BOONE, N.C.  – Appalachian State University softball will travel down to Troy, Ala. to take on the Troy Trojans for a three-game conference series at the Troy Softball Complex April 22-23. Saturday's doubleheader will kick off at 2 p.m. EST, and Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m. EST.

The Mountaineers (12-27,0-15) are coming off a conference skid to longtime rival Georgia Southern after dropping the three-game set, 2-0, 10-1 (5 innings) and 11-2 (6 innings). Katie Mathewson parked her eighth home run of her career, Sidney Russell knocked in two RBI over the weekend, and Megan Walker handed over a perfect plate performance going 2-for-2 in game three, which included her first triple of the season.

In the circle, Kenzie Longanecker struck out 11 Eagles in 10.2 outings to up her season strikeouts total to 103, which ranks sixth on the single-season record list.

As a group, the Apps bat .236 and the pitching posse owns a 3.69 ERA. Natalie Orcutt sits at the top with a .330 batting average, and Longanecker holds a 2.28 ERA in 119.2 innings pitched.

App State looks to snap a 15-game losing streak this weekend, snatch their first conference victory of the season and seize their first win over Troy since March 1, 2013 (5-2).

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

•  App State and Troy have a 12-game history, and the Trojans hold the all-time advantage with ten wins. The last time the two conference teams played, the Mountaineers dropped the conference series to Troy 11-1 (5), 23-6 (5) and 25-19. In game three of the conference showdown, the Apps produced several seasons best including the most scored runs (19), at-bats (39) hits (18) and RBI (18), and recorded the most home runs (seven) and total bases (41) ever in a single-game in school history.

•  The Trojans (17-29, 5-14 SBC) sit ninth in the Sun Belt standings after taking the conference series from Georgia State (2-1) and picking up wins against Georgia Southern, UTA and ULM. As a group, Troy bats .252, owns a 3.95 ERA and leads the conference in doubles (55) and hit by pitch (59).

•  The last time out, Troy faced their fifth nationally-ranked team of the season in No. 2 Florida State and dropped the doubleheader to the Seminoles 9-3 and 2-0. Stephanie Snider knocked in two RBI on one hit.

• At the plate, Becca Hartley owns the only batting average over .300 (.350), which includes team-highs of 39 RBI, 15 home runs, two triples, ten doubles, 49 hits, 39 runs and a .771 slugging percentage. In the conference, she ranks inside the top ten in multiple categories and holds the No. 2 spot in total plate appearances (168), total bases (105) and home runs.

• Claire Graves stands at the forefront of the pitching staff with the lowest ERA of 3.15 in 124.1 innings pitched. Graves has won the most games (seven), has pitched two shutout victories and eight complete games, and has rang up 32 batters.

• Troy welcomes six newcomers to Alabama and returns ten letterwinners and starters who ended 2016 in sixth in the conference with an 11-13 record and turned in a 31-15 overall season.

•  Head Coach Beth Mullins enters her third year at the helm of the Trojan softball program and is assisted by Alex Hupp and Taylor Smartt. In 2015, Mullins was named Sun Belt Co-Coach of the Year, and in each of her first two seasons, her teams have set new records in home runs with 51 in 2015 and 62 in 2016.