Mountaineers Proved They Are Not Afraid of the Big Stage in Knoxville
She’s running them over like a Mak truck. #OTM https://t.co/CPcHR0ckoE pic.twitter.com/ZjqHG0G95S
— App State Softball (@AppStateSB) February 27, 2026
Appalachian State Shows Promise
When I look at the Appalachian State Mountaineers softball team, I see a competitive squad that has a lot of belief and confidence in themselves, and a team that should be talked about more.
Through 15 games, the Mountaineers have put together 12 wins, and while those have been over good mid-major competition, I saw what I wanted to see out of this team today in Knoxville, Tenn., against the No. 1 Tennessee Lady Vols, and so did Coach Whitney Jones. They didn’t come in feeling like the stage was too big. They relished it and competed.
“We just talked today about living in and loving the moment. You don’t get these opportunities very often, and so for them just to come out and compete fearlessly was all I wanted to see. I think we did see that,” said Jones.
“Things kind of got a little out of hand in the fifth inning there, but just to see them come out and Mak hit a home run that first at-bat, and just in the box, their presence, they were competing, they weren’t afraid. That’s what I wanted to see as a coach, just belief and fight, and I think we saw that today.”
If you just caught the final score of 9-1, it may look like they were never in it, but through four innings the Mountaineers held a 1-0 lead over No. 1 Tennessee.
While there are no moral victories, and Coach Jones would have loved to pull the upset of the season to this point, that doesn’t negate the fact that App State competed and honestly gave Tennessee more help than they needed to.
“You guys should have your heads held high. You literally competed against the number one pitcher in the country probably right now. We scored first off her in that first inning, and honestly, we gave them a lot in that game for them to win that,” said Jones.
This Mountaineers squad should be as confident as anyone right now as they head forward, and one player that is always confident and more people should definitely keep up with is Makayla McClain.
The senior out of Liberty, N.C., has been the fire starter for the Mountaineers since she stepped on campus in Boone, N.C., and today she had no problem leading off the game with a solo home run off Erin Nuwer for her eighth home run of the year. Nuwer, to that point, had not given up a home run through seven appearances before today.
“She’s a fearless competitor, and I will put her up against any hitter in the country right now. That girl competes. She can hit all areas of the zone, and I’m just continuing to be impressed by all the things she continues to do,” said Jones after the game.
When talking with Coach Whitney Jones, you could see the excitement and genuine belief when talking about McClain. To me, she is pretty much the coach’s dream.
“She fights for the very last pitch of her at-bat. She makes adjustments. She works throughout the week to prepare for these moments. She wanted this. She wanted every little bit. She wants the best and she wants to beat the best. I love that out of her.”
McClain isn’t the only one stepping up, though. The Mountaineers have freshmen in the three and four holes of their lineup right now in Schaffer and Fletcher, and both have competed well as the lineup has shifted throughout the season.
For a team still figuring out who they are, having young hitters holding down the middle of your order against this level of competition says a lot.
“We have freshmen in the three and four hole right now with Schaffer and Fletcher, and I think those two have just competed really well for us. We’re still trying to figure out who we are and what we’re going to continue to become along the way,” said Jones.
We always say that it all starts in the circle, but I wanted to save that for last. The Mountaineers work with their one-two combo of senior Sophie Moshos and freshman Camryn Fisher. Both have been outstanding this season, but Fisher in particular showed up to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and went four scoreless innings against the Lady Vols.
Fisher went 4.2 innings with five runs, zero earned, on two hits, five walks, and tossed four strikeouts. What I liked from Fisher early on was her ability to come back after falling behind in counts. That was an immediate signal that she was not shaken by the opponent or the environment she was in.
That is what you want to see from your pitcher, and for her to be a freshman is even greater. She also complements Sophie Moshos well because they are different, and that could be tough for hitters to get adjusted quickly from one to the other.
“I think we’ve seen just a great one-two combo with Cam, and being able to bounce off each other, whether it’s been starting or relief. Those two have worked really well in any role we’ve put them in this season. You’ve seen our pitching staff be able to elevate a little bit more compared to last year with Cam’s ability to be very different from Sophie,” Jones explained.
But it’s not just a two-person staff. Bel Varadi came in during the fifth inning and showed a flash that she can handle a tough situation with a runner on second, after Tennessee had scored six in the inning that blew the game open. She got out of that situation, and Jones was proud of what she saw from her in that moment.
“I was really proud of Bel coming in, in that type of situation and that environment, and being able to keep composure and locate spots,” said Jones. “We’re still figuring out what our roles are going to be, and I think they’re going to ever-change throughout the season.”
Having a third arm that can continue to develop and become a third option for this Mountaineers team will serve well as the season moves on. Moshos and Fisher are well capable of carrying a great load, but you can never have enough arms.
Appalachian State fans should feel encouraged by what they saw today. Sometimes you have to pull the bigger picture out of experiences, and this is still a team that I believe in for the run in the Sun Belt Conference. Preseason sixth in the conference just doesn’t seem like the case for me. Stay tuned.
