Baseball Game Preview: Swain County Maroon Devils vs. Murphy Bulldogs

The Swain County Maroon Devils will challenge the Murphy Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Swain County will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.

Swain County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Murphy 24-4 on Tuesday. The Maroon Devils have beaten the Bulldogs the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bulldogs has come to flipping the script.

Ayden Smiley

Runs Batted In

03/18/25 @ Murphy	5
03/06/25 @ Rosman	5
03/14/25 @ Hiwassee Dam	3
03/11/25 vs Hiwassee Dam	3

The team relied heavily on Ayden Smiley, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Swain County's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 0-3 when he doesn't). Corey Stillwell was another key player, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5.

Swain County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .617. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.

Murphy's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-5. As for Swain County, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Swain County has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .493. However, it's not like Murphy struggles in that department as they've averaged .441. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.