INSTITUTE, W.VA. – Baseball season begins Sunday for West Virginia State, and for the 2021 Mountain East Conference Tournament Champions, the 2022 season welcomes a talented group of veterans back with a competitive schedule and a title to try and uphold. WVSU enters 2022 ranked No. 23 nationally.

"We are so excited to begin the season Sunday," head coach Sean Loyd said. "We have a talented group of guys back and we've brought in a great group of newcomers to balance out what we lost last year."

"We have been training and preparing for this weekend and season for quite awhile, and we're eager to finally have that first pitch. These games early in the year allow us to see what we need to improve on and what works for us as we move into conference play."

Loyd enters his eighth season at the helm of the program, and spent 20 years as an assistant coach prior to taking over in 2015.

THE SQUAD
The 2022 roster is led by graduate student Andrew Stone, who returns with a slew of accolades, including a D2CCA All-Region honor, All-MEC honorable mention plaudits, a 2021 All-MEC All-Tournament Team nod, and has been named the 2022 Preseason Player of the Year from Black College Nines.

Stone finished 2021 with a .286 batting average and a stellar .569 slugging percentage, scoring 56 runs with 58 hits. The Cross Lanes, W.Va., product also posted a 1.98 ERA with four saves and 14 strikeouts.

Classmate Matthew Kline also returns, who reigned over the outfield during the 2021 season. Kline carries the title of 2021 MEC Tournament MVP, and joined Stone with a D2CCA All-Region honor and All-MEC honorable mention. Kline was also dubbed with First Team Preseason Honors from Black College Nines.

Kline ranked fourth on the squad last year, finishing at a .331 clip and .540 slugging.

Junior starting pitcher Nick Loftis joined Kline and Stone on the First Team with Black College Nines, posting 6-1 record on the mound last season with 31 punchouts.

The Black College Nines also named junior outfielder Trey Junkins and graduate student Daniel Brandon to the Second Team, while senior Michael Stone also returns after garnering All-MEC Second Team honors a year ago.

Shortstop Brett Christian also returns, and some newcomers include WV High School Player of the Year Nate Paulsen from Bridgeport High School, WVU Tech  catching transfer Andrew Sharp, and California native Dante Zamudio.

THE SCHEDULE
The Yellow Jackets begin their 2022 campaign welcoming Malone University for a pair of games Sunday.

From there, State will head to Cary, N.C., to participate in the USA Baseball National Training Complex Showcase the first weekend of March. WVSU will face fellow 2021 NCAA Tournament participant in Franklin Pierce as well as New Haven and the College of Saint Rose.

The Yellow Jackets' first big test comes March 11-13, when State hosts PSAC annual contender Slippery Rock, who finished their 2021 season at 23-14 and was picked in a tie for second in the PSAC's Preseason Poll earlier this month.

State begins conference play the following weekend, traveling to face Notre Dame College and Alderson Broaddus.

As with recent years, the Yellow Jackets will conclude their season splitting a series with county rivals Charleston, hosting the Golden Eagles for a Friday doubleheader on May 6 before concluding the regular season Sunday at UC.

Overall, State will play 32 conference games, including two four-game series at Calvin L. Bailey Field, and a pair of doubleheaders as well as the split series with UC.

THE PRESEASON POLL
The Yellow Jackets were picked second in the Mountain East Conference Preseason Poll, announced in late January. WVSU was slotted behind Concord, separated by a single point, and also received four first-place votes.

State finished 2021 with a 32-10 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.