Mansfield doubleheader postponed
March 3, 2006
West Virginia Wesleyan's doubleheader versus Mansfield University scheduled for Saturday, March 4, has been postponed.
The teams will try to play two of the originally scheduled three games on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
‘Cats drop opener at Shepherd
March 3, 2006 - Box Score
SHEPERDSTOWN, W.Va.—The Shepherd University Rams (6-2, 0-0) used four home runs and a solid six innings from starter Scott McCormick to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan (0-1, 0-0),7-5, on Wednesday afternoon.
The teams were originally scheduled for a doubleheader but weather conditions allowed just one, nine-inning game to be played.
Shepherd scratched an early run across in the first inning but Wesleyan responded with a run of their own in the third.
Following another Shepherd run in the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats grabbed a 3-2 lead with two runs in the top of the fifth.
The Rams regained the lead and won with four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Scott McCormick (2-1) picked up his second win of the season for Shepherd. McCormick threw six innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits.
Senior Art Yerecic (Export, Pa.) took the loss after giving up six runs, five earned, over 4.1 innings pitched.
Dirk Webb pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save of the season. Webb also led the Rams offense going 2-for-3 with a homerun and three RBI.
Joe Cook provided a spark for Shepherd by hitting his seventh double and second homerun of the season. Cook was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Nicky Brown and Andrew McCormick hit Shepherd’s other two homeruns. All four of the Rams’ long balls were hit far enough to make it over the 330-foot power alley in left center.
The Bobcat offense swung the sticks well in their first game of the year. It was also just the second time the team had been outside since the fall.
Junior Eric Stettnisch (Woodbury, N.J.) was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Stettnisch was the only player to record more than one hit for Wesleyan.
Jake Driggers (Plant City, Fla.) drove in two runs on a pinch-hit single.
Second baseman Justin Rozich (Elkins) and shortstop Bobby Prim (Morgantown) each collected one hit and scored twice.
Wesleyan will face Mansfield University in 12:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ellis Field on Sunday, March 5. The teams were originally scheduled to play two games on Saturday and one on Sunday but field conditions have postponed the games until Sunday.
2006 Season Outlook
February 27, 2006
West Virginia Wesleyan will look to build around a lineup that boasts seven seniors and a pitching staff regarded as one of the best in the North Atlantic region in order to make it back to the WVIAC Tournament in Princeton, West Virginia.
Wesleyan’s major offensive strength will be the right side of the infield. Senior second baseman Justin Rozich (Elkins) (.377/4/29) and junior first baseman Eric Stettnisch (Woodbury, N.J.) (.379/6/31) accounted for nearly 30 percent of the club’s RBI and 10 of the team’s 17 homeruns in 2005.
Stettnisch led the Bobcats with a .379 average and was also first in homeruns (6), RBI (31), and slugging percentage (.642). He was named the first team All-WVIAC designated hitter.
Rozich returns after his second straight All-WVIAC season. He has been named the conference’s second-team second baseman for the past two years. Last year he led the Bobcats and was seventh in the WVIAC with a .481 on-base percentage. His three triples tied him with Bobby Prim for the team lead and gave him a career total of 11. He now sits just five triples behind Troy Robert’s (1990-93) career record of 16. In addition, Justin was second on the team in hits (40), home runs (4), RBI (29), and slugging percentage (.585). Only graduated senior Ricky Bergen had more hits (47). Justin finished behind Stettnisch in the remaining three categories.
Senior shortstop Bobby Prim (Morgantown) (.264/0/12) and senior catcher Steve Holdsworth (Morgantown) (.315/1/15) also return up the middle for the ‘Cats.
Prim drew a team-best 21 walks and connected for a team-leading three triples last season. Holdsworth did not record a single error in 177 chances.
Outfielders Mike Jackanich (Pacifica, Calif.) (.353/0/15) and Christian Rosado (Deltona, Fla.) (.254/0/13) return to their starting positions in left and right, respectively. Jackanich’s .571 average (12-for-21) with runners in scoring position was tops on the ‘Cats.
Junior Nick Newberry (Peterstown) (.297/0/8) and senior Marc Kimes (Vienna) will also see time in the outfield in 2006.
Senior Art Yerecic (Export, Pa.) (4.30/6-1/46.0) and junior Josh Norman (Wheeling) (3.77/3-3/45.1) anchor one of the top pitching staffs in the North Atlantic Region. The two upperclassmen, along with freshman standout Craig Hriblan (Martin, Pa.) (3.00/3-1, 7 SV/21.), return to lead a staff that finished third in the WVIAC in ERA last year. Wesleyan’s cumulative 4.90 ERA fell just short of Davis & Elkins’ 3.98 and conference champion West Virginia State’s 4.73.
Yerecic’s six wins was the most by any Bobcat pitcher. The senior also walked just eight batters and struck out 35 in his team-leading 46.0 innings pitched. He was named to All-WVIAC second team for his efforts.
Aside from tying Yerecic for the team lead in complete games (3), Norman ended 2005 second on Wesleyan in wins (3), strikeouts (37) and innings pitched (45.1).
