Seahawks looking to build momentum after gutsy walkoff win

UNCW (7-3) vs. App State (6-5)

Fri. 6 p.m. (Flo) | Sat. 4 p.m. (Flo) | Sun. 1 p.m. (Flo)

So, how do you follow up nine-run rally and walk-off home run?

We’ll find out tonight if the Seahawks are able to turn Sunday’s victory into momentum as the Mountaineers make the 300-mile journey from the mountains to the beach for a three-game series on what should be a perfect weekend at Brooks Field.

The Cincinnati series was a strange one, with the Seahawks mixing some of their best and worst baseball of the season as both teams took and lost leads with big innings.

A few bats came alive, with Noah Bridges, Dillon Lifrieri, Ron Evans and Trevor Marsh coming up big throughout the series, while the bullpen took yet another step in establishing itself as this club’s biggest strength.

This weekend UNCW will be looking for more consistency from its starters while continuing the approach it had at the plate for the final four innings of Sunday’s comeback victory.

Meet the Mountaineers

Now in in its fifth year under Coach Kermit Smith, the App State program has started to find its footing after a tough start when the school joined the Sun Belt in 2015. (Hey, I reported his hiring way back in the glory days!)

The same things that make the Mountaineers’ Beaver Stadium one of the most beautiful in America are the same things that provide challenges, as weather affect’s App State’s preseason work and generally forces it to play the majority of its nonconference schedule away from home.

This season, things have gone pretty darn well, as App State hit the road to take two of three from Winthrop, which was voted second in the Big South preseason poll.

Getting a few rare February games in Boone, the Mountaineers took three of four from MEAC-favorite N.C. A&T before coming back down to earth in a three-game sweep at East Carolina.

It’s been an all-or-nothing season for App State pitchers, with four games holding to opponents to four or fewer runs and four allowing 10 or more.

Things got ugly for the Mountaineers in Greenville, mustering just six runs on 11 hits as the Pirates outscored them 28-6.

One thing thing that’s been consistent is the defense, with App State committing a total of seven errors through 11 games.

Reliever Noah Hall has also been excellent, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out 11 in 13.2 innings.

Hitters to watch: 2B Luke Drumheller (.286, HR, 10 RBI), 1B Robbie Young (.270, 6 RBI), SS Bailey Welch (.294, 6 RBI), OF Kendall McGowan (.250, 2 HR, 4 RBI).

Starting pitchers: LHP Tyler Tuthill (1-1, 4.15 ERA), LHP Quinton Martinez (2-1, 4.15 ERA), TBD

Foot on the Gas

The Seahawks are the better team here, but they were the better team last weekend, too.

At times, it appeared they knew it last weekend and put things on cruise control, nearly giving away an 8-0 lead on Thursday before losing on Friday and Saturday after leading both games 4-0.

Some of that fell on pitching, some of it fell on the approach at the plate where UNCW didn’t have great patience at times.

That changed on Sunday when the Seahawks were on the wrong end of an 8-0 deficit, rallying to win behind two late homers.

The Cardiac Hawks have already shown a ton of heart in two walk-off wins this season, but hey, it’s OK to get up big and stay up big, too. Last weekend taught that lesson the hard way.

Power Hawks

A talking point from Coach Randy Hood in the preseason and repeated here several times is that this team might not have the power of some of the Brooks Bombers-teams in recent history.

These Seahawks still might not be among the nation’s leaders, but after they ripped six home runs in four games vs. Cincinnati, it’s time to officially issue an apology as the total now stands at nine on the season.

It seems likely that number increases over the weekend, too, as App State pitchers have allowed 13 homers with opponents slugging .427.

Brooks Baldwin leads the way with four while Matt Suggs has added two since returning from an oblique injury.

Roupp’s Breakthrough

Maybe there’s an injury, maybe there’s something else — but ace pitcher Landen Roupp hasn’t been himself in 2021.

Sooner or later, the righthander will show up and pitch a dominant outing and show why he was voted the CAA’s preseason player of the year, but to this point, command issues have led to a surprising start, allowing 15 runs — 11 earned — on 16 hits in 15 innings.

His eight strikeouts vs. Cincinnati were a season-high, but so were the four walks. In addition, he’s also been hurt by two wild pitches three hit batters and a team-leading three homers.

App State is hitting .252 on the season with five homers, so this could be the start that sees Roupp get back on track.

Throwback Weekend

Whoever is responsible for this look deserves a raise.

Now, we probably wouldn’t love this nearly as much as a full-time uniform, but the Seahawks will look great on Saturday when they throw it back to 1985, when the team wore yellow as its primary jerseys under Coach Bobby Guthrie.

Hopefully this isn’t the last appearance of the season and perhaps one of several retro uniforms we’ll see in the coming years.

Unfortunately for fans, these won’t be auctioned off.