West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team will end their road trip with a visit to Shippensburg on Friday, March 8, afternoon in a doubleheader that was picked up midway through the week after cancelations of other contests. The Hilltoppers will then return home to welcome Bluefield State to the Hilltopper Softball Complex for a Saturday, March 9, doubleheader between former WVIAC foes. The action gets underway at 12 p.m. on Friday against the Raiders and at 1 p.m. on Saturday against the Big Blue.

GAME DETAILS

• Friday: 12 and 2 p.m. first pitch at Robb Field in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, against Shippensburg
• Saturday: 1 and 3 p.m. first pitch at the Hilltopper Softball Complex against Bluefield State

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Friday's doubleheader with a 2-10 record on the season following a road sweep of Bowie State on Thursday by scores of 8-5 and 6-4 (6 Innings).
• The Hilltoppers were picked to finish fourth in the North Division of the 2024 MEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll following a third place finish a year ago with a 16-38 (12-20 MEC) record.
• Key position players returning for West Liberty include Kayla Mancuso, who earned Second Team All-MEC honors as an outfielder.
• As a team WLU is hitting .243 with 73 hits, 12 doubles, four homeruns, 29 RBI, and 36 runs scored through 12 games played this season.
• Sydney Johnson leads the team with a .351 batting average while posting an on-base percentage of .400, a slugging percentage of .459, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .859. She has tallied 13 hits, four doubles, one RBI, and has scored four runs.
• Sara Simon is the second player on the team to be hitting above .300 on the season as she is batting .304 with an on-base percentage of .385, a slugging percentage of .391, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .776. She has recorded seven hits, two doubles, and four RBI in 2024.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 5.99, allowing 103 hits and 43 walks, while throwing 51 strikeouts. Opponents hold a .309 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• Kadence Pettit, the 2023 MaxPreps West Virginia Player of the Year has made five starts in six appearances to open her freshman campaign, pitching 24.2 innings thus far. She holds the team's lowest ERA among starting pitchers at 4.82 to go along with a 1.91 WHIP, an opponent's batting average of .314, and 25 strikeouts. With a record of 1-4 on the season she has struck out six or more batters in three games.
• Brooke Perri is the top relief pitcher for WLU with an ERA of 4.42 in four appearances and 6.1 innings pitched. She has recorded a 1-0 record to go along with a WHIP of 2.53 and an opponent's batting average of .323. She has two strikeouts in 2024.
• Sara Pelegreen is in her first season as the head coach at West Liberty with a record of 2-10 with the Hilltoppers. Overall, she is in her fifth season as a collegiate head softball coach and has compiled a career record of 71-140 which includes four prior seasons at Wheeling.

SHIPPENSBURG STORYLINES

• Shippensburg Friday's doubleheader with a record of 7-3 on the season following a home doubleheader sweep of Felician by scores of 7-2 and 14-5 (5 Innings).
• The Raiders finished with a 34-20 (19-13 PSAC) record a year ago, finishing fourth in the east division of the league standings before the season came to an end in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. SU was picked third in the east division of the 2024 PSAC Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll, picking up a pair of first place votes.
• The Raiders return First Team All-PSAC East selection Caitlyn Martell, who was also the PSAC East Freshman of the Year, and Second Team All-PSAC East honorees Morgan Lindsay and Kaira Zamadics.
• As a team, SU has hit .337 with 96 hits, 17 doubles, 13 homeruns, 63 RBI, and 67 runs scored through ten games played this season.
• Martell leads the team at the plate with a .485 battings average, a .595 on-base percentage, a .818 slugging percentage, and a 1.413 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has notched 16 hits, two doubles, three homeruns, eight RBI, and has scored 12 runs.
• The second player above a .400 hitting percentage for Shippensburg is Taylor Myers who is batting .450 to go along with a .488 on-base percentage, a .575 slugging percentage, and a 1.063 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 18 hits, two doubles, one homerun, four RBI, and 12 runs scored.
• The Raiders' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 3.04, allowing 79 hits and 39 walks, while throwing 59 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .275 batting average against SU pitchers.
• Katelyn Minney is the top pitcher for Shippensburg, holding a 1.87 ERA, to go along with a WHIP of 1.07, and an opponent's batting average of .194. She has posted a 2-0 record in two starts and seven appearances as she has thrown 15.0 innings and collected ten strikeouts.
• Another key pitcher to watch for the Raiders is Alicia Ball who holds a .197 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP, and has held opponents to a .252 batting average while recording a 4-1 record in five starts and appearances. She has pitched a team-high 32.0 innings and has notched 36 strikeouts.
• Alison Van Scyoc is in her eighth season as the head coach at Shippensburg with a career record of 180-129 during her time with the Raiders.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2016 season, Shippensburg holds a 4-2 lead in the series.
• The Hilltoppers and the Raiders split the last meeting between the two teams as SU earned a 5-4 win in game one while WLU earned a 5-1 win in game two of a neutral site doubleheader in Glenville, West Virginia, on March 9, 2019.

BLUEFIELD STATE STORYLINES

• Bluefield State enters the weekend with a record of 5-8 on the season following a road split with Bluefield (Va.) on February 20 as they won game one by a score of 18-5 before falling in the second match-up 8-1. The Big Blue will play a home doubleheader against Davis & Elkins before visiting West Liberty on Saturday.
• The Big Blue finished with a 6-36 record a year ago as an independent. BSU was picked tenth overall and sixth in the north division of the 2024 CIAA Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll in their first season in the league.
• As a team BSU has hit .364 with 126 hits, 26 doubles, one triple, one homerun, 83 RBI, and 87 runs scored through 13 games played this season.
• Paige Whittington leads Bluefield State at the plate with a batting average of .545, a .600 on-base percentage, a .659 slugging percentage, and a 1.259 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 24 hits, three doubles, one triple, nine RBI, and 18 runs scored this season.
• Another player to watch at the plate is Madison Rolan who hits .463 with an on-base percentage of .511, a slugging percentage of .634, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.145. She has notched 19 hits, seven doubles, 14 RBI, and 12 runs scored.
• Rounding out a trio of players with batting averages above .400 is Bella Coffman with a hitting percentage of .450 in 2024.
• The Big Blues' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 6.88, allowing 112 hits and 52 walks, while throwing 31 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .335 batting average against BSU pitchers.
• Maggie Mullin is the top pitcher for Bluefield State as she is averaging a 5.37 ERA, a 1.97 WHIP, and is holding opponents to a .336 batting average. She has posted a 2-3 record in five starts and eight appearances in 30.0 innings of work, striking out 11 at the plate.
• Kenndy James is another pitcher to watch as she has recorded a 5.40 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP, and has limited opponents to a .346 batting average. In one start and three appearances she has pitched 11.2 innings and struck out two.
• Chelsea Holliday is in her first season as the head coach at Bluefield State with a record of 5-8 during her time with the Big Blue.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty holds a 3-0 lead in the series since 2011.
• The Hilltoppers and Big Blue last met in a doubleheader on April 27, 2013, in Bluefield, West Virginia, where WLU earned a 9-4 and 5-0 sweep.