Freshman Craig Hriblan (3.00/3-1, 7/21.0) moves into the starting rotation in 2006. As a freshman Hriblan led the ‘Cats in appearances (14) and saves (7). His seven saves tied him for the league lead, placed him 18th in the nation, and positioned him just three behind Joe Honce’s (1990-93) team-record 10 career saves.
Juniors Aaron Gallagher (Bridgeport) (3.79/2-1/19.0), Stettnisch (6.12/2-1/25.0), and Jason Kelley (Buckhannon) (6.08/0-0/13.1) are pitchers that will also see time on the mound in either a starting or relieving role.
Gallagher finished fourth on Wesleyan with a 3.79 ERA. Kelley fired a five-inning no-hitter against Point Park College last season.
Aside from finishing third in ERA, Wesleyan’s staff also led the West Virginia Conference in earned runs (149) and walks allowed (88). The ‘Cats will need performances such as these if they intend to reel off wins like they did at the end of last season. Winning 19 of their final 25 games, including a stretch in which they won eight in a row and 13 of 14, the Bobcats finished 14-4 in games decided by three runs or less. The team was 8-3 in one-run games. In 2006 the ‘Cats may use their staff to capacity by playing for that one run.
Newcomers Chris Cole (Sanford, Fla.) (3B) and Tyler Phares (Elkins) (P) are two of the team’s most promising freshman. Head coach Randy Tenney is seeking a significant contribution from each player.
Despite losing one of their top hitters in Ricky Bergen (.370/2/22) and their probable ace, David Beach (2.61/3-1/38.0), head coach Randy Tenney’s major concern is dealing with a schedule that features five teams receiving national consideration in preseason polls:
West Virginia State University - 6th in NCAA Div. II (44-16 in 2005)
Mansfield University (Pa.) - received votes in NCAA Div. II (28-18)
Bellevue University (Neb.) - 7th in NAIA (54-14)
Ohio Dominican University - 11th in NAIA (47-18)
Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) - received votes in NAIA (40-12)
“We certainly have a tough schedule ahead of us this season. There is no area in which we dominate. We will need to play well on both sides of the ball to be successful,” Tenney remarked.
The Bobcats were scheduled to play 11 games before heading down to Ormond Beach, Fla. for their annual spring trip. Due to their rainout against West Virginia State, they will now play seven games before departing. Five of those seven games will be played at Hank Ellis Field.
The early season home games provide a nice change for a team that played its first 18 games away from Ellis Field last season.
The consistent rain limited the ‘Cats to only 36 games in 2005, and 27 of those were played away from home.
This season’s 56-game schedule includes 21 home dates.
One major change for the 2006 season is that all WVIAC divisional games will be played in a four-game series format. Previously teams had played a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a nine-inning game on Sunday.
Wesleyan’s southern division opponents include: West Virginia State (44-16, 14-1), Concord (24-15, 10-6), WVU Tech (17-21, 7-5), Ohio Valley (12-28, 5-11), Charleston (10-32, 3-12), and Bluefield State (6-44, 2-14).
The Bobcats will also play Shepherd (19-20, 10-4), Davis & Elkins (33-22, 10-5), and Alderson Broaddus (9-32, 3-10)—all northern division teams.
A return to Ormond Beach awaits Wesleyan in early March. The team will play 12 games in eight days from Mar. 11 through Mar. 18.m
Baseball picked to finish third in Southern Division
February 20, 2006
PRINCETON, W.Va.—West Virginia Wesleyan (23-13, 10-2) baseball was picked to finish third behind West Virginia State (44-16, 14-1) and Concord (24-15, 10-6) in the WVIAC’s Southern Division, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.
The Bobcat’s received little acknowledgement as they were not given a single first-place vote despite beating Concord, a team that was given one of the 12 Southern Division first-place votes, three consecutive games last season. Wesleyan swept the Mountain Lions in the teams’ regular season doubleheader, 3-1 and 4-2, and less than a week later won 2-1 in the Southern Division play-in game.
The 12 remaining Southern Division first-place votes were given to West Virginia State. Last season the Yellow Jackets advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series, but were knocked off by North Florida and Florida Southern. Florida Southern went on to beat North Florida, 12-9, in the championship game.
In the Northern Division, Davis & Elkins (33-22, 10-5) received eight first-place votes while Shepherd (19-20, 10-4) and Fairmont State (17-22, 10-5) received four votes and one vote, respectively.
West Virginia State also received 10 votes to Davis & Elkins’ two and Fairmont State’s one in voting to determine the overall league title.
*WVU Tech will compete in the WVIAC but will not be eligible for the playoffs.
**Wheeling Jesuit will field its first baseball team in 2006.
2006 WVIAC Baseball Coaches’ Poll Results
Northern Division
1.) Davis & Elkins (8) 81
2.) Shepherd (4) 79
3.) Fairmont State (1) 65
4.) West Liberty State 54
5.) Salem International 39
6.) Alderson-Broaddus 28
7.) Wheeling Jesuit 15
Southern Division
1.) West Virginia State (12) 77
2.) Concord (1) 61
3.) West Virginia Wesleyan 55
4.) Charleston 36
5.) Ohio Valley 27
6.) Bluefield State 17
7.) WVU Tech*
1.) West Virginia State 10
2.) Davis & Elkins 2
3.) Fairmont State 1
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