The first day of the MEC baseball tournament started with a number of upsets, as Alderson Broaddus defeated South Division winner W.Va. State 6-5.
That was followed by North Division winner Wheeling U getting hammered by Concord, No. 3 from the South Division, 15-1.
Then, in a meeting between No. 2s Charleston (South) and West Liberty (North), UC erupted for 18 runs in an 18-1 win.
Wheeling previously was 3-0 against the Mountain Lions during the regular season, winning by a combined total of 26-14, including a 13-6 win back on March 22. Concord, led by the MEC Player of the Year, was slightly improved come tournament time.
West Liberty, meanwhile, fell to 0-4 against Charleston on the season. UC was the one team the Hilltopper couldn’t figure out all season, as the Golden Eagles outscored the ’Toppers 45-3 in four games.
Normally you don’t expect a meeting between No. 1 seeds in the first round of the elimination bracket, but that’s the fate that befell both Wheeling and W.Va. State. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they fell again, this time 6-3.
West Liberty faired better in its next game, handing A-B its first loss with a 10-4 decision. Logan Grimm secured the win for WLU, fanning six and walking four in 6 1/3 innings. Offensively, Colton Coss, Chad Matthus, and Isaac Rine all drove in two runs apiece.
The Hilltoppers were no match for State on Saturday, however, as the Yellow Jackets prevailed 8-1.
State advanced to today’s championship round, where it handed Concord its first loss in the early game, setting up a winner-take-all matchup that is currently underway.
Eight from MEC Earn All-Region
Eight representatives from the Mountain East earned a spot on the All-Atlantic softball team, including first teamers Makenzie Amend from conference champion West Liberty and Dani Bauer of Charleston.
The Hilltoppers’ Annie Patterson and Kat Donzella were named second team, as were Frostburg State’s Shawna Leonard, Charleston’s Hannah Rose, and Concord’s Laura Thompson.
The NCAA Division II tournament selection show is tonight at 10 p.m. and West Liberty is waiting to find out their postseason fate. After the live announcement, you can view the updated bracket here.
Lewicki Named Coach of the Year
Wheeling U coach Ryan Lewicki helped lead the Cardinals to a program-best record and, in the process, earned MEC Coach of the Year honors in just his third season with the program.
The Cardinals’ previous season high for wins was 19 and came in 2012. This season, WU finished 27-14 and won the MEC North Division.
Joining Lewicki on first team all-MEC were five of his players: Luis Dominguez, Jacob Murray, Chris Ianzetta, Jared Naida, and Albert Baez. Also making first team was West Liberty’s Ty Helmke.
Murray is a sophomore infielder from Linsly. He finished second on the team in batting with a .365 average.
The Cardinals’ Riley Cameron made second team, as did West Liberty’s Ian Brady, while WLU’s Kaden Blomquist and Wheeling’s Jack Skantze and Logan Pillars were honorable mention.
Charleston’s Mitchell Vincent was the Freshman of the Year while teammate Logan Campbell was Pitcher of the Year. Concord’s Anthony Stehlin was named Player of the Year.
Grimm Earns Final POY Honors
West Liberty junior Logan Grimm earned the final Pitcher of the Week award from the MEC after throwing a one-hitter against Wheeling University.
Grimm struck out nine while walking three, yielding only a first-inning single. He finished his junior campaign with an 7-2 record in 10 starts, posting a 3.73 ERA, good for second-best in the Hilltoppers rotation.
He led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts.
Weekly Conference Honors
The following athletes were honored last week by the MEC as the top performers in their respective sports:
| Players of the Week |
| Baseball: Anthony Stehlin, Concord; Logan Grimm, West Liberty |
Note: The MEC Notebook highlights the top news and notes from around the Mountain East Conference.
