West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team will not only make their home debut at Kovalick Field this weekend, but they will also open the MEC portion of their schedule by hosting West Virginia State and Charleston. The Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders are both set for a 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch.

GAME DETAILS

• Saturday: 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch at Kovalick Field
• Sunday: 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch at Kovalick Field

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters this weekend's MEC doubleheaders with a record of 3-9 after dropping a 4-game series to Lake Erie, three games to one, as they earned an 11-5 win in game three but fell by scores of 8-1, 12-9, and 16-7.
• As a team, WLU has hit .272 with 88 hits, 19 doubles, five triples, 13 homeruns, 62 RBI, and 69 runs scored through 12 games played.
• James Salvatori, the reigning MEC Player of the Week and the NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week, holds the team's top batting average at .381 and adds a .458 on-base percentage, a .952 slugging percentage, and a 1.410 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 16 hits, one double, four triples, five homeruns, 14 RBI, and 13 runs scored.
• Ryan Talbert is also hitting above .300 as he is batting .314 with an on-base percentage of .455, a slugging percentage of .486, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .941. He has notched 11 hits, three doubles, one homerun, eight RBI, and six runs scored.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 7.25, allowing 109 hits and 81 walks, while throwing 51 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .316 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• Tanner Pelaez is 1-2 in his three starts and appearances in 2024, holding an ERA of 6.42, a WHIP of 2.17, and has limited opponents to a batting average of .289. In 12.0 innings pitched he has thrown six strikeouts.
• Ethan Conley has also made three starts and appearances this year, pitching 11.1 innings as he has recorded a 3.09 ERA and adds a 1.85 WHIP. He has struck out a team-high 13 batters.
• Eric Burkle is in his 12^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 224-290 during his time with the Hilltoppers.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE STORYLINES

• West Virginia State enters this weekend's MEC doubleheaders with a record of 6-7 after splitting a doubleheader at Slippery Rock on Friday, March 8, as they fell in game one by a score of 4-2 before winning 5-2 in the second contest.
• As a team, WVSU has hit .232 with 94 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, 13 homeruns, 53 RBI, and 64 runs scored through 13 games played.
• Mike Huber leads the team with a .375 batting average while adding a .479 on-base percentage, a .675 slugging percentage, and a 1.154 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has notched 15 hits, three doubles, three homeruns, 11 RBI, and six runs scored.
• Nathan Paulsen also adds a batting average of more than .300 as he hits .317 with an on-base percentage of .429, a slugging percentage of .512, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .941. He has notched 13 hits, two doubles, two homeruns, seven RBI, and nine runs scored.
• The Yellow Jackets' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 4.67, allowing 104 hits and 43 walks, while throwing 103 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .261 batting average against WVSU pitchers.
• Chris Morris, the reigning MEC Pitcher of the Week, holds a 2.31 ERA and a WHIP of 1.03 while holding batters to an average of .192 at the plate. He has thrown 18 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work on the mound while collecting a 1-1 record.
• Ayden Hodges has posted a 3.98 ERA and a WHIP of 1.23 while holding opponents to a batting average of .203. He has thrown 22 strikeouts while recording a 1-2 mark on the mound in 2024.
• Sean Loyd is in his tenth season as the head coach at West Virginia State with a career record of 236-171 during his time with the Yellow Jackets.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2011 season West Virginia State holds a 14-10 advantage in the series.
• The Hilltoppers and Yellow Jackets split last season's doubleheader in Institute, West Virginia, on March 18, 2023, as WLU won game one by a score of 6-5 before falling 3-2 in game two.

CHARLESTON STORYLINES

• Charleston enters this weekend's MEC doubleheaders with a record of 10-4 after splitting a home doubleheader against Pitt-Johnstown on Sunday, winning game one by a score of 3-2 before falling 10-3 in game two.
• As a team, UC has hit .251 with 103 hits, 28 doubles, four triples, nine homeruns, 76 RBI, and 88 runs scored through 14 games played.
• Casey Finck is the lone Golden Eagle to hit above .300 this season with a batting average of .341 while adding a .431 on-base percentage, a .591 slugging percentage, and a 1.022 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 15 hits, six doubles, one triple, one homerun, nine RBI, and ten runs scored.
• The Golden Eagles' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 4.35, allowing 106 hits and 65 walks, while throwing 114 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .249 batting average against UC pitchers.
• Augstin Dzierwa has made five starts and appearances and recorded a 3-1 mark on the mound. He has posted an ERA of 6.10 with a WHIP of 1.45 and an opponent's batting average of .266. He has struck out 21 battings in 20.2 innings of work.
• In relief Cody Godbold has made seven appearances and thrown 7.2 innings on the mound. He has yet to allow a run, holding a 0.00 ERA, a WHIP of 1.04, and an opponents batting average of .185.
• Dean Peterson is in his first season as the head coach at Charleston with a career record of 10-4 during his time with the Golden Eagles.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2011 season West Liberty holds a 19-17 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Hilltoppers defeated the Golden Eagles 11-8 in the MEC Tournament on May 10, 2023, in Charleston, West Virginia, as they snapped an 11-game losing streak in the series with an 11-8 victory.