A History of Appalachian State University Baseball
The Appalachian State Mountaineers baseball team represents Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. As a varsity intercollegiate athletic team, they compete in the Sun Belt Conference, a part of NCAA Division I. The team's history stretches back to 1903, marking over a century of baseball at Appalachian State. Their home games are played at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium, located in Boone, North Carolina.
The Foundation of Appalachian State University
To understand the baseball team's history, it's helpful to know a bit about the university itself. Appalachian State University celebrated 125 years of educational leadership in 2024. It was founded in 1899 as Watauga Academy by Brothers Blanford Barnard “B.B.” Dougherty and Dauphin Disco “D.D.” Dougherty, along with D.D.’s wife, Lillie Shull Dougherty. Their goal was to provide education to the isolated and rural communities of Western North Carolina, known as the "Lost Provinces."
From its humble beginnings as a small rural academy, the institution evolved into the Appalachian Training School in 1903. It then became the Appalachian State Normal School in 1925, and later the Appalachian State Teachers College in 1929. In 1967, it achieved university status, becoming a comprehensive, four-year university. Then, in 1971, the university became part of the University of North Carolina System.
App State offers over 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate programs, preparing students for leadership roles in fields ranging from business and education to the sciences, arts, music, and technology. The opening of the App State Hickory campus in fall 2023 marked a new chapter in the university's mission to increase access to higher education.
Early Baseball at Appalachian Training School
Baseball has been a part of Appalachian State since the early days of the Appalachian Training School. Historical records show a baseball team was already active in 1916. Early teams faced restrictions, including prohibitions against playing during school hours and the necessity of obtaining faculty permission to play outside the immediate vicinity of Boone.
Read also: ASU Admissions Guide
Key Moments in Appalachian State University History
The Appalachian State University of today would not have been possible without the efforts and dedication of both Mountaineers and local community members. It took funding and supplies donated by Boone community members to complete the build of the institution’s first facility, Watauga Academy, and the resilience of both university members and townspeople to see our shared community through challenging times, including the Spanish flu, both World Wars, the global COVD-19 pandemic, and, most recently, Hurricane Helene. Over the years, countless App State faculty and staff have committed their time, expertise and efforts to elevating our students’ App State Experience through innovative, interdisciplinary and integrative teaching, research and student mentorship, as well as day in and day out work that ensures the university operates efficiently and effectively year-round.
- 1899: Watauga Academy was first occupied while still under construction. The Watauga Academy building was the sole building for Watauga Academy school.
- 1903: Appalachian Training School was established. The first baseball team was fielded.
- 1905: The first Administration Building was built. Also known as the Main Building, it was the second building for Appalachian Training School. It included an auditorium, classrooms and administration offices.
- 1906: Lovill Home, the first women’s dormitory, was built.
- 1911: Science Hall was built.
- 1916: The Appalachian Training School men’s baseball team poses on the athletic field, located just south of the Administration Building, at the current location of Holmes Convocation Center.
- 1924: The second Administration Building was built.
- 1925: Appalachian State Normal School was established. The Education Building was built.
- 1929: Appalachian State Teachers College was established.
- 1934: The Women’s Gymnasium and the Men’s Gymnasium were built.
- 1935: D.D. Dougherty Library was built.
- 1938: Chapell Wilson Hall was built.
- 1939: Newland Hall was built. The marching band was originally started by professor Gordon Nash.
- 1946: The Watauga Academy building was destroyed in a fire.
- 1949: The Service Annex Building was built.
- 1953: Appalachian State Teachers College celebrated its 50th anniversary.
- 1954: Whitener Hall was built.
- 1962: Conrad Stadium was built. App State President William Howard Plemmons speaks with students in front of the college’s second Administration Building.
- 1963: The newly constructed front entrance to the D.D. Dougherty Library. The Rankin Science Building was completed and dedicated to Dean Emeritus James Daniel Rankin.
- 1965: Lucy Brock Nursery School was built.
