Softball Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations
Cullowhee, N.C. – Seeding for subsequent week’s 2026 Southern Convention Softball Championship might be determined this weekend as groups across the league play their last regular-season sequence. Western Carolina heads to Spartanburg, S.C., to face the Wofford Terriers in a three-game sequence from Hope Discipline.
Motion opens on Friday with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. earlier than wrapping up the common season on Saturday at 1 p.m. Dwell stats for all three video games might be out there at CatamountSports.com, with Friday’s twin invoice slated for ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
WCU seems to be to get again within the win column after dropping a pair of video games to Mercer final weekend. The Catamounts enterprise to Spartanburg winners of six of their final eight video games general, together with a three-game sweep of Chattanooga and a pair of midweek wins at N.C. Central. Wofford enters the weekend dropping two of three to instate foe Furman, because the Terriers have misplaced seven of their final 10 video games relationship again to April 11.
This weekend might be crammed with jockeying for place amongst all eight SoCon groups forward of subsequent week’s event in Chattanooga, Tenn. WCU (12-6) is in third place, dealing with Wofford (7-11), which is in a three-way tie for fourth. SoCon chief UNCG (15-3) heads to second-place Samford (13-5) to resolve the regular-season champion, whereas Furman (5-13) heads to Chattanooga (7-11). The weekend schedule concludes with ETSU (6-12) visiting Mercer (7-11).
MATCHUP: Western Carolina (33-19, 12-6 SoCon) at Wofford (30-17, 7-11 SoCon)
Date: Friday, Might 1 & Saturday, Might 2
Time: 3 p.m. (Friday DH) | 1 p.m. (Saturday)
Location: Spartanburg, S.C.
Web site: Hope Discipline
Dwell Stats: Sidearm Stats
Dwell Video: ESPN+ (Friday)
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts search their fifth sequence win of the season, their most since 2006, to shut the common season on a excessive word. 4 sequence wins are tied for the second-most, matching the 2021 season. WCU seems to be to rebound from dropping two of three by the hands of Mercer final day out.
In Saturday’s dwelling finale, WCU matched a pair of program data with 20 hits set just some weeks in the past in a run-rule victory over Gardner-Webb. WCU additionally matched a season-high and program report for homers in a recreation with 5, a mark additionally completed earlier this season towards Furman.
Senior Tate Stewman capped a record-breaking week for the Catamounts with a seventh-inning RBI single, giving WCU 462 hits to surpass the 2006 squad for many in a season. The Purple & Gold have now damaged the crew single-season report for hits (462), runs scored (349), runs batted in (324), and stolen bases (76).
During the last 10 video games, junior Lily Bell paces the Catamounts with a .622 (23-of-37) common, with three doubles, 10 runs scored, 5 walks, 4 RBIs, and 5 steals. Junior Becka Wonsick is batting .556 (15-of-27), with two doubles, a triple, and a team-best six dwelling runs to accompany 12 runs. Stewman hit 17-of-34 (.500) with 4 doubles and three dwelling runs, scoring 13 runs, and driving in a team-best 14.
Bell begins the weekend with a .372 common, eighth within the league, whereas rating second within the league with 68 hits, which incorporates six doubles. Bell leads the SoCon with 25 stolen bases and is tops with 50 runs scored.
The Purple & Gold enter the week with six regulars batting over the .300 mark, led by junior Maya McPherson, who paces the SoCon with 73 hits, simply three shy of surpassing WCU’s single-season report. McPherson at present holds the crew lead with 12 doubles and 17 homers, one off the SoCon’s high energy risk. McPherson leads the league with a .793 slugging proportion and is third with 55 runs knocked in. Over the weekend, she set a faculty report for whole bases in a season with 138, passing Erin Foster (137, 2012).
Junior Sydney Dirks is tied for fifth within the SoCon with 14 dwelling runs. She can be second with 56 RBIs. The Catamount power-hitting quartet of Dirks, McPherson, Wonsick, who has 11 homers and is third with a .755 slugging proportion, and Stewman (15 HR), has aided WCU to 71 dwelling runs as a crew, first within the SoCon by 16.
Sophomore Amanda Fulton is second within the SoCon with 15 victories, whereas her 14 full video games are first within the league. She boasts the fourth-best ERA at 2.72 over 154.2 innings pitched, essentially the most within the SoCon. Fulton is moreover third in strikeouts per seven innings (6.8), together with her 150 strikeouts tied for second within the SoCon. The appropriate-handed sophomore has 29 punchouts trying, essentially the most within the league. She additionally leads the league with 4 saves, sixteenth within the nation.
