App State softball started their 2026 season by capturing their best start in program history by going 4-0 in the UNCW Tournament in Wilmington. The Mountaineers scored 35 runs and crushed 5 home runs on their way to an undefeated weekend.

App State battled Kennesaw State University in the first game of the tournament early Friday, defeating the Owls 5-3.

Senior left-handed pitcher Sophie Moshos recorded 2 quick strikeouts to begin the game, but the Owls rallied for 2 runs in the top of the first inning to grab the early lead.

The Mountaineers’ offense exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the third inning. Junior infielder Grace Barrett ripped a 2-run single to right center field to tie the game and freshman infielder Taylor Schafer drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Sophomore outfielder Julia Girk padded the lead with a 2-RBI double to left center.

Kennesaw State responded with a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth inning, and freshman right-handed pitcher Camryn Fisher was called on to pitch for the Mountaineers.

Making her collegiate debut, Fisher held the Owls scoreless for the rest of the game, securing the season-opening victory for App State.

The Mountaineers faced tournament host UNC-Wilmington Friday afternoon and out-lasted the Seahawks in a tightly-contested game, 4-3.

Senior infielder Makayla McClain began the game with a bang, launching a solo home run to left field on the second pitch of the game.

McClain and Barrett were both named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team, and they worked together to double App State’s lead in the top of the second inning. Barrett drew a leadoff walk, and a handful of batters later, McClain hit a bases-loaded single that scored Barrett.

UNC-Wilmington answered in the bottom of the third inning with a barrage of hits off Fisher. The Seahawks scored 3 runs to take the lead.

Sophomore first baseman Madison McIntyre ripped a game-tying double to right center in the top of the sixth inning. Barrett drove in McClain in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to take the lead.

Fisher and the defense shut down the Seahawks in the bottom of the seventh, earning her first complete game win.

The Black and Gold squared off against George Washington University Saturday afternoon. The Mountaineers walloped the Revolutionaries, winning 11-0 in five innings via the run rule.

It took App State until the fourth inning to get on the scoreboard, when McIntyre drove in sophomore catcher Leah Gore on a popup to the shortstop. McClain continued her red-hot start to the season with a 2-run single to center field, and junior outfielder KB Bradshaw hit a single into shallow right field to give App State a 4-0 lead.

The Mountaineers poured on the runs in the fifth inning. Barrett slapped an RBI base hit to left field. Senior outfielder Dakota Daniel singled to center field to score Barrett, and the Revolutionaries center fielder committed an error, which led to another run scoring. Dakota made it to third base after the error, and later scored on a passed ball.

App State kept lighting up the scoreboard with 2 home runs. Bradshaw sent her first home run as a Mountaineer, a 2-run shot, over the left field fence. Sophomore infielder Emilie Ching followed suit the very next at-bat, launching a solo home run to left field, capping off a 7-run inning for the Mountaineers.

The pitching was on top form, as Moshos threw 4 scoreless innings before sophomore left-handed pitcher Bel Varadi entered in relief in the fifth inning and completed the shutout.

App State’s final game of the weekend was a rematch against UNC-Wilmington Sunday, and the Mountaineers bested the Seahawks for the second time in two days, 15-9.

The Black and Gold jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of Barrett drawing a bases-loaded walk and Schafer hitting a sacrifice fly.

The Mountaineers’ offense showed their power in the third inning. Ching crushed her second solo home run of the weekend to left field, and Bradshaw tacked on another run with an RBI groundout.

Girk continued the barrage with an RBI single to right field, and the Mountaineers added a run on a throwing error by the catcher on the play. McClain blasted a 2-run home run to left center that put an exclamation point on a 6-run inning.

UNC-Wilmington got a run back in the bottom of the third inning, before App State erupted for another 6-run inning in the top of the fourth. Barrett and Schafer both hit RBI singles. 

Junior infielder Macy Hamby ripped a 2-run single to center field, then Girk and Ching added 2 more RBI base hits, giving the Mountaineers a commanding 14-1 lead.

The Seahawks rallied for 8 runs across the fourth and fifth innings, but couldn’t overcome the massive deficit. Moshos, pitching in relief, silenced the Seahawks’ bats in the final 2 innings, and junior utility player Summer Simpson tacked on an RBI single in the top of the seventh for good measure.

The 15-9 victory clinched the Mountaineers’ first tournament sweep since the 2023 UNCW Tournament.

App State will look to continue their historic start in the Spiro Classic Feb. 12-14 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Mountaineers will play a total of five games against UNC-Greensboro, Columbia University and Fairfield University, and will face the Spartans in the first game of the tournament Thursday at 3:30 p.m.