By: Caitie Smith, Assistant Sports Information Director
INSTITUTE, W.VA. – West Virginia State Baseball enters a critical weekend in its 2022 campaign Saturday, opening divisional play in Mountain East Conference action against Concord in Athens, W.Va. The series was altered slightly, as announced Friday due to impending inclement weather, and will now take place on Sunday, April 10 and Monday, April 11.
Both days will feature a pair of games, with the first slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Live stats and video will be provided for all four contests.
The Yellow Jackets carry a .500 clip into the weekend at 12-12, but are 4-8 in MEC play this season.
State is coming off a thrilling victory Thursday, where they cranked out 19 hits in a 17-9 win at Bluefield State.
THE SCOOP ON STATE
In Thursday's contest, six Yellow Jackets tallied multi-hit performances, led by senior Michael Stone's 4-for-6 day where he also scored four times. Graduate student Matthew Kline doubled twice in his three-hit day to accompany three runs, and junior Trey Junkins doubled and tripled in a 3-for-4 performance with three runs and three RBI.
State is coming off two conference splits last weekend, taking one of two games each from Wheeling and West Liberty. WVSU downed the Cardinals 6-2 in a thrilling extra-inning contest, and defeated the Hilltoppers 5-1 the day before.
The Yellow Jackets sit atop the conference in double plays, having turned an impressive 18 on the season. The squad also ranks in the top three in doubles, with 52, and will face the league leaders this weekend.
Graduate student Andrew Stone leads the league in walks with 23 and is ranked 18th in the nation in walks per game. Stone is second in the league with a .495 on-base percentage.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Concord, who sits second in the South Division standings entering the weekend, carries an 18-10-1 ledger and is 7-5 in league action. The squad is most recently coming off an 11-8 victory in a nonconference clash with Emory & Henry, but prior to that lost three straight to Fairmont State and Frostburg.
The Mountain Lions boast a .329 batting average, led by Zack Saryeldin's .429 clip, but have eight members of the roster hitting .300 or better. Saryeldin also leads the way with five home runs and a stellar .697 slugging.
On the mound, CU registers an earned run average of 6.24 and individually, hurler Nicholas Rylee tops with a 1.61 ERA.
