Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

West Liberty University Athletics

Scoreboard

University logo on load main
Kadence Pettit vs. Indianapolis
Olivia Bernola

West Liberty Looks to Continue Cinderella Run on Day Three of MEC Tournament

5/3/2024 9:30:00 AM

West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team made a big statement on Thursday afternoon as they avoided elimination against the top-2 teams in the MEC North Division with a pair of 2-1 victories to advance to day three of the conference tournament. The Hilltoppers will square off against Davis & Elkins, the No. 3 seed from the south division, in what is yet another win or go home elimination game at the Botetourt Softball Complex. WLU and D&E is set for a 12 p.m. first pitch on Friday, May 3. The winner will advance to the final game of the day, and a chance to punch their ticket to the league tournament title game as they face the loser of No. 11 Charleston and Notre Dame in a 2:30 p.m. match-up to round out the afternoon.

GAME DETAILS
  • Location: Troutville, Va. (Botetourt Softball Complex)
  • First Pitch (vs. Davis & Elkins): 12 p.m.
  • First Pitch (IF WIN vs. D&E, vs. No. 11 Charleston or Notre Dame): 2:30 p.m.
WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES
  • West Liberty enters day three with a 20-33 (11-17 MEC) record on the season after taking down the MEC North Division's top-2 teams in elimination contests on Thursday, defeating Frostburg State by a score of 2-1 and winning 2-1 (8 Innings) against Fairmont State.
  • 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 14-8 record in tournament match-ups 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 .264 with 371 hits, 63 doubles, four triples, 16 homeruns, 154 RBI, and 185 runs scored through 53 games played this season.
  • Conrad leads the team with a .358 batting average while also posting a .429 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, and a .929 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 53 hits, nine doubles, four homeruns, 26 RBI, and 28 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in 15 of the last 20 games she has appeared 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 .345, with an on-base percentage of .446, a slugging percentage of .405, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .851. She has tallied 51 hits, six doubles, one homerun, 13 RBI, and 35 runs scored. Mancuso saw a 17 game hit streak come to an end in the opening round of the MEC Tournament, but has notched a hit in 34 of the last 40 contests she has appeared in. On the base paths she is 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts.
  • Sara Simon adds a .323 batting average while posting an on-base percentage of .352, a slugging percentage of .426, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .778. She has tallied 50 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, one homerun, 24 RBI, and 16 runs scored. At the plate she has recorded a hit in 21 of the last 28 games she has played in. On the base paths she is 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.
  • The Hilltoppers' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 4.76, allowing 396 hits and 140 walks, while throwing 177 strikeouts. Opponents hold a .276 batting average against WLU pitchers.
  • Kadence Pettit, the 2023 MaxPreps West Virginia Player of the Year, has made 21 starts in 26 appearances during her freshman campaign, pitching a team-high 131.0 innings with 11 complete games and one shutout. She holds a team-low ERA of 3.64 to go along with a 1.42 WHIP, an opponent's batting average of .251, and 83 strikeouts. With a record of 11-12 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.
  • Leah Alford has posted a 5.09 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP, and has held opponents to a .297 batting average in her five starts and 15 appearances this season. She has notched a record of 4-3 with three complete games in 40.2 innings pitched, tallying 15 strikeouts, including a season-high of four in a home game against Salem.
  • Sara Pelegreen is in her first season as the head coach at West Liberty with a record of 20-33 with the Hilltoppers. Overall, she is in her fifth season as a collegiate head softball coach and has compiled a career record of 89-163 which includes four prior seasons at Wheeling.
DAVIS & ELKINS STORYLINES
  • Davis & Elkins enters day three with a 29-25 (14-16 MEC) record on the season after falling to No. 11 Charleston by a score of 6-0 in the first game of the day on Thursday before fending off Glenville State by a score of 9-6 in an elimination game at the MEC Tournament.
  • The Senators ended the regular season in third place in the MEC South Division standings and secured the south's No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. D&E will make their third consecutive appearance and third overall in the MEC Softball Tournament since joining the league as they hold a 5-5 record in tournament match-ups.
  • With the announcement of the 2024 all-conference teams, Sharon Morales and Sammie Jarvis earned All-MEC First Team honors while Linzey Allard and Lilly Saucedo were named All-MEC Second Team.
  • As a team, D&E is hitting .275 with 407 hits, 74 doubles, seven triples, 42 homeruns, 246 RBI, and 274 runs scored through 54 games played this season.
  • Allard leads the team with a .359 batting average, a .413 on-base percentage, a .594 slugging percentage, and a 1.007 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 61 hits, nine doubles, two triples, nine homeruns, 51 RBI, and 44 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in 24 of her last 27 games played in. On the base paths she is 17-of-17 on stolen base attempts.
  • Saucedo is another player to watch with a .354 batting average, a .396 on-base percentage, a .474 slugging percentage, and an .870 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 62 hits, 12 doubles, three homeruns, 38 RBI, and 25 runs scored this season.
  • Rounding out the group of five players hitting above .300 is Morales (.323), Jules Gutierrez (.320), and Ashlyn Zapach (.303).
  • The Senators' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 4.13, allowing 434 hits and 157 walks, while throwing 289 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .297 batting average against D&E pitchers.
  • The top pitcher to watch for D&E is Jarvis who holds the lowest ERA on the team at 3.01, while adding a WHIP of 1.36, an opponent's batting average of .248, and has recorded 163 strikeouts. She has recorded six or more strikeouts in 14 contests, including four games of 12 or more. In 144.1 innings pitched she has posted a record of 17-5 with 15 complete games pitched and three shutouts while making 19 starts in 29 total appearances.
