GLENVILLE, W.Va. - Glenville State Baseball has had their road doubleheader at West Liberty tomorrow (Mar. 29) moved to the Sue Morris Sports Complex while the Pioneers trip to Wheeling on Saturday (Mar. 30) stays the same. GSU has already played Wheeling twice this season, losing both times in non-conference action.
SERIES INFORMATION
Friday, March 29 | 12 & 2:30 p.m. | Kenny Greenlief Field at Sue Morris Sports Complex
Glenville State vs West Liberty
Watch on MEC.TV | Live Stats
Saturday, March 30 | 1 & 3:30 p.m. | JB Chambers I-470 Complex
Glenville State at Wheeling
Watch on MEC.TV | Live Stats
THE OPPONENTS
WEST LIBERTY
The Hilltoppers come in (7-15, 4-4 MEC) after winning three of four games last weekend, sweeping D&E and splitting with West Virginia Wesleyan.
Eric Burkle is in his 11th season as HC of the Hilltoppers. He has amassed over 200 career wins, including six straight seasons of 20 or more wins from 2013-18. Burkle took over the program following a five-year stint as an assistant under former Hilltopper Head Coach Bo McConnaughy. Burkle also spent time as an assistant coach at Wheeling Central Catholic High School before coming to the college ranks.
The Hilltoppers feature six hitters flashing an average of .300 or better, led by James Salvatori's .398 and his 10 HR and 33 RBI. Eight other Hilltoppers have at least 10 RBI while three others have at least 2 HR. Tanner Palaez has been a bright spot for the WLU pitching staff, posting a 3.92 ERA and a 3-2 record over 25.0 IP.
WHEELING
The Cardinals are (13-9, 3-5 MEC), winning their last three games and four of their last five. WU last played on Wednesday, defeating Ohio Dominican 12-3.
Ryan Lewicki is in his sixth season leading the Cardinal Baseball program. He led Wheeling to their second appearance in the MEC Tournament last year, winning 29 games and finishing 2nd in the North Division. In 2021, the Lewicki-led Cardinals won the MEC North Championship. He has recorded over 100 wins as a HC.
Scott Kondroik (.370 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI) and Braden Killens (.341 AVG, 6 HR, 28 RBI) lead the Wheeling offense. In total, eight Cardinals have 11 or more RBI while 11 total Wheeling hitters have hit a home run. Kody McCarley is 4-1 with a 3.55 ERA through 33 innings of work. Kenny Jinks has also been good on the mound, winning three games and posting a 4.30 ERA.
THE PIONEERS
GLENVILLE STATE
The Pioneers enter (12-11, 5-1 MEC) following an impressive weekend against Salem (split) and Notre Dame College (sweep).
Fabian Escalante's .469 average and 1.238 OPS tops the Pioneers and is one of the best in the MEC. Escalante adds 38 hits, 11 doubles, 3 HR and 19 RBI to his season totals. Mason Lohr continues to excel at the leadoff spot, putting up a .323 average with 10 stolen bases. After hitting .666 with 2 HR and 4 RBI last weekend, Carlos De Jesus is now hitting .305 on the season.
Julian Minaya picked up another win on Sunday, improving his record to 4-0 with an ERA of 2.81 and 35 strikeouts over 25.2 innings. Grant Landis has five saves thus far and Diego Tamariz lowered his ERA down to 6.95 with 2.1 innings of no-run ball over the weekend. Austin Corn gave the Pioneers another valuable start against NDC, putting his record at 2-1 and ERA at 4.91.
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