Charleston, W. Va – No. 24 Charleston will conclude their regular season this weekend with a four game set against West Virginia State University on Friday and Sunday. The Golden Eagles will look to clinch a MEC regular season championship with at least two wins in the series.
 
Game 1 (7 innings)
Location: Segra Field
Date: Friday, May 5, 2023 | Time: 1:00 pm  | Video | Live Stats
Talent: PxP: Hayden Cartt
 
Game 2 (7 innings)
Location: Segra Field
Date: Friday, May 5, 2023 | Time: 3:30 pm  | Video | Live Stats
Talent: PxP: Hayden Cartt

Game 3 (7 innings)
Location: Calvin L. Bailey Field
Date: Sunday, May 7, 2023 | Time: 1:00 pm  | Video | Live Stats

Game 4 (7 innings)
Location: Calvin L. Bailey Field
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2023 | Time: 3:30 pm  | Video | Live Stats
 
MEC Tournament Seeding Scenarios
 
Seeding scenarios currently favor Charleston in a few regards. Both State and Concord are tied for second in the MEC South Division with conference records of 21-7 while Charleston holds a four-game lead over both at 24-4. Charleston secures top seed in the MEC Tournament with just one win over State. The Yellow Jackets must sweep the weekend to secure the top seed in the tournament. A split from by State and a Concord split with Glenville would also secure State second seed as the Yellow Jackets will have one more win over Charleston than Concord. Concord could retain the second seed only if the Yellow Jackets win the series over Charleston 3-1, and the Mountain Lions sweep Glenville State.
 
Charleston Preview
 
The Golden Eagles have put themselves in a position for a hopefully lengthy postseason run. The latest NCAA Atlantic Region Poll has placed them at No. 4 behind the likes of Millersville, Seton Hill, and East Stroudsburg.
 
Charleston's offense has been the most prolific power hitting team in the Mountain East this season. They boast a .569 slugging percentage which is top five in the country, and a .449 team on base percentage, both top league ranks. Their 63 home runs are second in the league behind Frostburg State and 20 team triples is nine higher than second place Wheeling. With 273 walks, they are top five in division two for walks and eighth in on base percentage.
 
Leading the way offensively is Kyle West. The sophomore from Hedgesville is having an All-American caliber season. He leads the conference in average (.409), slugging (.906), and on base percentage (.544). His .906 slugging percentage is fourth in division two and his 17 home runs are second in the MEC and tied for 13^th in division two. With 15 doubles, four triples, 15 doubles, 57 runs, and 49 RBI, West is a sure-fire pick for MEC Player of the Year.
 
He is tailed closely by a Preseason All-American selection in Tyler Dellerman. The graduate student is leading the league with 58 runs, and 56 RBI. He is second in slugging percentage (.801), and OPS (1.306). His 16 home runs are third in the MEC and top 20 in division two.
 
Possibly Charleston's hottest hitter in the last few weeks has been sophomore Giano Zuccaro. In his last 17 games he has had a hit in 16 of them and has gone 29 for 60 (.483) with 25 RBI, 24 runs, three home runs, seven doubles, and eight walks.
 
Charleston pitching has been stellar this season as well. They boast a 4.43 team ERA which is second best in the MEC. With 408 strikeouts as a team and an opponent batting average of just .238, the staff has plenty of swing and miss stuff in their arsenal. They rank second in the country in strikeouts per nine at 10.8.
 
Leading the way in strikeouts is junior right hander Dane Sykes. He has fanned 72 through 52 innings with a 5.19 ERA. Last weekend against Concord he picked up his third win on the hill, striking out a season high 11 in his first complete game of the season.
 
Cole Peschl, who was a mainstay in the Golden Eagle bullpen in 2022, transitioned into hybrid role midway through the season. His last start was against West Virginia Wesleyan, where he fanned nine in five innings. He has held opponents to a .207 average and has collected 51 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work, good enough for a team best 13.4 K/9.
 
Owen MacNeil has emerged late in the season as a solid reliever out of the pen. He boasts a respectable 3.50 ERA and has 13 strikeouts in 18 innings.
 
West Virginia State Preview
 
The Yellow Jackets enter Friday 27-17 overall and in a tie for second in the MEC at 21-7 in conference play. Tyler Overaitis leads the team with a .364 average to go along with six doubles and six home runs. Conner Fizer has hit a team best 10 home runs and 11 doubles pairing with his .344 average and 1.100 OPS.
 
Tyler Lafferty has a team best 1.96 ERA. The Yellow Jacket aces has started in eight games and is 4-2 with 50 strikeouts in 46.0 innings. Opponents are hitting just .188 against Lafferty with just ten extra base hits.
 
Chase Norris and Nick Loftis have a combined record of 9-5 with 44 and 47 strikeouts respectively.