INSTITUTE, W.VA. – West Virginia State welcomes a pair of league foes for the 2022 Mountain East Conference home Opener Sunday, hosting Fairmont State Sunday and Frostburg State Monday in a pair of doubleheaders.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a split in their MEC debut, taking both games from Alderson Broaddus before dropping both ends of a twinbill with Notre Dame College Monday.

First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. both days, and live stats and video will be available for all four contests.

THE SCOOP ON STATE
The Yellow Jackets are 3-2 in their last five games, most recently taking down Malone in a nonconference clash Tuesday afternoon, 7-6. Freshman Nathan Paulsen tallied two of State's five hits in the contest, while graduate student Andrew Stone scored twice.  

Stone ranks third in the league with a .400 batting average, second in on-base percentage (.548) and boasts a .600 slugging percentage. Paulsen carries a .309 average and is slugging at a .529 clip.

As a team, the Yellow Jackets ran second in the MEC with a .299 batting average, and rank first with 2.4 doubles per game.

On the mound, State is led by a quintet of relievers with sub 2.00 ERAs, and boasts a team ERA of 4.85.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING FALCONS
Fairmont State enters Sunday with a 9-10 ledger, most recently falling to Clarion University in a midweek matchup. FSU is a perfect 4-0 in league play, having swept both Davis & Elkins and West Virginia Wesleyan.

FSU carries a team batting average of .280, led individually by freshman Noah Canterbury's .389 clip. Senior Jacob Goodnight tops the team with three home runs, and the Falcons carry a team ERA of 4.44. Senior Bryan Camacho carries a perfect 0.00 ERA through seven appearances.

State took both contests against Fairmont State last season in Fairmont, winning 7-0 and 12-3.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Frostburg carries a 13-3 record, but will face Charleston Sunday before taking on State. FSU also boasts a perfect mark in league action, also sweeping Wesleyan and D&E.

The Bobcats top the MEC with a .362 team batting average, and also ranks first in the league with 22 long balls. Junior Jack Maruskin leads individually with a .500 batting average and senior Bryce Jackson carries a team-high six long balls.

On the mound, Frostburg has a 3.76 earned run average, and has six members with ERAs of 3.00 or below.

The Yellow Jackets and Frostburg split their series last year, as WVSU fell 6-4 in the opener before bouncing back in the nightcap with a dominant 11-1 victory.