the App State Open (April 18-19) with matching clearances of 5.35m (17′ 6.5″). Gray went on to surpass the record on two more occasions, first clearing a bar of 5.38m (17′ 7.75″) at the Sun Belt Championships to secure silver and Second Team All-Sun Belt honors, before recording a clearance of 5.43m (17′ 9.75″) in front of a home crowd at the Sunday Night Qualifier on May 18. Gray and Freeman enter the competition ranked 14th and 19th, respectively, in the final NCAA East First Round Qualifying List.
Johnson, Nichols and Studney will each compete on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Nichols and Studney will compete in the women’s pole vault and enter the competition ranked 34th and 43rd, respectively, in the qualifying list. Nichols broke the women’s pole vault program record twice this spring, first at the Sun Belt Championships (May 8-10) with a clearance of 4.11m (13′ 5.75″), and then with a clearance of 4.16m (13′ 7.75″) at the Sunday Night Qualifier (May 18). Nichols secured silver and Second Team All-SBC honors for her performance at the SBC Championships and now holds the women’s indoor and outdoor pole vault program records. Studney recorded a personal best clearance of 4.11m (13′ 5.75″) at the Sunday Night Qualifier and stands second in the App State all-time list for her performance.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Johnson will race in the first round of the women’s 100 meters. The top 24 finishers will advance to Saturday’s 6:35 p.m. women’s 100-meter quarterfinal. Johnson rounds out the qualifying list’s top 25 after she stopped the clock at 11.33 in the women’s 100 meters at the Sun Belt Championships (May 8-10). Her time launched her to second in the App State all-time list, just shy of the program record of 11.22, which Lamonda Miller set in 1989.
Friday’s action will feature Guest in the 5:40 p.m. men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase competition. Guest stands 17th in the qualifying list after he stopped the clock at 8:42.01 to break the program record in the event at the Penn Relays (April 24-26). Guest earned Sun Belt Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts.
The top 12 finishers in each individual event and 12 teams from each relay event from the NCAA East First Round will advance to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 5-8.
By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. — App State women’s basketball coach Alaura Sharp announced the addition of Feryal Defne Atli to the 2025-26 roster on Thursday.
Feryal Defne Atli | 6′ 3″ | F | Mersin, Türkiye | Ankara Ari College | West Virginia
Joining the Mountaineers from Mersin, Türkiye, Atli will compete as a forward. Atli spent her freshman season at West Virginia, where she appeared in eight games for the Mountaineers. She also played for the Cankaya University Sports Club team under the direction of Sefa Gunduz and Kursat Keskintumur. She played alongside former WNBA players Brook McCarthy, Shatori Walker, and Nathalie Fontaine while on the Cankaya University Sports Club team.
Additionally, Atli has several years of experience playing for the Türkiye National Team, appearing in multiple international championships. She was the youngest player to be called up to the 2024 U20 Turkish National Team at 17 years old. Atli also served as the captain of the U18 team, which competed at the 2024 FIBA European Championship in Portugal. For three consecutive seasons, Atli led the U19 Turkish league in rebounds. Her most memorable experience was going to China for the School World Championship and helping her team to a fifth-place finish. She is also a four-time First Five tournament team selection.
Atli plans on studying biology while in the High Country with the goal of becoming a neuroscientist. She also enjoys putting together Lego sets in her free time.
Why Atli Chose App State: “I chose App State because there is a really realistic family structure here. The campus is really beautiful, and Coach Sharp is a really good coach. I think she will teach me really good things and will develop me in every way.”
Sharp on Atli: “We are proud to add Defne to our roster. She is a high character, fun and engaging person. Her ceiling as a player is incredibly high. She gives us an inside and outside presence who has competed at a high level internationally.”
By Joey Jones. BOONE, N.C. — App State has named Ragan Henderson as its new Associate Athletics Director for Facilities and Event Management.
Henderson, a former all-conference football student-athlete and athletics administrator at Sam Houston, will oversee the facilities and event management unit while serving as a member of the department’s administrative leadership team. He will also manage capital projects for App State Athletics.
