West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team will close out a road swing on Wednesday afternoon as they visit Indiana (PA). The Hilltoppers and Crimson Hawks will face off in a single 9-inning contest with a first pitch of 2 p.m. at Owen J. Dougherty Field in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Indiana, Pennsylvania (Owen J. Dougherty Field)
• First Pitch: 2 p.m.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters the games with a record of 7-23 (4-12 MEC) after being swept by Frostburg State in a 4-game series last weekend, falling by scores of 9-3 and 4-1 on Sunday, followed by defeats of 5-2 and 4-1 on Monday.
• The Hilltoppers are currently in fifth place in the MEC North Division standings.
• As a team, WLU has hit .284 with 241 hits, 53 doubles, nine triples, 24 homeruns, 158 RBI, and 172 runs scored through 30 games played.
• James Salvatori holds a batting average at .391 and adds a .429 on-base percentage, an .845 slugging percentage, and a 1.274 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 43 hits, seven doubles, five triples, 11 homeruns, 37 RBI, and 31 runs scored. Salvatori leads the MEC in triples and homeruns ranking fifth and 27^th nationally in DII. Additionally, he ranks second in the MEC in slugging percentage and RBI, ranking sixth and 101^st in the country in those two categories. He has notched a hit in 16 of the last 22 games, including two or more hits in 14 of those contests. On the base paths he is 7-for-9 on stolen base attempts.
• Jacob Sherman is also hitting above .300 as he is batting .333 with an on-base percentage of .434, a slugging percentage of .457, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .891. He has notched 27 hits, ten doubles, 12 RBI, and 18 runs scored. On the base paths he is 4-for-6 on stolen base attempts.
• Rounding out the trio of players hitting .300 or better is Kobe Hill as he is batting .300 to go along with a .411 on-base percentage, a .411 slugging percentage, and an .822 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 27 hits, three doubles, two triples, one homerun, 14 RBI, and 14 runs scored this season. He has recorded a hit in five of his last six games played. On the base paths he is 3-for-4 on stolen base attempts.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 9.36, allowing 301 hits and 173 walks, while throwing 129 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .349 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• Tanner Pelaez is 3-4 in his seven starts and appearances in 2024, holding an ERA of 7.09, a WHIP of 1.97, and has limited opponents to a batting average of .315. In 33.0 innings pitched he has thrown 15 strikeouts.
• Ethan Conley has 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 six batters.
• Jacob Watson is 1-1 in 2024 and holds an ERA of 5.46, a WHIP of 1.96, and has held opponents to a .323 batting average in 29.2 innings of work on the mound. He has struck out 13 batters this year.
• Eric Burkle is in his 12^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 228-304 during his time with the Hilltoppers.

INDIANA [PA] STORYLINES

• Indiana (PA) enters the game with a record of 15-9 (7-5 PSAC) after going 1-3 against Slippery Rock in a 4-game series this past weekend as they dropped games by scores of 5-0 and 9-2 on Saturday before falling 3-2 (8 innings) and winning 5-1 on Sunday.
• The Crimson Hawks are currently in fifth place in the PSAC West Division standings.
• As a team, IUP has hit .268 with 205 hits, 39 doubles, seven triples, eight homeruns, 134 RBI, and 153 runs scored through 24 games played.
• Ricardo Aponte leads the team with a .345 batting average while also notching a .414 on-base percentage, a .476 slugging percentage, and an .890 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 29 hits, six doubles, one triple, one homerun, 19 RBI, and 18 runs scored. He has recorded a hit in ten of his last 12 games played.
• Zach Miller is another player to watch at the plate as he adds a .340 batting average, a .431 on-base percentage, a .360 slugging percentage, and a .791 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 17 hits, one double, five RBI, and 13 runs scored. On the base paths he is 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts.
• Rounding out the trio of Crimson Hawks who are hitting better than .300 is Davin Landers with a .328 batting average, a .353 on-base percentage, a .344 slugging percentage, and a .697 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 21 hits one double, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored. He has recorded a hit in eight of his last 11 games played.
• The Crimson Hawks' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 6.41, allowing 243 hits and 102 walks, while throwing 154 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .310 batting average against IUP pitchers.
• With a 3-1 record in six starts and appearances, Mark Edeburn is the top starting pitcher for Indiana (PA) as he has recorded a 3.79 ERA, a WHIP of 1.17, and has held opponents to a .272 batting average. In 40.1 innings pitched he has thrown three complete games and has notched 22 strikeouts.
• Another starting pitcher to watch is Jake Black who has posted a 3-2 record in five starts and seven appearances while recording an ERA of 5.72, a WHIP of 1.62, and has held opponents to a .304 batting average. He has pitched 28.1 innings and has struck out a team-high 31 batters.
• A key relief pitcher to watch is Casen Sandri who has made six relief appearances and collected a pair of saves in 6.1 innings pitched. He has recorded an ERA of 1.42, a WHIP of 1.89, and has held opponents to a .240 batting average.
• Steve Kline is in his third season as the head coach at Indiana (PA) with a career record of 67-60 during his time with the Crimson Hawks.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2018 season Indiana (PA) holds a 2-1 advantage in the series.
• In a single game on April 13, 2022, at Indiana (PA), the Crimson Hawks earned a 9-7 victory.