As Spring Looms, the Mountaineers Get Hot

After a disappointing 2022 season, the Mountaineer baseball team started 2023 off on the

right foot. On Feb. 17, the Black and Gold began their strenuous 54-game regular season. The

team couldn’t have asked for a better start. The first seven games played resulted in seven

straight wins. They swept Queens College in a three-game series, beat High Point in a

stand-alone game, then swept North Carolina A&T to remain undefeated. In that stretch of

dominance, the Mountaineers scored 71 total runs and only allowed 39 runs in return.

“It's always a great confidence boost to come out of the gate winning,” Assistant Coach

Justin Aspegren said.

Outfielder Xavier Moronta helped bring that fire to App State baseball as he hit over .700

in the first five games. He hit one home run and brought in five runners in that stretch to start his

App State career. His individual statistics stood out, but the team’s winning streak was at the

forefront of his mind.

“Winning is the whole reason I play,” Moronta said.

Bradley Wilson, pitcher and East Carolina transfer, picked up his first win as a

Mountaineer in the second game against Queens College. He pitched five innings, struck out

three batters, and shut-out the Royals in that time. He gave credit to the offseason work he put in,

but didn’t want to get too ahead of himself.

“The game can always humble you, I just take one game at a time,” Wilson said.

The Mountaineers were soon humbled, losing for the first time at the hands of Eastern

Tennessee State University. App State pitching remained solid, however the offense was unable

to score any runs. The teams only played once, so for the Mountaineers the next stop was to go
back to Boone and try to defend their home field for the first time. In what was supposed to be a

three game series against Gardner-Webb, the first game was canceled and the teams split the last

two. This battle in the high country boiled down to whose offense was better. Both teams

struggled to keep runs off the board, ultimately leading to the split series. In only two games, the

Mountaineers allowed 30 runs, just nine runs shy of their total through the first seven games of

the season.

The Black and Gold had to then travel to Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils for one of

their biggest tests of the season. Their offense ran out of juice, leading to a 0-5 shutout loss for

the Mountaineers.

It’s a long season ahead, so to start with eight wins and only three losses is one of the best

records the team could ask for to start the 2023 season. This season, the Mountaineers hold one

of the more difficult schedules. Next up, they play the Campbell Fighting Camels who come into

the series ranked as a top 25 team in the country. Throughout the rest of the season they face

bigger names such as the West Virginia Mountaineers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The

team is looking forward to facing these high-caliber opponents.

“It gives our team an opportunity to see how good they are and how well they have to

play to win,” Coach Aspegren said, “A good schedule places a high demand on playing well.”

The Mountaineers won’t go down without a fight. They believe in their team, in the work

they’ve put in and in their ability to beat anybody.

“It doesn’t matter who we are playing. When we’ve got our guys, we have to believe we

can beat any team,” Moronta said.

 This is just the beginning, but the hot start to the season shows that the Mountaineers are

looking to improve upon the losing record they held last season. As the winter fades and spring

arises, App State Baseball will fight with everything they have to prove who they are.