  • Another pitcher to watch is Vanessa Hunt who is 9-8 on the year in 20 starts and 26 total appearances as she has pitched ten complete games and one shutout. She has recorded an ERA of 3.28, a WHIP of 1.60, an opponent's batting average of .306, and 65 strikeouts. She has thrown four or more strikeouts in seven games.
  • Elle Fracker is in her fourth season as the head coach at Davis & Elkins with a record of 95-99 during her time with the Senators. Overall, she is in her tenth season as a collegiate head softball coach and has posted a career record of 194-292 while making prior stops at Valley City State and Fort Lewis.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Since the 2011 season, West Liberty holds a 9-6 advantage in the series.
  • In this season's doubleheader on April 13 in Elkins, West Virginia, the teams earned a split as D&E won game one by a score of 4-2 and WLU took game two by a score of 9-3.
POTENTIAL FIFTH ROUND OPPONENTS
#11 CHARLESTON STORYLINES
  • Charleston enters day three with a 43-4 (27-3 MEC) record on the season after a 6-0 win over Davis & Elkins in yesterday's second round match-up in the MEC Tournament.
  • 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 15-15 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. 2 in the Atlantic Region on May 1.
  • 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 .353 with 427 hits, 78 doubles, six triples, 49 homeruns, 298 RBI, and 325 runs scored through 47 games played this season.
  • Rose leads the team with a .493 batting average while also adding a .559 on-base percentage, a .747 slugging percentage, and a 1.306 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 74 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, six homeruns, 32 RBI, and 66 runs scored. Rose has recorded a hit in 35 consecutive games, with 21 multi-hit games. On the base paths she is 34-of-36 on stolen base attempts.
  • Rubal adds a batting average of .435, an on-base percentage of .477, a slugging percentage of .539, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.016. She has tallied 50 hits, three doubles, three homeruns, 32 RBI, and 40 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in four of the last five games she has appeared in. On the base paths she is 15-of-17 on stolen base attempts.
  • Lake (.387), Andujar (.384), and Meyer (.313) add batting averages above .300 in the UC line-up.
  • The Golden Eagles' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 1.53, allowing 207 hits and 51 walks, while throwing 344 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .189 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 32 appearances and 25 games started, McCown has pitched a team-high 173.0 innings with 24 complete games and 11 shutouts. She has posted an ERA of 1.54, a WHIP of 0.81, and has held opponents to a .183 batting average while striking out 234 batters. McCown has a record of 28-3 on the season.
  • Michelle Frew is in her third season as the head coach at Charleston with a record of 116-39 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 994-406-1 following a 25 year stint at Rollins.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Since 2011 Charleston holds a 22-7 lead in the series.
  • In the last meeting between the teams, the Golden Eagles earned a 9-0 (5 innings) win in the first round of the MEC Tournament on May 1, 2024, at the Botetourt Softball Complex in Troutville, Virginia.
NOTRE DAME STORYLINES
  • Notre Dame enters the second day of the MEC Tournament with a 35-22 (14-14 MEC) record on the season after a second round win over Fairmont State by a score of 3-1 on Thursday afternoon. The Falcons have won six consecutive games and seven of their last eight games.
  • The Falcons ended the regular season in third place in the MEC North Division standings and secured the north's No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. NDC will make their tenth consecutive appearance and tenth overall in the MEC Softball Tournament as they hold a 14-17 record in tournament match-ups with a championship in 2015.
  • With the announcement of the 2024 all-conference teams, Katelyn Deweese and Grace Fisher were named to the All-MEC Second Team.
  • As a team NDC is hitting .276 with 418 hits, 82 doubles, 18 triples, 13 homeruns, 235 RBI, and 274 runs scored through 57 games played this season.
  • DeWeese leads the team with a .324 batting average, a .440 on-base percentage, a .453 slugging percentage, and an .893 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 55 hits, ten doubles, six triples, 20 RBI, and 46 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in 12 of her last 15 games played. On the base paths she is 29-of-34 on stolen base attempts.
  • Jocelyn Quior adds a .324 batting average to go along with a .345 on-base percentage, a .467 slugging percentage, and an .812 on-base plus slugging percentage. She has tallied 34 hits, nine doubles, two homeruns, and 24 runs scored. She has recorded a hit in six consecutive games she has played in. On the base paths she is 12-of-14 on stolen base attempts.
  • Rounding out a total of four NDC players hitting above .300 are Meadow Odum (.320) and Destany Blake (.302).
  • The Falcons' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 3.73, allowing 394 hits and 131 walks, while throwing 317 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .259 batting average against NDC pitchers.
  • Allison Weilnau is Notre Dame's top pitcher, holding a 3.12 ERA, a WHIP of 1.41, and has held opponents to a .265 batting average. She has struck out 77 batters in 144.1 innings of work and has collected a 13-9 record to go along with 11 complete games and one shutout.
  • Another key starting pitcher to watch is Fisher as she holds a 3.21 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and has held opponents to a .229 batting average. She has struck out 194 batters in 179.2 innings of work in the circle as she has posted an 18-10 record in 19 complete games and six shutouts.
  • The top relief pitcher for NDC is Madison Olszewski who has posted a 2.49 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP while holding opponents to .278 batting at the plate. She has thrown 21 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work in the circle, notching a 3-1 record as well as three saves.
  • Kelsey Stopp is in her sixth season as the head coach at Notre Dame with a career record of 127-142 during her time with the Falcons.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Since the 2014 season Notre Dame holds a 22-19 lead in the series, however West Liberty has won nine of the last 13 contests.
  • The Falcons swept the most recent doubleheader on April 27 in South Euclid, Ohio, by scores of 7-0 and 6-3.
Print Friendly Version