West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team continues MEC action on the road as they visit Frostburg State in a battle of north division foes on Sunday, April 7, and Monday, April 8. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats are set for a 1 and 4 p.m. first pitch on both days at Bob Wells Field in Frostburg, Maryland.
GAME DETAILS

• Location: Frostburg, Maryland (Bob Wells Field)
• First Pitch: 1 and 4 p.m. on Sunday and Monday

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters the games with a record of 7-19 (4-8 MEC) after being swept by Glenville State and Concord on the road last weekend. They fell to the Pioneers by scores of 14-1 and 5-4 and lost to the Mountain Lions by scores of 10-2 and 12-5.
• The Hilltoppers are currently in fourth place in the MEC North Division standings.
• As a team, WLU has hit .297 with 221 hits, 48 doubles, nine triples, 24 homeruns, 152 RBI, and 165 runs scored through 26 games played.
• James Salvatori holds a batting average at .385 and adds a .429 on-base percentage, an .896 slugging percentage, and a 1.325 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 37 hits, six doubles, five triples, 11 homeruns, 36 RBI, and 30 runs scored. Salvatori leads the MEC in triples, slugging percentage, homeruns, and RBI while also ranking fourth, fifth, 19^th and 70^th nationally in DII respectively. He has notched a hit in 13 of the last 18 games, including two or more hits in 11 of those contests.
• Jacob Sherman is also hitting above .350 as he is batting .365 with an on-base percentage of .456, a slugging percentage of .500, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .956. He has notched 27 hits, ten doubles, 12 RBI, and 18 runs scored. Sherman has recorded a hit in 17 of the last 21 games he's played in.
• Rounding out the trio of players hitting above .300 is Ryan Talbert as he is batting .329 with an on-base percentage of .469, a slugging percentage of .566, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.035. He has notched 25 hits, seven doubles, one triple, three homeruns, 15 RBI, and 18 runs scored. He recorded two or more hits in five of the last nine games he's played.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff recorded an ERA of 9.76, allowing 269 hits and 154 walks, while throwing 112 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .350 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• Tanner Pelaez is 3-3 in his six starts and appearances in 2024, holding an ERA of 7.00, a WHIP of 2.00, and has limited opponents to a batting average of .314. In 27.0 innings pitched he has thrown ten 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 1-0 in 2024 and holds an ERA of 5.32, a WHIP of 1.94, and has held opponents to a .303 batting average in 23.2 innings of work on the mound. He has struck out ten batters this year.
• Eric Burkle is in his 12^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 228-300 during his time with the Hilltoppers.

FROSTBURG STATE STORYLINES

• Frostburg State enters the 4-game series with a record of 17-7 (10-2 MEC) after sweeping doubleheaders against Davis & Elkins and West Virginia Wesleyan. They defeated the Senators by scores of 8-2 and 13-1, followed by wins of 22-5 and 21-3 over the Bobcats.
• The Bobcats are currently in first place in the MEC North Division standings.
• As a team, FSU has hit .301 with 219 hits, 42 doubles, four triples, 17 homeruns, 164 RBI, and 191 runs scored through 24 games played.
• Mikey Guy leads the team with a batting average of .361, an on-base percentage of .440, a slugging percentage of .458, and on-base plus slugging percentage of .898. He has tallied 26 hits, two doubles, one triple, one homerun, 11 RBI, and 23 runs scored. He has notched a hit in 12 of his last 15 games played.
• Ethan Kiple is also hitting above .350, batting .356 while notching a .426 on-base percentage, a .656 slugging percentage, and a 1.082 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has tallied 32 hits, six doubles, seven homeruns, 28 RBI, and 25 runs scored. He has recorded a hit in four consecutive games and has notched four homeruns in his last three games.
• Rounding out the five Frostburg State players to hit better than .300 on the season are Cy Probst (.348), Ryan Bouma (.348), and Danny Estrada (.307).
• The Bobcats' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 4.46, allowing 197 hits and 84 walks, while throwing 209 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .273 batting average against FSU pitchers.
• With a 4-1 record in seven starts and appearances, Jacob McDonald is the top pitcher for Frostburg State as he has posted an ERA of 4.28, a WHIP of 1.31, and has held opponents to a .286 batting average. He has thrown 26 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work.
• Another key starting pitcher is Max Proctor who holds a 3-1 record in seven starts and appearances. He holds a 5.08 ERA, a 1.69 WHIP, and a .301 opponents batting average in 28.1 innings pitched as he has struck out 26 batters.
• Patrick Bauer is the top relief pitcher for FSU with a 3-1 record in three starts and seven total appearances. He has recorded a 1.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 27 strikeouts, and has held opponents to a .181 batting average in 23.2 innings pitched.
• Anthony Williams is in his fifth season as the head coach at Frostburg State, holding a 101-78 record during his time with the Bobcats. Overall, he is in his 13^th season as a collegiate head coach and has notched a career record of 251-273-1 following previous stops at Pitt-Johnstown and Clarion

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2021 season Frostburg State holds a narrow 7-6 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Bobcats won the most recent match-up on May 12, 2023, in the MEC Tournament as they earned a 10-6 win in Charleston, West Virginia.