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Hilltoppers Open MEC Tournament Action Against No. 11 Charleston

5/1/2024 10:07:00 AM

West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team will open up their postseason run at the 2024 MEC Softball Tournament on Wednesday afternoon as they face No. 11 Charleston, the MEC South Division Champions. The Hilltoppers will make their fifth consecutive appearance in the league tournament as they are set for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch against the Golden Eagles on field three of the Botetourt Softball Complex in Troutville, Virginia.  The winner/loser of the WLU and UC round one match-up will face the respective winner/loser of the Frostburg State versus Davis & Elkins match-up on Thursday afternoon.

GAME DETAILS
  • Location: Troutville, Va. (Botetourt Softball Complex)
  • First Pitch: 5:30 p.m.
WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES
  • West Liberty enters the MEC Tournament with an 18-32 (11-17 MEC) record on the season after splitting a doubleheader at Salem and being swept at Notre Dame. The Hilltoppers fell in game one to the Tigers on Friday by a score of 2-1 before bouncing back to win 5-1. WLU then dropped Saturday's contests by scores of 7-0 and 6-3 to NDC.
  • The Hilltoppers ended the regular season in fourth place in the MEC North Division standings and secured the north's No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. The Black & Gold will make their fifth consecutive appearance and sixth overall in the MEC Softball Tournament as they hold a 12-7 record with championships in 2019 and 2021.
  • With the announcement of the 2024 all-conference teams, Jaden Conrad earned All-MEC First Team honors while Kadence Pettit was named All-MEC Second Team.
  • As a team, WLU is hitting .268 with 357 hits, 60 doubles, four triples, 16 homeruns, 153 RBI, and 181 runs scored through 50 games played this season.
  • Conrad leads the team with a .362 batting average while also posting a .433 on-base percentage, a .514 slugging percentage, and a .947 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 50 hits, nine doubles, four homeruns, 26 RBI, and 28 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in 28 of the last 35 games she has competed in. On the base paths she is 8-of-9 on stolen base attempts.
  • Kayla Mancuso is second on the team in hitting percentage, batting .357, with an on-base percentage of .451, a slugging percentage of .421, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .872. She has tallied 50 hits, six doubles, one homerun, 13 RBI, and 35 runs scored. Mancuso has notched a hit in 17 consecutive games played and in 33 of the last 37 contests she has appeared in. On the base paths she is 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts.
  • Sara Simon adds a .340 batting average while posting an on-base percentage of .371, a slugging percentage of .451, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .822. She has tallied 49 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, one homerun, 24 RBI, and 16 runs scored. At the plate she has recorded a hit in 20 of the last 25 games she has played in. On the base paths she is 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts.
  • The Hilltoppers' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 4.84, allowing 378 hits and 128 walks, while throwing 173 strikeouts. Opponents hold a .278 batting average against WLU pitchers.
  • Kadence Pettit, the 2023 MaxPreps West Virginia Player of the Year, has made 19 starts in 24 appearances during her freshman campaign, pitching a team-high 121.0 innings with ten complete games and one shutout. She holds a team-low ERA of 3.79 to go along with a 1.40 WHIP, an opponent's batting average of .256, and 81 strikeouts. With a record of 10-11 on the season she has struck out five or more batters in eight games.
  • Madison Angus holds an ERA of 5.04 while recording a WHIP of 1.56 and has held opponents to a .279 batting average. She has totaled 84.0 innings pitched to go along with four complete games in 17 starts and 23 appearances while she has recorded a 1-10 record. She has thrown 25 strikeouts on the year and has recorded a season-high of three on two occasions.
  • Ashlyn Tapman is another key pitcher to watch for WLU, totaling 69.2 innings pitched in ten games started and 21 appearances in 2024 for a record of 3-8. She has recorded an ERA of 5.04, a WHIP of 1.48, and an opponent's batting average of .262. She has thrown a total of 48 strikeouts this season and has recorded six or more on three occasions, including a season-high of seven in a win over West Virginia Wesleyan.
  • Sara Pelegreen is in her first season as the head coach at West Liberty with a record of 18-32 with the Hilltoppers. Overall, she is in her fifth season as a collegiate head softball coach and has compiled a career record of 87-162 which includes four prior seasons at Wheeling.
#11 CHARLESTON STORYLINES
  • Charleston enters the MEC Tournament with a 41-4 (27-3 MEC) record on the season following a pair of road splits at Frostburg State and Fairmont State this past weekend. On Friday the Golden Eagles dropped game one to the Bobcats by a score of 7-5 before regrouping for an 8-3 win in game two. On Sunday UC also dropped game one to the Falcons by a score of 2-1 before earning an 11-2 victory in the regular season finale.
  • The Golden Eagles ended the regular season as champions of the MEC South Division and secured the south's No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. UC will make their fifth consecutive appearance and ninth overall in the MEC Softball Tournament as they hold a 13-15 record with one championship in 2023.
  • Charleston is currently the lone MEC team ranked in the NFCA NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll, appearing at No. 11 nationally for the second consecutive week on Tuesday afternoon. In the latest NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, the Golden Eagles appeared at No. 3 in the Atlantic Region on April 21.
  • Headlining Tuesday's all-conference awards was Hannah Rose who was selected as the MEC Player of the Year, Brianna McCown was named the MEC Pitcher of the Year, and Michelle Frew was named the MEC Coach of the Year. Players named to the All-MEC First Team for Charleston were Hannah Meyer, Allysa Lake, Rose, Bella Andujar, Alli Rubal, Chloe Elliott, and McCown.
  • As a team, UC is hitting .351 with 407 hits, 74 doubles, six triples, 48 homeruns, 283 RBI, and 310 runs scored through 45 games played this season.
  • Rose leads the team with a .486 batting average while also adding a .547 on-base percentage, a .733 slugging percentage, and a 1.280 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 71 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, six homeruns, 31 RBI, and 62 runs scored. Rose has recorded a hit in 33 consecutive games, with 20 multi-hit games. On the base paths she is 32-of-33 on stolen base attempts.
  • Rubal adds a batting average of .422, an on-base percentage of .463, a slugging percentage of .532, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .995. She has tallied 46 hits, three doubles, three homeruns, 30 RBI, and 38 runs scored. On the base paths she is 15-of-17 on stolen base attempts.
  • Lake (.397), Andujar (.375), and Meyer (.312) add batting averages above .300 in the UC line-up.
  • The Golden Eagles' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 1.60, allowing 204 hits and 140 walks, while throwing 328 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .193 batting average against UC pitchers.
  • Elliot leads all starting pitchers with a low ERA of 1.33 while also adding a WHIP of 0.94 and has held opponents to a .218 batting average. In 79.0 innings pitched she has posted a 9-0 record in 18 appearances and 15 starts, throwing seven complete games with four solo shutouts and a save. During the 2024 season she has notched 54 strikeouts.
  • In 30 appearances and 23 games started, McCown has pitched a team-high 161.0 innings with 22 complete games and nine shutouts. She has posted an ERA of 1.65, a WHIP of 0.84, and has held opponents to a .190 batting average while striking out 218 batters. McCown has a record of 26-3 on the season.
  • Michelle Frew is in her third season as the head coach at Charleston with a record of 114-39 during her time with the Golden Eagles. Overall, she is in her 28th season as a collegiate head softball coach with a career record of 992-406-1 following a 25 year stint at Rollins.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Since 2011 Charleston holds a 21-7 lead in the series.
  • The Golden Eagles swept this year's regular season doubleheader in Charleston with walk-off wins by scores of 4-2 and 1-0 on March 24.
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