In search of its fourth Sun Belt Conference series victory in the last six weekends, Appalachian State University baseball travels to the Bayou this weekend for a three-game set versus No. 19 UL Lafayette. Game times are slated for 7 p.m. ET Friday, 7 p.m., 7 p.m. ET Saturday and 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Tigue Moore Field in Lafayette, La.

In addition to winning three of its last five Sun Belt series, Appalachian State (14-31, 8-16 Sun Belt) has also won three-straight games overall, good for its first three-game winning streak since April 2-5, 2014.

The winning ways of late have put the Mountaineers firmly in contention for a berth in this month's Sun Belt Tournament. With six conference games left to play, App State enters the weekend in 10th place in the league standings. However, only one win separates the seventh-10th place teams. The league's top eight clubs qualify for the conference tournament, which is set for May 25-29 in San Marcos, Texas.

A red-hot offense has been the catalyst for Appalachian State's recent hot streak, as the Mountaineers have scored at least six runs and banged out 10 or more hits in each of their last five games. App State is hitting .322 as a team and averaging 11.6 hits and 7.8 runs per game during the five-game stretch.

A trio of Mountaineers are hitting .400 or better over the last five games — junior Brian Bauk (.455, two doubles, one home run and five RBI), junior Matt Vernon (.435, one double, two home runs, eight RBI) and the reigning Sun Belt Student-Athlete of the Week, freshman Tanner Mann-Fix (.421, two doubles, one triple, two home runs and three RBI).

Despite the Mountaineers riding a red-hot offense into the Bayou, second-place UL Lafayette (29-16, 14-7 Sun Belt) still presents a formidable task. The Ragin' Cajuns have dropped only one Sun Belt series this season and are ranked No. 19 nationally in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings.

App State's surging offense will be tested by a UL-L pitching staff that ranks second in the Sun Belt in ERA (3.39), opponents' batting average (.212), and strikeouts (353).

A traditional college baseball power, UL Lafayette has advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals each of the last two seasons. The Cajuns are especially tough at home, where they are 17-4 and averaging a Sun Belt-best 4,254 fans per game this season.

App State put together its most impressive weekend of last season when it took 2-of-3 games from the Ragin' Cajuns at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium in Boone. The Mountaineers won the series opener, 2-1, lost the next game, 20-6, but rebounded for a series-clinching 7-4 triumph in the finale.

Winning at least two games this weekend would not only increase Appalachian State's odds of advancing to the postseason but it would also give the Mountaineers series victories over the first- (South Alabama), second- (UL Lafayette) and third-place (Little Rock) teams in the latest Sun Belt standings this season.

App State has also enjoyed some success against nationally ranked competition in recent years with 11 wins over ranked opponents since 2011. Six of those victories have come in four seasons under head coach Billy Jones, including two wins over 23rd-ranked South Alabama on April 15 and 17.

APPALACHIAN STATE BASEBALL (14-31, 8-16 Sun Belt) at UL Lafayette (29-16, 14-7 Sun Belt) Friday-Saturday, May 6-8 • Lafayette, La. • M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field
Date	Time	App State Probable Starting Pitcher	UL Lafayette Probable Starting Pitcher
Friday, May 6	7 p.m. ET	Fr. LHP Bobby Hampton (1-6, 6.58 ERA)	So. LHP Gunner Leger (5-3, 2.63 ERA)
Saturday, May 7	7 p.m. ET	Fr. RHP Breydan Gorham (2-4, 4.68 ERA)	So. RHP Wyatt Marks (3-5, 5.14 ERA)
Sunday, May 8	2 p.m. ET	Fr. LHP Colin Schmid (1-6, 5.62 ERA)	Fr. RHP Nick Lee (6-1, 3.22 ERA)