GLENVILLE, W.Va. - Glenville State Baseball is set to open MEC Tournament play tomorrow (May 9) against the Northern Division's #2 seed, Fairmont State at 3:30 p.m. in Charleston, W.Va. The Pioneers and Falcons met earlier in the year, where GSU swept FSU in their doubleheader.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
May 8-12
Championship Central
Tickets
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, May 9 | 3:30 p.m. | GoMart Ballpark
#2S Glenville State vs #2N Fairmont State
Watch on MEC.TV | Live Stats
THE OPPONENT
FAIRMONT STATE
The Falcons enter (18-27, 16-12 MEC), losing three out of four to Frostburg State in their final series of the year. Prior to falling to the Bobcats, FSU had won six in a row. The Falcons had two players take All-Conference honors.
Matt Yurish is in his fourth season as the Fairmont State Baseball Head Coach. In 2021, the Yurish-led Falcons went (27-22, 22-10 MEC), setting Yurish up for MEC Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm. He came to FSU after a three-year stint at AB, leading the Battlers to two 20-win campaigns as well as coaching MLB pitcher Randy Dobnak.
Four Falcons are hitting over .300, led by Quintin Smith's .386 AVG. Smith leads the team with 61 hits while adding 6 HR, 21 RBI and eight doubles. Cameron Sheets brings the most power to the lineup, boasting a .348 AVG, 1.135 OPS, 47 hits, 12 HR, 46 RBI and seven doubles. Noah Canterbury is second on the team in AVG (.352) and RBI (36). The Pioneers will most likely see the Falcons leading pitcher, Logan McClure, who holds a 4.67 ERA and a record of 5-4.
THE PIONEERS
GLENVILLE STATE
The Pioneers come in (28-19, 21-9 MEC) after splitting with Concord over the weekend to close out the 2024 regular season. Three Pioneers (Fabian Escalante, Austin Corn, Grant Landis) landed on the All-MEC First Team while two (Zac Bayor, Julian Minaya) were All-MEC Second Team selections.
Fabian Escalante is batting .406 with 65 hits, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 17 doubles and an OPS of 1.218 to lead the Pioneers. Mason Lohr and Carlos De Jesus are both hitting .336 while De Jesus has 8 HR and Lohr has 30 RBI. Zac Bayor (.327 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI), Lance Minson (.306 AVG, 9 HR, 29 RBI), Zach Morris (.301 AVG, 6 HR, 37 RBI) and Luis Liriano (.283 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI) have brought plenty of power and average to the Pioneer lineup as well.
Austin Corn's 3.67 ERA and 6-1 record leads the GSU pitching staff as the junior has also struck out 56 batters over 49 innings of work. Julian Minaya is 7-2 with a 4.88 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 51.2 innings this year. Diego Tamariz and Cole Grady wrap up the starting rotation with four wins each. Grant Landis is now up to an MEC-leading nine saves.
THE SCENARIOS FOR THE PIONEERS
With a win, the Pioneers would face the winner of #1N Frostburg State and #3S West Virginia State.
With a loss, the Pioneers would face the winner of #1S Charleston and #3N Wheeling.
Fans can follow Glenville State Baseball on Twitter (X) @GSU_BSB and Instagram @GSU_BSBL to stay connected with the Pioneers and for news, score updates and many more all season long.
