BOONE, N.C. - For the first time since 2010, Appalachian State University softball will play at Charlotte with a day trip to the Queen City on Wednesday. First pitch inside the Phillips Softball Complex is set for 5 p.m.

The 49ers lead the all-time series with the Mountaineers 20-6 and enter the in-state showdown with an overall record of 26-18, which includes wins in six of their last eight games. App State comes in to the midweek affair with a 9-36 mark having lost its last seven in a row.

Last season, these two teams met in Boone and the Black and Gold won that game by a score of 12-9 with 12 runs on 12 hits. This year's returners, Heather Josey, Tiffany Taynor, Pepper Butler, and Cara Parker combined to go 7-for-13 (.538) with three home runs, one double, seven runs scored, nine RBI, and two walks.

This spring, Charlotte is one of the most balanced squads in the 12-team Conference USA with league ranks of second in ERA (3.04), fourth in batting average (.298) and fifth in fielding percentage (.965). Offensively, five 49ers have averages of at least .300 and they are Bailey Rhoney (.330), Haley Pace (.329), Emma Ocker (.312), Lizzy Birch (.308), and Grace Beatty (.300).

In the circle, Charlotte relies heavily upon two arms in Lexi Betancourt (team-leading 2.75 ERA) and Haley Wiseman (3.13 ERA). Those two have combined to throw 281.1 of the team's 288 innings (98 percent) with the final 6.2 innings being covered by the team's leading hitter, Rhoney. Betancourt has accounted for 25 complete games, 148 strikeouts and 70 walks while Wiseman has 11 complete games, 127 punchouts and 64 free passes.