Baseball | 5/1/2020 1:28:00 PM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – With their seasons having been cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the West Liberty University athletic department is celebrating its spring sports seniors with a series of Virtual Senior Days.
    Veteran Hilltopper baseball coach Eric Burkle had one of the largest senior classes of any spring sport this season with a dozen WLU veterans bringing down the curtain on their college careers.
    Two of Burkle's seniors – Colton Coss and Chad Matthus – will accept the NCAA's eligibility waiver and return for their final season of competition next year. The other 10 seniors leave to face new challenges and new opportunities away from the diamond.
    "It's really hard to say good-bye to this year's senior class," Burkle said. "After starting out with back-to-back 20-win seasons as freshmen and sophomores, they struggled as juniors but were coming back strong with some lofty goals this year. One of our seniors (Luke Nees) was leading the MEC in three categories and in the NCAA Top 10 for one of them when everything was stopped.
    "We'll never know how this would have played out for these guys but we also understand why we lost the season. Life is more important than baseball. That's a big reason 10 of our 12 seniors decided this was the end of their baseball careers and the beginning of the rest of their lives. The game of life is much harder to win than a game of baseball but these guys are ready. We wish them all well and can't wait to see them back here at Kovalick Field for Alumni Weekend."
    Burkle asked each of his graduating seniors to share his future plans.
      Eric Banal is an Accounting graduate from Adena, Ohio and a graduate of Buckeye Local High School. The son of Jimmy and Dana Banal, Chris is working toward his Master's in Business Administration at West Liberty.
    Luke Cooper is on course to graduate with a degree in Secondary Education and plans to pursue a teaching and coaching career. A Paden City, W.Va. native, Luke is the son of Scott and Jean Cooper and a Paden City High School graduate.
    Matt Gruber is on course to graduate with an Elementary Education degree and plans to enter the teaching field. The son of Lee and Lisa Gruber, Matt hails from Wheeling, W.Va. and is a graduate of Wheeling Central Catholic High School.
    Thad Herback is a native of Glen Dale, W.Va. and a graduate of John Marshall High School. The son of Jerry and Jennifer Herback, Chad plans to put his Geography and Planning degree to use with Young Life while student teaching and coaching.
    Jared Houser is a native of Wadsworth, Ohio who graduated from Wadsworth High School and attended Walsh University before transferring to WLU. The son of Todd and Cynthia Houser, Chad will graduate with a Marketing and Communications degree and plans to pursue a career in sales.
    Bailey McGrath is a Bridgeport High School graduate from Bridgeport, Ohio. The son of Mike and Pam McGrath, Bailey is finishing up his Elementary Education degree and hopes to pursue a teaching and coaching career in his native Belmont County.
    Luke Nees is a native of Plain City, Ohio and a graduate of Jonathan Alder High School. The son of Kim and Thom Nees, Luke will graduate with a Sport Management degree and is undecided on his future plans.
    Tyler Ramsay hails from Jacobsburg, Ohio and is a Bellaire High School graduate. The son of Bryan and Renee Ramsay, Tyler is finishing up his History degree and plans to pursue a career with American Electric Power.
    Ben Taylor is a Morgantown, W.Va. native who graduated from Morgantown High School. The son of Pamela Mitchell and Harry Taylor, Ben is finishing his MBA at West Liberty after earning his bachelor's degree in Marketing and Business Administration a year ago. He is undecided on his future plans.
    Hunter Westlake is a Bellaire, Ohio native who graduated from Bellaire High School. The son of Paul and Dawna Westlake who completed his Marketing degree at WLU in the fall, Hunter plans to pursue a job in the Marketing field and is also a Personal Trainer.