“I’m honored and excited to join the App State family and be part of a program with such a proud tradition and an even brighter future,” Henderson said. “I’m passionate about creating championship-level experiences for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans, and I’m ready to get to work with an outstanding team. Thank you to Doug Gillin and Jonathan Reeder for entrusting me with this opportunity. Boone already feels like the perfect fit for my family and me, and we’re thrilled to call it home and be all in for the Mountaineers!”
Since 2023, Henderson served as the Associate AD for Sports Operations at his alma mater, where he oversaw the department’s budget, acted as the primary sports administrator for men’s basketball, assisted in the management of the football program, and directed strategic and operational aspects of Bearkat programs.
Henderson’s tenure on staff at Sam Houston began in 2020 when he was named the department’s Athletic Equipment Coordinator and Assistant Director of Football Operations. He was appointed the Coordinator of Sports Operations in 2022 before earning his Associate AD title in 2023.
A former tight end and running back for the Bearkat football team, Henderson was a member of the most successful senior class in program history. From 2013-17, Henderson helped the Bearkats win a pair of conference titles and make five appearances in the FCS playoffs – including three times to the national semifinals.
He played in 50 games for the Bearkats as a tight end and short yardage back, earning his way to an All-Southland Conference nod as a tight end/H-back his senior year in 2017.
A native of Rice, Texas, Henderson earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in sport management from Sam Houston. He is married to Kori, a former member of the Sam Houston track & field team. The couple has two sons, Sidney and Lindsey.
By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. – App State Men’s Basketball head coach Dustin Kerns on Wednesday announced the hiring of Tim Johnson to his coaching staff ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Johnson, who joins the Mountaineers after spending the 2024-25 season with the Indiana State Sycamores, brings more than a decade of coaching experience at the Division I level. He has also made coaching stops at Wyoming, Wofford, James Madison and Furman.
“We are super excited about Tim Johnson being added to the App State Basketball family,” said Kerns, who coached with Johnson for four seasons at Wofford. “Tim has impacted a lot of winning as a player and coach in college basketball. He is a great fit for App State, our staff and our players. Tim is the total package and will help our program in many ways. Tim has proven himself as an elite recruiter and is exceptional at player development. Most importantly, he is a great person and role model for our players. Please welcome Tim, his wife Brittany, and three beautiful children, Westin, Londyn, and Jasmin, to Boone and the High Country.”
At Indiana State, Johnson helped guide the Sycamores to the highest-scoring offense in the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging 80.1 points per game. They boasted one of the best offenses in the country in Johnson’s first season, as they finished in the top 50 in the NCAA in bench points (29.1, 22nd), 3-pointers made per game (10.1, 22nd) and effective field-goal percentage (55.1 percent, 37th).
Johnson was essential in helping develop Samage Teel into a first-team All-MVC player and an NABC All-District second-team selection last season. Teel finished third in the league in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game. Teel was also one of the best passers in the Missouri Valley, finishing third in assists per game.
“I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to join Dustin Kerns and his staff at App State,” Johnson said. “Over the years, they have built a winning program sustained by high-level people, institutional cohesiveness and shared values. My wife and I could not think of a better place to raise our family. We are very excited to return home to the Carolinas.”
@ Furman, Wyoming and Wofford
Prior to his time at Indiana State, Johnson helped lead the Furman Paladins to one of the most successful runs in program history from 2019 to 2024. While at Furman, he was part of 108 wins and a 62-25 record in Southern Conference play. He also was part of Furman’s record-breaking 28-win season in 2022-23, which culminated in a SoCon regular season title, the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 40-plus years via a SoCon tournament title and an NCAA win over No. 4 seeded Virginia.
During his five years in Greenville, S.C., Johnson coached seven all-conference players and the 2023 SoCon Player of the Year in Jalen Slawson. Slawson was also named a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Johnson is known as a relentless recruiter, and that proved to be true during his time with Furman, as he served as the lead recruiter for JP Pegues, the 2023 Southern Conference Tournament MVP. Pegues was a first-team all-conference selection in 2023-24 and scored more than 1,000 points in just three years.
Before joining the Furman staff, Johnson served for two seasons on the staff at James Madison. He helped coach the Dukes to the No. 2-rated defensive team in the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) and a win increase by 30 percent each season. Johnson was also the lead recruiter for Julien Wooden, who finished his James Madison career as the program’s leader in games played (146) and wins (91).
