North Carolina A&T (6-9) vs. Appalachian State (6-8)
Date: Tues., March 15 
Time(s): 4 p.m.
Facility: World War Memorial Stadium (East Greensboro, N.C.) 

A&T Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Anthony Hennings (.415)
Home Runs: Cort Maynard (3)
Doubles: Alec Seaton (8)
Triples: Xavier Bussey (1)
RBI: Bussey (12)
Slugging Percentage: Maynard (.537)
On-Base Percentage: Hennings (.458) 

A&T Pitching Leaders 
ERA: Jaheim Brown (2.08) 
Strikeouts: Winebarger (29) 
Innings Pitched: Winebarger (23.0) 
Saves: Jaheim Brown (1) 

 A&T Big South Leaders (Top-25) 
Batting Average: Hennings (.415) – 2nd; Bussey (.344) – 15th; Seaton (.309) – 22nd 
Home Runs: Maynard (3) –5th; Bussey (2) – 14th; Brantley (2) – 22nd 
Doubles: Seaton (8) – 2nd; Maynard (6) – 6th; Brown (5) – 12th 
Triples: Bussey (1) –15th 
RBI: Bussey (12) – 12th; Seaton (11) – 15th 
Slugging Percentage: Brantley (.667) – 7th; Seaton (.640) – 9th; Hennings (.625) – 12th; Brown (.500) – 21st 
On-Base Percentage: Brantley (.611) – 2nd; Hennings (.579) – 3rd; Brown (.533) – 7th; Seaton (.444) – 21st 

A&T National Leaders (Top-100) 
Batting Average: Hennings (.415) – 40th 
Base on Balls: Brantley (13) – t-18th 
Doubles: Seaton (8) – t-4th 
Hits: Bussey (19) – 96th 
Strikeouts: Winebarger (29) – 15th 

PROBABLE STARTERS:   
RHP Jaheim Brown (0-1, 2.08 ERA, 17.1 IP, 20 K) vs. RHP Grey LaSpaluto (0-0, 22.50 ERA, 2.0 IP, 2 K) 

LAST MEETING: The Aggies last met the Mountaineers almost precisely a year ago to the date on March 16 in Boone, a 15-4 loss for A&T.

WHO'S HOT: Cort Maynard is hitting .471 over his last five games, spreading eight hits across 17 at-bats with three doubles and three home runs. He has six RBI and a staggering 1.176 slugging percentage in that span. 

AGGIES OVERVIEW: After earning their first series sweep earlier this month over Holy Cross, the Aggies have dropped three straight games. 

In the first week of March, A&T's pitching staff allowed just 3.4 runs per game, resulting in a 4-1 record. Last week, however, the Aggies surrendered 28 runs in three games, an average of 9.3 runs. In addition, they are 0-7 on the year when their opponent scores six runs or more. 

A&T will also have to find a way to cut down on their fielding issues, with eight errors over their last three contests. 

The key to success is a fast start. The Aggies are 4-0 when they score in the first inning. They are 4-2 when they are the first team to score. They have also been good about finishing games, boasting a 5-1 record when leading after the seventh inning. A&T is 6-0 when leading after eight.

Coach Hall is now in his eighth year at A&T. He is 147-199 (.422) in that time. 

MOUNTAINEERS OVERVIEW:  The Mountaineers are 6-8 this season, but 2-3 over their last five games. 

They were projected to finish 10th in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches poll, receiving 38 total points. App State also saw two players earn all-conference preseason honors in junior pitcher Tyler Tuthill and junior first baseman Luke Drumheller. 

 Drumheller has not seen the start to the season he likely imagined, batting .196 on the year with 11 hits, none of which have been extra-base hits. The leader for the Mountaineers offensively has been catcher Hayden Cross, who boasts a team-best .426 average. Cross has hit safely in six straight games and is batting .545 (12-for-22) in that span. 

Right-hander Grey LaSpaluto is the likely starter for App State on Tuesday. He has tossed two innings this season while giving up five runs on seven hits. 

Head coach Kermit Smith is in his sixth season at App State. He is 98-149 in his time in Boone. Smith is in his 20th year overall as a head coach with previous stints at Lander (2010-2016) and Belmont Abbey (2002-2009). Overall, he is 569-508-1. 

News & Notes: 

 · The Aggies are 2-11 against App State under Hall. Their latest win came in an 11-3 triumph inside #TheWar on Feb. 28, 2021. 

· A&T is 5-5 against right-handed starting pitchers this year. 

· A&T is an extremely young team, with underclassmen of 27 of their 38 (.711) rostered players. 

· The Aggies are not just young, but new players as well, with seven of the nine players in their starting lineup playing their first season in a blue and gold uniform. 

· A&T is second in the Big South in team batting average at .274. 

· Bussey has reached base safely in all 15 games this season.