Extra offensive leaders embody:
Bell – 68 hits (2nd in SoCon), 50 runs (1st in SoCon), six doubles, two triples, .372 common (Eighth in SoCon), 18 RBIs, 25 stolen bases (1st in SoCon), 20 multi-hit video games | SoCon: .407 common (Third in SoCon), 24 hits (Third in SoCon), 12 runs, three doubles, one triple, six RBIs, 5 stolen bases (t-4th in SoCon)
Dirks — 40 runs (t-4th in SoCon), 62 hits (4th in SoCon), 11 doubles (t-Seventh in SoCon), two triples, 14 dwelling runs (t-Fifth in SoCon), 56 RBIs (2nd in SoCon), .365 common (tenth in SoCon), .700 slugging proportion (Eighth in SoCon), 17 multi-hit video games, 16 multi-RBI video games | SoCon: .333 common, 19 hits, 9 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 15 RBIs
Stewman – .355 common, 33 runs, 54 hits (t-Eighth in SoCon), 40 RBIs (Eighth in SoCon), eight doubles, 15 homers (t-Third in SoCon), .704 slugging proportion (Seventh in SoCon) | SoCon: 20 hits, 12 runs, eight homers (t-1st in SoCon), 17 RBIs, .742 slugging proportion (Eighth in SoCon)
Waitley – .340 common, 37 runs (t-Seventh in SoCon), 54 hits (t-Eighth in SoCon), seven doubles, three homers, eight stolen bases, 32 RBIs
Wonsick – .340 common, 25 runs, 32 hits, 4 doubles, one triple, 11 homers (t-Eighth in SoCon), 30 RBIs, six stolen bases | SoCon: .366 common, 15 hits, 13 runs, two doubles, one triple, seven homers (t-Third in SoCon), seven walks, 15 RBIs, two steals
SoCon crew hitting ranks: .321 common (2nd), 349 runs (1ST), 462 hits (1ST), 68 doubles (Third), 71 homers (1ST), 324 RBIs (1ST), 76 steals (2nd), 162 walks (Third), .393 on-base pct. (2nd), .527 slugging pct. (1ST).
SoCon crew pitching ranks: 33 wins (2nd), 4.30 ERA (4th), 235 strikeouts (2nd), 340.1 innings pitched (2nd), 4.8 strikeouts per seven (4th), 4 saves (2nd), 55 strikeouts trying (2nd).
Scouting the Wofford Terriers:
Wofford misplaced 2-of-3 to Furman and has dropped seven of their final 10 on the season. The Terriers turned the third SoCon faculty to achieve 30 wins, becoming a member of UNCG and WCU after their one win over Furman. The 2 groups have 11 frequent opponents: Presbyterian, Robert Morris, USC Upstate, Clemson, Chattanooga, Mercer, Samford, Winthrop, UNCG, ETSU, and Furman, with the Terriers 13-13 and WCU at 18-8. Wofford holds a 21-5 report in dwelling video games.
The Terriers are led by:
Brianna Stanley – team-high .407 common, 24 runs, team-best 59 hits, 11 doubles, 11 homers, team-high 59 RBIs, .710 slugging proportion
Desirae Devine – .400 common, 32 runs, 46 hits, eight doubles, three triples, 26 RBIs, team-best 22 stolen bases
Addison Lucier – .396 common, 33 runs, 38 hits, eight doubles, 4 triples, two homers, 20 RBIs, 28 walks, 13 sacrifices, six stolen bases
Kate Platte – .355 common, 36 runs, 50 hits, seven doubles, 20 RBI
Gracie Parker – .328 common, 29 runs, 42 hits, 5 doubles, 5 triples, 30 RBIs, 9 stolen bases
SoCon crew hitting ranks: .327 common (1ST), 307 runs (2nd), 408 hits (Third), 74 doubles (2nd), 16 triples (1ST), 21 homers (Seventh), 271 RBIs (Third), 80 steals (1ST), 187 walks (1ST), .420 on-base proportion (1ST), .463 slugging proportion (Third)
Within the circle:
Abby Greenwood – team-best 12 wins, team-best 3.02 ERA, 20 appearances, 16 begins, team-high 102 innings, 53 strikeouts, team-high 12 full video games
Natalya Salo – 9 wins, 4.25 ERA, 23 appearances, 14 begins, 92.1 innings, team-best 61 strikeouts, six full video games
Margaret Axelson – seven wins, 5.09 ERA, 18 appearances, 14 begins, 74.1 innings, 45 strikeouts, six full video games
SoCon crew pitching ranks: 30 wins (Third), 4.09 ERA (2nd), 172 strikeouts (Fifth), 305 innings pitched (4th), two saves (t-Fifth), 178 earned runs (2nd), 34 strikeouts trying (Fifth)
Catamounts and Terriers – All-Time Collection Historical past:
In simply its third yr of fielding a program, Wofford leads the all-time sequence with WCU, 5-1, sweeping final yr in Cullowhee. WCU opened the 2024 head-to-head sequence with an 11-4 victory in Spartanburg earlier than the present five-game win streak for the Terriers.Rylee Butler led WCU with 4 hits, together with a pair of doubles, in final yr’s conferences, whereas Becka Wonsick homered as a trio of gamers tallied a pair of hits in final season’s dwelling set.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
WCU and the remainder of the convention flip their consideration to the 2026 Southern Convention Softball Championship, which begins on Wednesday, Might 6, at Frost Discipline in Chattanooga.
Matchups and seedings might be introduced following the conclusion of the common season on Sunday, Might 3. All video games all through the event might be proven on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with reside stats offered via hyperlinks on the Southern Convention event central web site and at CatamountSports.com.
Followers can observe WCU softball on Fb, Twitter (@CatamountSB), Instagram, and CatamountSports.com.
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