Following a successful playing career at Wofford from 2006-11, with one stop in between, Johnson joined the Terriers’ staff in 2013, when he and Kerns coached together for four seasons under head coach Mike Young. Johnson helped guide the Terriers to back-to-back Southern Conference titles in 2014 and 2015. Johnson was part of Wofford’s most successful season in program history in 2014-15, which saw the team win a program-record 28 games and a SoCon regular-season title.
Working primarily with the Terriers’ post players, Johnson helped guide Lee Skinner to Southern Conference Tournament MVP honors in 2015 and an all-conference selection. Additionally, Johnson helped Cameron Jackson become one of the top forwards in the SoCon in 2016-17. Jackson went from averaging four points per game in 2015-16 to 12 points per game in 2016-17.
After his graduation from Wofford in 2011, Johnson got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Wyoming, where he spent two seasons. Johnson helped lead the Cowboys to consecutive postseason appearances in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Johnson was able to mentor and aid in the development of Larry Nance Jr. at Wyoming during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Nance averaged 10.7 points and seven rebounds in his sophomore season and went on to become an All-Mountain West Conference player as well as the 27th pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Johnson is a 2016 Wofford Hall of Fame inductee who ended his four-year playing career as the only player in the program’s Division I era to record 1,000 career rebounds. He helped lead the Terriers to their first two SoCon Tournament championships and the program’s first two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also a two-time All-SoCon selection.
Johnson averaged a SoCon-best 8.5 rebounds in the 2010-11 season and grabbed his 1,000th rebound at the NCAA Tournament against BYU. He finished fifth in the SoCon in rebounding in his junior season and was the only player on the team to start all 30 games in his sophomore season.
Johnson graduated from Wofford with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2011 and was named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll three times. He earned his master’s degree in communication (with an emphasis in journalism) from Wyoming in 2013.
Johnson’s Coaching Career
2011-13: Wyoming – Graduate Assistant
2013-17: Wofford – Assistant Coach
2017-19: James Madison – Assistant Coach
2019-24: Furman – Assistant Coach
2024-25: Indiana State – Assistant Coach
By Matt Present. NEW ORLEANS, La. — App State shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger has been named the Sun Belt Baseball Freshman of the Year, while he, Kameron Miller and Tyler Figueroa earned all-conference honors the league announced Monday.
Lichtenberger earned first-team recognition at shortstop, while Miller represented the league as its first-team designated hitter. Figueroa garnered second-team recognition as a utility player.
It marks the first time since 2021 that App State earned three all-conference selections, while Lichtenberger became the second App State player to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors, joining Austin St. Laurent (2022). Scott Waugh (1988), Johnny McCraw (1989), Kenny Osborne (1993) and Jaylin Davis (2013) earned Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
Lichtenberger burst onto the scene in 2025, reaching base safely in each of his first 34 games played. Overall, Lichtenberger has reached base safely in 46 of his 52 games played, registering hits in 40 of those contests, including a team-leading 24 multi-hit efforts. The Boca Raton, Fla. native ranks among Sun Belt leaders in batting (seventh – .342) and hits (sixth – 69), while his 40 hits in league play are also tied for fourth-most in the conference.
Lichtenberger has impacted the game in all facets. He has hit 13 doubles and stolen seven bases, while he has been a part of 21 double plays turned defensively. He was named to the mid-season watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, presented to the top shortstop in college baseball at the conclusion of the season.
Kameron Miller (34) runs the bases on March 25 vs. High Point. Photo by Taylor Newton, courtesy of App State Athletics
Miller turned himself into a complete hitter in his sophomore campaign. He has reached base safely in 37 of his last 40 games, including an 11-game hitting streak during that span. Miller has belted 12 home runs this season including a 471-foot blast against Western Carolina on April 8, the longest measured for an App State player in the TrackMan Era (since 2019). Miller ranks among Sun Belt leaders in OBP (fifth – .470), walks (fifth – 41), on-base (sixth – .473), RBIs (sixth – 50) and OPS (seventh – 1.049).
In Sun Belt play the Harrisburg, N.C. native ranks among Sun Belt leaders in OBP (second – .514), walks (tied second – 27), batting average (third – .368), OPS (third – 1.146), RBIs (third – 35) hits (tied seventh – 39), slugging (eighth – .632) and home runs (ninth – 8). Miller has walked a team-leading 41 times this season after not walking once as a freshman. He has also recorded 17 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI efforts.
