Baseball Opens Five-Game Homestand Tuesday, Hosts Upstate

Catamounts look to bounce back after weekend series at Winthrop

Apr. 7, 2026 at 2:40am

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A fractured, geometric painting in vibrant colors depicting the dynamic motion and energy of a college baseball game, with players and the stadium environment broken down into sharp, overlapping planes.A cubist interpretation of the energy and action of a college baseball game captures the spirit of Western Carolina's homestand.Radford Today

Western Carolina baseball opens a five-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting USC Upstate in the back end of a home-and-home nonconference series. The Catamounts are 2-2 in their current stretch against Big South opponents, falling at home to Presbyterian last Tuesday before taking 2-of-3 at Winthrop over the weekend.

Why it matters

WCU has earned 12 of its 20 wins at home this season, holding a 12-4 mark at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts will look to continue their strong play at home as they host USC Upstate and then welcome preseason SoCon favorite Mercer for a three-game series this weekend.

The details

The Catamounts enter the week with a team batting average of .274, currently seventh out of eight teams in the SoCon. However, WCU is second with 297 total base hits, including 43 home runs, to rank tied for second in the conference. The squad had 104 extra-base hits, fourth overall in the SoCon, but just two shy of ranking second in the league. WCU averages 6.9 runs on nine hits per game on the year, while limiting foes to 5.7 runs on 9.5 hits per game.

  • Western Carolina (20-13) opens a five-game homestand on Tuesday (April 7).
  • The Catamounts are 2-2 in their current stretch against Big South opponents, falling at home to Presbyterian last Tuesday before taking 2-of-3 at Winthrop over the weekend.
  • WCU will host USC Upstate on Tuesday to complete the two-game seasonal series.
  • The Catamounts will then welcome preseason SoCon favorite Mercer for a three-game set this weekend.

The players

Jackson Lyda

Saw his career-long reached base safely streak end at 19-straight over the weekend at Winthrop.

Wyatt Stanley

Has the team's longest active streak at 18-consecutive, though he is one of three with double-digit active streaks.

Walker Fox

Has a 10-game hitting streak intact.

Trent Turner

Has raised his seasonal batting average 106 total points - from .180 to .286, including seven multi-hit games during that stretch.

Noah Quarless

Has WCU's longest active hitting streak with hits in five-consecutive, one shy of matching his season-long.

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What they’re saying

“Jackson Lyda saw his career-long reached base safely streak end at 19-straight over the weekend at Winthrop.”

— Jackson Lyda

“Wyatt Stanley now has the team's longest active streak at 18-consecutive, though he is one of three with double-digit active streaks.”

— Wyatt Stanley

“Walker Fox and Trent Turner both have 10-game streaks intact.”

— Walker Fox, Trent Turner

“Noah Quarless has WCU's longest active hitting streak with hits in five-consecutive, one shy of matching his season-long.”

— Noah Quarless

“Wyatt Stanley holds the longest streak this year for WCU at seven straight.”

— Wyatt Stanley

What’s next

The Catamounts continue their homestand this weekend, hosting Southern Conference preseason favorite Mercer for a three-game set at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

The takeaway

Western Carolina has been a strong home team this season, earning 12 of its 20 wins at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts will look to continue that trend as they host USC Upstate and then welcome preseason SoCon favorite Mercer to Cullowhee this weekend.