- 1966: The second Administration Building was destroyed by fire. The Appalaettes reformed as a precision dance group.
- 1967: Appalachian State Teachers College became the comprehensive, four-year university. Plemmons Student Union was built.
- 1968: The 1968-69 marching band at App State sits on the bleachers at Conrad Stadium. The App State Appalettes perform in Broome-Kirk Gymnasium.
- 1969: The Department of Military Science began.
- 1970: Two cadets in the Department of Military Science at Appalachian State University raising the American flag in front of the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building.
- 1971: The university became part of the University of North Carolina System.
- 1973-74: The Student Transit Service (STS) bus operated during the energy shortage.
- 1976: The App State Gospel Choir was established.
- 1979: Conrad Stadium was rebuilt.
- 1980: AppalCART served as a shuttle bus service for the App State Boone campus.
- 1981: AppalCART expanded to the town of Boone.
- 1984: H’Appy’s began as a Winn-Dixie grocery store and was converted into a nightclub for App State students.
- 1985: The App State Gospel Choir performs.
- 1986: Discord performs on stage at H’Appy’s at Appalachian State University.
- 1988: Conrad Stadium was renamed Kidd Brewer Stadium. H’Appy’s was remodeled and renamed Legends.
- 1989: A view of fall convocation at Appalachian State University.
- 1990: App State Student Ambassadors flash peace signs and smiles while posing in front of the Appalachian State University sign.
- 1994: App State students are pictured in the Reich College of Education.
- 1995: Class of 1995 App State graduates are pictured at the university’s Spring Commencement. A group of App State students are shown in the university dining facilities in Trivette Hall.
- 1998: A view of campus from the App State bell tower.
- 2003: A group of student orientation leaders at App State are shown at the Greenbriar Movie Theater in Plemmons Student Union.
- 2007: App State safety Corey Lynch blocks Michigan’s last-second, 37-yard field goal during the Sept. 1, match between the two schools in the Big House.
- 2008: App State students go sledding during a snow day on the Boone campus.
- 2009: App State cheerleaders show their Mountaineer spirit and pump up the crowd during the Homecoming Parade down King Street.
- 2023: The opening of our second campus, the App State Hickory campus, in fall.
The Mountaineers in the Sun Belt Conference
As members of the Sun Belt Conference, the Appalachian State Mountaineers face strong competition each season. The conference provides a platform for the team to showcase their talent and compete for championships.
Appalachian State vs. ETSU
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2026) - The ETSU baseball team saw its undefeated record at home come to an end on Wednesday as Appalachian State knocked off the Buccaneers by a score of 8-5 at Thomas Stadium. ETSU was limited to just five hits on the day. Nate Conner, Tyler Fetterman, Tristan Curless, Ian Guanzon, and Luke Matlock were those Bucs that were in the hit column. Fetterman and Guanzon both knocked in a pair of runs, while Curless drove in the fifth run for the Bucs.
On the mound, five different Bucs faced off against App State's offense. While ETSU did not walk anyone in the game, 12 hits (three home runs) proved to be too much for the Bucs to overcome. Thomas Costarelli made his second consecutive midweek start and threw the first three innings. App State jumped out to a 4-0 lead on ETSU early on. A two-run home run in the second was followed but two more runs in the third. Both of those runs were aided by an ETSU error that extended the frame.
The Bucs would gain their only lead of the game in the fourth. A two-run double by Fetterman was followed by a RBI single from Curless to put the Bucs on top, 5-4, heading to the fifth. However, the Mountaineer offense got off some good swings with solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings to regain the advantage. Insurance runs from the Mountaineers in the eighth and ninth gave App State a three-run cushion heading to the ninth.
Read also: A Guide to App State's Out-of-State Costs
Notable Alumni
Many Appalachian State baseball players have gone on to be selected in the MLB Amateur Draft, continuing their baseball careers at the professional level.
Read also: Find Your Perfect App State Look
tags: #Appalachian #State #University #baseball #history