Figueroa has been one of the most versatile players in the Sun Belt this season, starting games at second base, third base, left field and center field. The Colonie, N.Y. native has played in all 53 games (starting 52), leads the team with 43 runs scored and ranks second with 14 doubles. Figueroa also paces the Mountaineers with seven stolen bases and has committed just three errors defensively. Figueroa was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week on April 8 after going 8-for-19 (.421) at the plate, with a double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and five runs scored against Western Carolina and ULM.
App State Baseball opens Sun Belt Tournament play on Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala. The 10th-seeded Mountaineers will face seventh-seeded Texas State at 4 p.m. ET in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to the double-elimination portion of the tournament on Wednesday.
Player of the Year
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., 2B – Brandon, Miss.)
Pitcher of the Year
Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina (RS So., RHP – Flushing, Mich.)
Newcomer of the Year
Kaleb Freeman, Georgia State (Sr., 2B – Flowery Branch, Ga.)
Freshman of the Year
Tyler Lichtenberger, App State (Fr., SS – Boca Raton, Fla.)
Tony Robichaux Leadership Award
Carson Paetow, Southern Miss (Sr., OF – Vancleave, Miss.)
Ron Maestri Coach of the Year
Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina
All-Sun Belt First Team
P Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (So., RHP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.)
P Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina (RS So., RHP – Flushing, Mich.)
P JB Middleton, Southern Miss (Jr., RHP – Yazoo City, Miss.)
RP Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Jr., RHP – Louisville, Miss.)
C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
1B Blake Cavill, Troy (Sr., 1B – Sydney, Australia)
2B Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., 2B – Brandon, Miss.)
SS Tyler Lichtenberger, App State (Fr., SS – Boca Raton, Fla.)
3B Jesse Donohoe, Georgia State (Sr., 3B – Columbus, Ga.)
OF Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (Jr., OF – Peachtree City, Ga.)
OF Conor Higgs, Louisiana (RS Sr., OF – Texas City, Texas)
OF Carson Paetow, Southern Miss (Sr., OF – Vancleave, Miss.)
DH Kameron Miller, App State (So., DH – Harrisburg, N.C.)
UT Austin Eaton, Texas State (RS Sr., UT – Frisco, Texas)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
P Griffin Miller, Marshall (So., RHP – Madison, W.Va.)
P Mitchell Heer, South Alabama (Sr., RHP – Acworth, Ga.)
P Garrett Gainous, Troy (Sr., RHP – Cairo, Ga.)
RP Dominick Carbone, Coastal Carolina (So., LHP – Rocky Point, N.Y.)
C Brooks Bryan, Troy (Jr., C – Opelika, Ala.)
1B Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Jr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
2B Kaleb Freeman, Georgia State (Sr., 2B – Flowery Branch, Ga.)
SS Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss (Sr., SS – Alesville, Miss.)
3B Chase Mora, Texas State (Jr., 3B – Tomball, Texas)
OF Sean Smith, Georgia Southern (Sr., OF – Moss Point, Miss.)
OF Isaiah Walker, ULM (Sr., OF – Houston, Texas)
OF Jake Cook, Southern Miss (RS So., OF – Madison, Miss.)
DH Caleb Stelly, Louisiana (Jr., DH – Baton Rouge, La.)
UT Tyler Figueroa, App State (So., UT – Colonie, N.Y.)
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For what started out as a pitcher’s duel, the App State vs. Georgia State “winner-take-all” baseball game on May 17 at Smith Stadium experienced a power surge in the later innings. The Mountaineers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth and sixth frames, then held on to edge the Panthers, 5-4, at the end of nine innings.
It was a bright, beautiful day for baseball with a lot at stake for the outcome. App State entered the day with a tenuous hold on the No. 10 spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings, with Georgia State nipping at their heels at No. 11. Only 10 teams qualify for next week’s Sun Belt Conference tournament. App State needed the win to secure 10th place. Should Georgia State have won, they would be going to Montgomery, Ala. for the conference tournament and App State’s season would have ended. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that for a last game of the regular season.
