ASU Baseball Looks For 1st SoCon Title In 25 Years
First-place Appalachian State University baseball looks to move closer to its first Southern Conference championship in 25 years when it hosts a three-game conference series versus UNC Greensboro this weekend. Regardless of what the other teams that still remain in the running for the SoCon title do over the final three weeks of the season, the Mountaineers can clinch no less than a share of the championship with wins in six of its final nine SoCon games. There is no better place for the Mountaineers to begin the final month of conference play than Smith Stadium, where they are 11-1 in SoCon action and 21-1 overall this season. Conversely, UNCG is just 2-10 on the road in SoCon play. On Sunday, Appalachian will honor its 11 prior to the series finale. Two of those 11 seniors — RHP Ryan Arrowood and DH Daniel Kassouf — are on the verge of matching two of ASU baseball's most prestigious records. Arrowood, who will start Friday's series opener, needs just one victory to match the program's all-time record of 26, set by former teammate Matt Andress from 2006-10. Arrowood, who won each of his last four starts en route to being named the SoCon Pitcher of the Month for April, is a perfect 8-0 on the season. With a 3-2 win last Saturday at Wofford, Arrowood became the first three-time eight-game winner in ASU history. Kassouf needs just one home run to match the program's single-season record of 16, shared by Pete Camelo (1982) and Andre Crawford (1996). Kassouf, who is homerless in his last seven games (his longest drought of the season) has been especially impressive at home this season with a .411 batting average, nine doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBI in 22 contests at Smith Stadium. Kassouf's production at home is microcosm of the entire Appalachian club, which is hitting an incredible .358 as a team and averaging 10.3 runs per game at Smith Stadium this season.
