Friday, February 25
Charlotte, N.C.
4:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Charlotte
Photo by: Devin Kane
Season-Opening Road Trip Continues at Charlotte
February 24, 2022 10:03 AM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team travels to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a three-game, weekend series against Charlotte from Feb. 25-27.
Friday's first pitch at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled for 3 p.m., and 12 p.m., respectively.
Fans can follow the action all weekend long with live stats, found on WVUsports.com. Additionally, Friday's game will air live on ESPN+, while Saturday's matchup will be shown on CUSA.tv. The series finale on Sunday is back on ESPN+.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Carlson Reed (0-0, 6.75 ERA) gets the ball in Friday's opener against Charlotte's left-hander Spencer Giesting (0-0, 2.25 ERA). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (1-0, 3.60 ERA) matches up with right-hander Cameron Hansen (0-0, 2.25 ERA) of Charlotte, while freshman righty Chris Sleeper (1-0, 0.00 ERA) faces off with the 49ers' left-hander Will Lancaster (1-0, 1.69 ERA) on Sunday.
This weekend marks the first time WVU (3-1) and Charlotte (2-1) meet since 2017. Overall, the 49ers lead the all-time series, 4-2, with all six previous meetings taking place in Charlotte.
The Mountaineers opened the 2022 campaign with three wins in four games at the Baseball at the Beach event, from Feb. 18-21, in Conway, South Carolina. WVU topped then-No. 16 Central Michigan, 13-8, on Opening Day, before claiming an 8-3 win over Kent State on Feb. 19. West Virginia defeated CMU again, 10-0, on Feb. 20, but fell to host Coastal Carolina, 9-7, on Feb. 21, to close out the trip.
As a team, WVU combined record 38 runs on 48 hits in Conway. That includes 20 extra-base hits and six home runs. Through four games, junior outfielder Victor Scott II and redshirt junior catcher/infielder Dayne Leonard are hitting .500 at the plate, while freshman infielder Grant Hussey, who hit a grand slam in his first career game on Feb. 18, has three homers and nine RBI to begin the year.
Additionally, freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt is hitting .412 with a homer, a double, a triple, four run scored, six RBI and two stolen bases. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native hit a home run in his first career at-bat on Feb. 18, helping him earn Big 12 Newcomer and WVU Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
On the mound, senior left-hander Beau Lowery got the win on Opening Day, before Hampton struck out 10 in 5.0 innings to earn the win against the Golden Flashes on Feb. 19. Sleeper's collegiate debut also went 5.0 innings, as he struck out five without yielding a run in a winning effort against CMU on Feb. 20.
In all, 17 newcomers made their Mountaineer debuts at Baseball at the Beach, including 12 true freshmen.
Following its season-opening trip, WVU checked in at No. 30 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. It also received votes in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
Charlotte is led by coach Robert Woodard, who led the 49ers to an NCAA Regional last season. The squad finished 40-21 in 2021, including 24-8 in Conference USA action. This year, Charlotte was picked to finish fourth in the C-USA Preseason Poll.
The 49ers opened the season in Tampa, Florida, with wins over UConn (7-3 on Feb. 19) and South Florida (8-3 on Feb.20), as well as an 8-7 loss to Louisville on Opening Day.
Individually, infielder Austin Knight is a preseason All-American selection and was featured on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. He also was named the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday's first pitch at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled for 3 p.m., and 12 p.m., respectively.
Fans can follow the action all weekend long with live stats, found on WVUsports.com. Additionally, Friday's game will air live on ESPN+, while Saturday's matchup will be shown on CUSA.tv. The series finale on Sunday is back on ESPN+.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Carlson Reed (0-0, 6.75 ERA) gets the ball in Friday's opener against Charlotte's left-hander Spencer Giesting (0-0, 2.25 ERA). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (1-0, 3.60 ERA) matches up with right-hander Cameron Hansen (0-0, 2.25 ERA) of Charlotte, while freshman righty Chris Sleeper (1-0, 0.00 ERA) faces off with the 49ers' left-hander Will Lancaster (1-0, 1.69 ERA) on Sunday.
This weekend marks the first time WVU (3-1) and Charlotte (2-1) meet since 2017. Overall, the 49ers lead the all-time series, 4-2, with all six previous meetings taking place in Charlotte.
The Mountaineers opened the 2022 campaign with three wins in four games at the Baseball at the Beach event, from Feb. 18-21, in Conway, South Carolina. WVU topped then-No. 16 Central Michigan, 13-8, on Opening Day, before claiming an 8-3 win over Kent State on Feb. 19. West Virginia defeated CMU again, 10-0, on Feb. 20, but fell to host Coastal Carolina, 9-7, on Feb. 21, to close out the trip.
As a team, WVU combined record 38 runs on 48 hits in Conway. That includes 20 extra-base hits and six home runs. Through four games, junior outfielder Victor Scott II and redshirt junior catcher/infielder Dayne Leonard are hitting .500 at the plate, while freshman infielder Grant Hussey, who hit a grand slam in his first career game on Feb. 18, has three homers and nine RBI to begin the year.
Additionally, freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt is hitting .412 with a homer, a double, a triple, four run scored, six RBI and two stolen bases. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native hit a home run in his first career at-bat on Feb. 18, helping him earn Big 12 Newcomer and WVU Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
On the mound, senior left-hander Beau Lowery got the win on Opening Day, before Hampton struck out 10 in 5.0 innings to earn the win against the Golden Flashes on Feb. 19. Sleeper's collegiate debut also went 5.0 innings, as he struck out five without yielding a run in a winning effort against CMU on Feb. 20.
In all, 17 newcomers made their Mountaineer debuts at Baseball at the Beach, including 12 true freshmen.
Following its season-opening trip, WVU checked in at No. 30 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. It also received votes in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
Charlotte is led by coach Robert Woodard, who led the 49ers to an NCAA Regional last season. The squad finished 40-21 in 2021, including 24-8 in Conference USA action. This year, Charlotte was picked to finish fourth in the C-USA Preseason Poll.
The 49ers opened the season in Tampa, Florida, with wins over UConn (7-3 on Feb. 19) and South Florida (8-3 on Feb.20), as well as an 8-7 loss to Louisville on Opening Day.
Individually, infielder Austin Knight is a preseason All-American selection and was featured on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. He also was named the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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