App State redshirt senior Caleb Cross was brilliant over six innings vs. Georgia State in Game 3 of the weekend end series, May 17. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Well, it was Senior Day at Smith Stadium — and in more ways than one. Of course there were the pre-game ceremonies honoring the seniors but three of them figured prominently in the afternoon’s outcome.
App State’s Caleb Cross commanded the mound for five scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the sixth, but thanks to some timely offense by his teammates the redshirt senior was credited for the win.
Graduate student Bradley Wilson gave up a 3-run home run in the sixth inning, in relief of Cross, but earned his first career save by wigging out of trouble the rest of the way.
And catcher Braxton Church, a native of North Wilkesboro, narrowly missed hitting a grand slam home run, his sixth inning blast off the right field wall clearing the bases of Kameron Miller, Tyler Lichtenberger and Juan Correa, who had all reached base ahead of him.
There were a lot of called third strikes on May 17 and a lot of frustrated Georgia State batters. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
As it was, Church’s 3-RBI double turned out to be the difference in the game, at least offensively, as the Panthers rallied in the top of the 7th inning to narrow the deficit to just one run. After GSU shortstop Carter Bailey singled to lead off the 7th, centerfielder Cooper Milford doubled to the right centerfield gap, scoring Bailey. With App State’s Wilson coming on in relief of Cross, Milford was forced to wait patiently at second base until a fly ball to center allowed him to tag up and advance to third. But he didn’t have to wait long, since first baseman Jess Donohoe brought him home with a 2-RBI home run, raising the hopes of the Panthers for a trip Montgomery next week and a bite at the SBC tournament apple.
Wilson wiggled out of trouble in the top of the 8th inning, thanks largely to a sparkling double play orchestrated by App State shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger. The freshman from Boca Raton, Fla. fielded a sharply hit ground ball to his left, let his momentum carry him to step on second to force out William Maginnis, then whipped the ball to a stretching first baseman Juan Correa at first to double up the Georgia State batter-turned-runner, Michael Maginnis.
The Panthers actually outhit the Mountaineers, 9-6, but stranded eight runners on base.
And Braxton Church is back to first base in time on a GSU pickoff attempt. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
With the win, App State advances to the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the No. 10 seed where they will face No. 7 Texas State in the single elimination format of the opening round on Tuesday, May 22 (4 p.m. Eastern time), which amounts to a “play-in” game for the double elimination main event. A second single elimination game pits No. 8 Arkansas State against No. 9 seeded Georgia Southern. The respective winners will advance to the double elimination tourney, first facing No. 1 seeded Coastal Carolina or the No. 2 seed, Southern Miss.
By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — App State Baseball trimmed a three-run deficit to one in the seventh inning but was unable to complete the comeback bid in a 4-2 loss to Georgia State on Thursday at Smith Stadium.
Elsewhere in conference play, ULM defeated South Alabama, pulling the Mountaineers one win away from clinching a spot in next week’s Sun Belt tournament.
Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
Despite out-hitting Georgia State (25-29, 10-18) 9-6 in the contest, App State (22-29, 12-16) lined into three double plays and went just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the night.
Trailing 3-0 with two outs in the seventh inning, Dillon Moquin popped a ball up on the infield and none of Georgia State’s defenders were able to get to it in time to make a play, allowing Riley Luft to score from third and Tyler Figueroa from second to make it a 3-1 game.
Moquin led the Mountaineers with three hits, while Luft and Tyler Lichtenberger also enjoyed two-hit efforts.
The Panthers answered with an insurance run in the top of the eighth and the Mountaineers were unable to draw any closer.
Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
Georgia State starter Brian Crooms was outstanding, striking out a career-high nine batters in 6.2 innings to earn the win in his second start of the season. The visitors took the lead with two runs in the third inning and added one more in the fifth.
The App State bullpen was strong, allowing just two runs over 6.1 innings with Carter Boyd, Reyn Watson and Cody Little all registering scoreless outings.
The Mountaineers also made several standout defensive plays including a 1-6-4-3 double play on a ball that ricocheted off Boyd’s glove in the fifth inning, a 5-2 double play to nab a runner at the plate in the eighth and a sliding catch by Tyler Figueroa in center field to end the eighth inning.
App State will look to punch their ticket to the Sun Belt tournament with a win on Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. It’s youth day and all children age 12 and under will receive free admission.
