West Liberty, W.Va. – In what was set to be home opening weekend, the West Liberty University baseball team is now set to battle Lake Erie in a pair of Friday and Sunday neutral site doubleheaders. The Hilltoppers and Storm will open the 4-game series with a pair of games in Cadiz, Ohio, on Friday, and then will close the series with the final two games on Sunday at Wheeling Park High School.

GAME DETAILS

• Friday: 12 and 3 p.m. first pitch at Mazeroski Field in Cadiz, Ohio
• Sunday: 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch at Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, West Virginia

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters this weekend's 4-game series with a record of 2-6 after being swept by Pitt-Johnstown in Beckley, West Virginia, on Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3. The Hilltoppers fell to the Mountain Cats by scores of 15-4, 7-3, 4-1, and 14-7 (8 Inn.).
• The Hilltoppers were picked to finish third in the North Division of the 2024 MEC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, totaling 33 points and a pair of first place votes, after they went 21-30 (15-15 MEC) during the 2023 season as they finished third in the MEC North Division and advanced to their eighth conference tournament appearance in the past 11 years.
• As a team WLU has hit .273 with 59 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, five homeruns, 35 RBI, and 41 runs scored through eight games played.
• West Liberty returns seven of their eight starting position players from a year ago, which includes Jacob Sherman who was Honorable Mention All-MEC in 2023 and Will Balgo who was the MEC Freshman of the Year in 2023 and was named Preseason Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Region by the NCBWA entering 2024.
• Sherman is the top player at the plate for WLU through eight games, hitting .391 with a .516 on-base percentage, a .609 slugging percentage, and a 1.125 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied a team-high of nine hits with five doubles and has drawn six walks. He has recorded two RBI and has scored eight of his own.
• James Salvatori holds the top slugging percentage on the team at .630 as he has recorded four extra base hits with a pair of triples and home runs. He has notched a .259 hitting percentage, a .375 on-base percentage, and a1.005 on-base plus slugging percentage.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 6.62, allowing 68 hits and 55 walks, while throwing 29 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .301 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• On the mound for the Hilltoppers, Drake Dobson and Ethan Conley are the top two returning starters while five key relief pitchers are back.
• Tanner Pelaez has emerged as a starter this season as he is 1-1 in his two appearances, holding an ERA of 3.28, a WHIP of 1.69, and has limited opponents to a batting average of .237. In 10.2 innings pitched he has thrown five strikeouts.
• In relief Jacob Watson has thrown 4.2 innings in three appearances, holding an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 2.36. He has allowed only one earned run this season.
• Eric Burkle is in his 12^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 223-287 during his time with the Hilltoppers.

LAKE ERIE STORYLINES

• Lake Erie enters this weekend's 4-game series with a record of 4-5 this season after taking two of three games at Clarion on Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3. The Storm defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 and 5-3 before falling 5-4.
• The Storm were picked to finish tied for 13^th in the 2024 GMAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, after posting a 7-40 (6-26 GMAC) record in 2023 and finished sixth in the GMAC North Division standings.
• As a team, LEC has hit .254 with 68 hits, 11 doubles, four homeruns, 39 RBI, and 47 runs scored through nine games played this season.
• Mannuk Cadiz leads the team with a batting average of .364 while adding an on-base percentage of .440, a slugging percentage of .545, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .985. He has tallied eight hits, one double, one homerun, six RBI, and has scored five runs this season.
• Zimba Cadiz (.333) and Israel Espinosa (.308) round out a trio of batters who hit above .300 on the year. The pair has connected on eight hits apiece in 2024.
• The Storm's pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 5.97, allowing 77 hits and 39 walks, while throwing 55 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .295 batting average against LEC pitchers.
• Dominic Poltrone, the reigning GMAC Pitcher of the Week, is the top player for Lake Erie on the mound. He has posted an ERA of 2.76 and a WHIP of 0.86 while limiting opponents to a .169 batting average. In three starts and appearances, he has recorded a 2-0 record in 16.1 innings of work, throwing 18 strikeouts in the process.
• Another starter to watch for the Storm is Robert Helt who is 2-1 on the year in three starts and appearances. He has posted an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.75 while limiting opponents to a .300 batting average. In 16.0 innings of work he has thrown 16 strikeouts.
• In relief, AJ Dallmayer has pitched 4.1 innings and has recorded a pair of saves in three appearances. He holds a 2.08 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and has limited opponents to a .235 batting average. He has notched three strikeouts in his appearances.
• Landon Hutchison is in his third season as the head coach at Lake Erie, posting a career record of 17-82 during his time with the Storm.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and Lake Erie last met on the baseball diamond in a doubleheader on March 16, 2010, with the teams earning a split.
• The Storm earned a 12-3 win in game one, but the Hilltoppers responded with a 6-2 victory in game two in a mid-week neutral site doubleheader in Chillicothe, Ohio.