Concord Welcomes West Virginia State in Pivotal MEC South Series

Concord Stats - WV State Stats - Live Stats - Live Video
 
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University baseball team wraps up its nine-game homestand with a four-game stint against West Virginia State in Mountain East Conference South Division Saturday and Sunday.
 
SCHEDULE:
Saturday (April 18) 1:00 p.m.: West Virginia State at Concord
Saturday (April 18) 3:30 p.m.: West Virginia State at Concord
Sunday (April 19) 1:00 p.m.: West Virginia State at Concord
Sunday (April 19) 3:30 p.m.: West Virginia State at Concord
 
LIVE COVERAGE:
The Concord University Sports Information Department will have live statistics and live video of the game.
 
Live Stats
Live Video
 
Series History vs. West Virginia State: West Virginia State leads 63-39
 
Last Five Meetings vs. WV State
April 19, 2025: WV State 2 - Concord 0 (L, 7-14, L, 6-7) (Institute, W.Va.)
April 18, 2025: WV State 2 - Concord 0 (L, 2-8, L, 3-4) (Institute, W.Va.)
April 21, 2024: WV State 2 - Concord 0 (L, 5-6, L, 4-9) (Athens, W.Va.)
April 20, 2024: Concord 2 - WV State 0 (W, 12-3, W, 6-5) (Athens, W.Va.)
April 23, 2023: WV State 2 - Concord 0 (L, 2-3, L, 5-6) (Institute, W.Va.)
 
Concord at a Glance
Overall Record: 16-22
MEC Record: 10-8
Home Record: 10-7
Away Record: 5-14
Neutral Record: 1-1
Last Five: 4-1
Streak: L1
MEC South Rank: Second
 
WV State at a Glance
Overall Record: 13-22
MEC Record: 6-12
Home Record: 7-8
Away Record: 6-14
Neutral Record: 0-0
Last Five: 2-3
Streak: L1
MEC South Rank: Fourth
 
TALE OF THE TAPE: Concord vs. WV State

Concord	Statistical Category	WV State
.285	Average	.264
6.4	Runs per Game	4.5
215	RBI	133
24	Home Runs	18
.414	Slugging Percentage	.383
7.16	ERA	6.69
.308	Opponent Batting Average	.283
.952	Fielding Percentage	.947

Concord Leaders
Batting Average: Matthew DiSanti (.341), Korbin Bostic (.330), Dawson Gragg (.309)
Home Runs: Korbin Bostic (7), Sam Stowe (4), Atticus Goodson (3), Dawson Gragg (3)
RBI: Korbin Bostic (35), Matthew DiSanti (27), Sam Stowe (26)
Slugging Percentage: Korbin Bostic (.590), Sam Stowe (.474), Dawson Gragg (.468)
Stolen Bases: Lucas Cannon (18), Jared Lavergne (9), Dawson Gragg (8)
Wins: Kaden Varela-Payne (4)
ERA: Kaden Varela-Payne (5.06), Jonah Adams (5.77)
Strikeouts: Kaden Varela-Payne (66), Kerry Collins (26), Jake Robinson (26)
 
West Virginia State Leaders
Batting Average: Brodie Guenther (.315), Aidan Paulsen (.307), Ethyn Barnitz (.293)
Home Runs: Ethyn Barnitz (6), Aidan Paulsen (5), Three Tied (2)
RBI: Aidan Paulsen (20), Angel Oquendo (19), Ethyn Barnitz (17), Garrett Wagoner (17)
Slugging Percentage: Ethyn Barnitz (.560), Aidan Paulsen (.525), Brodie Guenther (.472)
Stolen Bases: Garrett Wagoner (10), Aidan Paulsen (7), Michael Bittinger (4)
Wins: Bryce Eggleon (4), Braylon Moore (3)
ERA: Jared Nethercutt (5.72), Cam Reed (11.03)
Strikeouts: Jared Nethercutt (27), Karson Frye (23)
 
DAWSON & DAWSON
Concord's offense got a massive lift against West Virginia Wesleyan from senior outfielder Dawson Gragg and junior infielder Dawson Maynard. Gragg had hits in three of the four games, including his third homer of the season in the series opener. The Christiansburg, Virginia native also etched his name into Concord history in game two. Gragg ripped three doubles in the win, becoming the seventh Mountain Lion in program history to have three doubles in a seven-inning game. Like Gragg, Maynard also picked up hits in three of four games against the Bobcats. One of those hits might have produced the most electric moment of the season so far. In the eighth inning of the series opener, Maynard stepped up for his first plate appearance with the bases loaded and Concord needing just one run to secure the victory. The Logan, West Virginia native crushed a walk-off grand slam which was also his first career home run in the Maroon and Gray. In the final game of the series, Maynard put together his first career three-hit game.
 
HOW ABOUT THOSE FRESHMEN
Many young Mountain Lions rose to the occasion in the sweep against West Virginia Wesleyan. At the plate, freshman outfielders Lucas Cannon and Jared Lavergne stepped up big time. Cannon had a pair of multi-hit games against West Virginia Wesleyan and added two more hits in the midweek contest against Emory & Henry. Cannon notched his first career two-RBI game in game two of the series and upped his stolen base clip to 18-of-19 for the season with six stolen bases over five games. Lavergne is on a streak of three-straight games with multiple hits including his first career three-hit game in the series finale versus Wesleyan. Lavergne added a trio of diving catches in right field throughout the series, showcasing his outstanding glove. On the mound, freshman pitcher Jonah Adams earned his second win of the season in game two against WWVWC. Freshman pitcher Brogan Dent has the second most appearances out of the bullpen (13) and has only given up runs in two of those occasions.
 
EIGHT STRAIGHT
Concord have earned back-to-back sweeps in Mountain East Conference play, going 4-0 against Davis & Elkins and West Virginia Wesleyan. The Mountain Lions were dominant, outscoring the Bobcats 40-16 in the series. Currently, CU sit in second place in the MEC South standings and just a game behind first place Charleston. The eight-game winning streak is the longest for Concord since 2024 when the Mountain Lions rattled off 12 straight wins in conference play.
 
BUCK THE TREND
West Virginia State has served as a bit of an Achilles heel for Concord over recent years as the Yellow Jackets have won six straight over the Maroon and Gray. Concord's last wins over West Virginia State came in 2024, when the CU took the Saturday doubleheader at Anderson Field. The only current Mountain Lion to appear in those games was Gragg, who belted a home run in the 12-3 Concord win. In last year's series, two of the Concord losses were by a single run. Concord has faced no team more in its history, as the two sides have battled 102 times, dating back to the mid 1990s, with WVSU leading the series, 63-39. Senior infielder Tyson Burke was 6-for-14 in last year's series at West Virginia State with two homers and six RBI. Junior infielder Nick DiSanti had three, two-hit games in the series.
 
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
West Virginia State will enter Anderson Field with a 13-22 record (6-12 MEC) and are coming off of a series split with Glenville State. The Yellow Jackets sit just a game back of third place in the South division which is needed to qualify for the MEC Baseball Tournament. Offensively, West Virginia State is led by a powerful duo, Aidan Paulsen and Ethyn Barnitz. The two combine for 11 homers, 37 RBI and they each slug over .500.