By: Caitie Smith, Assistant Sports Information Director
HARROGATE, TENN. – After a shortened series last weekend, West Virginia State Baseball returns to the field Wednesday, traveling to Harrogate, Tenn., to face the Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial for a nine-inning contest at Lamar Hennon Field.
Wednesday's contest will be the first meeting between the two squads, and live stats and video will be available for the 3 p.m. first pitch.
State is coming off dropping a doubleheader to PSAC West Division leaders Slippery Rock, but enters Wednesday with a 5-4 ledger.
LEADING THE WAY
Graduate student Andrew Stone continues to put together a strong campaign in his final season, topping the squad with a .387 batting average across the Yellow Jackets' nine games. Stone is slugging at an impressive .548 clip, and carries a .472 on-base percentage.
On the mound, senior Foster Conis ranks nationally in multiple categories, and is tied for the team lead with four appearances on the year. Conis is third in the country in hits allowed per nine innings, with 2.70, and he is 8th in WHIP at 0.68. Conis also boast a 0.68 ERA, 12th-best in the rankings.
SCOUTING THE RAILSPLITTERS
Lincoln Memorial sits at a 12-9 record on the season, and is already familiar with the MEC having opened their 2022 campaign with Charleston. They took one game of three in that series, winning Opening Day 5-4.
LMU is coming off a shortened conference series with defending National Champions, No. 2 Wingate, where they split a two-game set.
Freshman outfielder Chris Hall leads the way for the Railsplitters, carrying a .329 batting average across 18 contests. Sophomore catcher Sam Mast tops the squad with four long balls, and also boasts a team-best .633 slugging. As a team, LMU is hitting .275.
The Railsplitters carry a team ERA of 4.32 into Wednesday, with top reliever David Brian Ellison carrying a 0.60 ERA to accompany nine strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will begin Mountain East Conference play this weekend, and are looking to enter league action with momentum. State will travel to South Euclid, Ohio, to face Notre Dame College in a Saturday twinbill before wrapping up the weekend in Philippi, W.Va., against Alderson Broaddus in another doubleheader. Live stats and video will be available for all four contests.
