App State Brew 5/15: Nick At Night

DiRito's Gem Helps Mountaineers Secure Most SBC Wins In Program History

May 15, 2026

Good morning, App State Fam. What a powerful message for so many young Mountaineers to hear….

What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below.

⚾️ Nick At Night
⛳️ What A Run
🏀 Fresh Face
🟡 And much more

🔼 Nick At Night. App State Baseball used a trio of home runs and a career strikeout effort from Nick DiRito to defeat Georgia State 12-2 for its 30th win of the year, locking up a top-six seed in next week's Sun Belt tournament.
 
The Mountaineers have now won at least 30 games in three of the past four seasons. It also marked the team's 17th Sun Belt win of the season, the most in program history.

DiRito recorded each of his first eight outs via the strikeout and ultimately totaled a career-high 11 punchouts in five innings of work to earn the victory. He allowed just two runs on five hits. DiRito has now struck out 85 batters on the season, the fifth-most in a single season in program history.

🔼 What A Run. While it said freshman next to her name, Zoe Duval never played like it this year for the App State women’s golf program.

Duval capped a record-setting debut season with a top-25 regional finish in the first NCAA postseason appearance by an App State women's golfer.

The Cumming, Ga., native tied for 25th place with a 7-over total of 73-67-77—217 at the UNC Finley Golf Club, highlighted by seven birdies in a 3-under second round that matched the best 18-hole score in program history. She finished the event with 12 birdies.

🔼 Fresh Face. A new face will be on the sideline for the App State women’s basketball program in 2026-27.

This week, Head Coach Alaura Sharp announced the hiring of Nahja Scott as an assistant coach and the program's director of player development.

Scott joins the Mountaineers after serving as a graduate assistant coach at Lamar University since May 2024. During her tenure with the Cardinals, she played a key role in player development, working primarily with post players and helping lead the team to a second-place finish in the Southland Conference and a 2026 WNIT appearance. Her coaching also contributed to the development of elite talent, including the 2024 Conference Player of the Year and the 2025 Student-Athlete of the Year.

With Nick DiRito’s performance on Thursday night, this year’s App State Baseball squad now has two of the top-five most prolific strikeout seasons in program history.

Gage Peterson sits second all-time (94 this year) and DiRito now is in fifth with 85 punchouts this year.

Who currently holds the single-season record?

Got a guess?

Scroll down to see if you know your stuff!

All times listed in ET

Friday, May 15th
⚾️ Baseball at Georgia State @ 6pm
👟 Track & Field at Sun Belt Championships (Mobile, Ala.)

Saturday, May 16th
⚾️ Baseball at Georgia State @ 1pm
👟 Track & Field at Sun Belt Championships (Mobile, Ala.)

Wednesday, May 20th
⚾️ Baseball at Sun Belt Tournament @ TBD (Montgomery, Ala.)

Thursday, May 21st
⚾️ Baseball at Sun Belt Tournament @ TBD (Montgomery, Ala.)

Friday, May 22nd
⚾️ Baseball at Sun Belt Tournament @ TBD (Montgomery, Ala.)

Answer: Xander Hamilton (115 - 2023)

🟡 Have a great one, y’all!