MEC Baseball Tournament Preview: #2N Frostburg State vs #2S West Virginia State

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Baseball team has claimed the No. 2 seed of the North Division in the MEC Tournament, as they are matched with the No. 2 seed of the South, West Virginia State, opening the tournament against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday morning.
 
How They Got Here
Frostburg once again had an impressive season, going 34-15 overall in 2025 while holding a 18-10 record in conference play.  The Bobcats represent the second best team in both the North Division and overall MEC, coming in right behind new league member Point Park.  FSU opened their season with two wins over PSAC foes Slippery Rock and Kutztown down south, before securing a statement series win over No. 8 ranked East Stroudsburg at the time.  The Bobcats also defeated IUP, UPJ, Seton Hill (Pa.), and Shippensburg to increase their regional rankings, winning six out of 10 MEC series throughout the season, including a two-game sweep of the defending conference championships of Charleston (WV).
 
West Virginia State slid in the No. 2 spot of the South, moving up one seed from the season prior.  The Yellow Jackets show an overall record of 27-21 going 17-13 in the MEC.  WVSU started their season with a series sweep of Bluefield State (WV), picking up their first conference win over Wheeling.  West Virginia State took three MEC series throughout the season, including an impressive two-game sweep of the Pioneers from Point Park, and a complete four-game sweep of division rival Concord.  The Yellow Jackets rounded out the regular season with a series split to UC.
 
The Matchup 
Both teams represent good competition when they are matched head to head, as FSU holds the slight 7-6 all-time record in the overall series.  The two have split their series for the last three years, with WVSU taking game one this season 7-3, and Frostburg seeing the 7-1 win in game two.  The Bobcats look for revenge on the Yellow Jackets, as West Virginia State took both meetings between the two in the 2024 MEC Tournament, knocking FSU out on day three.
 
The Players
FSU is known for their well-rounded lineup, starting from the mound with MEC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-MEC member senior Patrick Bauer, who leads the conference in wins (9), ERA, and strikeouts (85), while his 1.82 ERA is currently eighth best in all of Division II.  Bauer threw 59.1 innings during the regular season, seeing two compete games, a WHIP of .98, and an opposing batting average of .216, giving up just 11 walks and 12 earned runs in his 11 appearances, helping him to an overall record of 9-1.  Joining Bauer on the First Team as another starting pitcher for the Bobcats is sophomore Jack Ray, as he shows a 4-2 record on the season with a 2.66 ERA, throwing 47.1 innings to go for 50 K's and just 14 earned runs and a .249 batting average.  Senior Mikey Guy and sophomore Jackson Schalick represent Frostburg at the plate, being the duo of field players to be named First Team All-MEC for FSU.  The former leads the team and conference in hits (67) for a team-high in RBI (50) and doubles (14), while the latter represents a team-high 43 runs, while coming in second on the team in hits (47) for a .311 batting average.  Junior Jake Holler is another force at the plate for Frostburg in his first year with the team, leading the squad in batting average at .402 and slugging percentage at .619, while ripping 39 hits in 37 games to earn him Second Team All-MEC honors.  Senior Jacob McDonald, another starting pitcher for FSU, received Second Team All-MEC honors as well, seeing a 6-3 record on the season, serving a 3.96 ERA in 52.1 innings while striking out 52 for the second most K's on the team.  Rounding out the pitching for the Bobcats is redshirt senior Nate Vermillion, who was also placed on the Second Team, serving as Frostburg's main relief pitcher in 2025.  The closer showed a 1.80 ERA in 17 appearances, throwing 20 innings for 20 strikeouts, a .213 opposing batting average, and a team-high seven saves.  Redshirt junior Ben Wieman, finishes out the lineup for FSU, as he was given All-MEC Honorable Mention as utility, knocking 19 hits and a team-high seven bombs in 36 games, while scoring 24 runs and collecting 27 RBI.
 
WVSU is led by a duo of First Team All-MEC selections in Kyle Waters and Nathan Paulsen, as the former leads the team in batting average with .360, collecting 45 hits, nine home runs, 37 runs, and 35 RBI during the regular season, while the latter is batting .321 for 52 hits and a team-high 52 runs, along with eight home runs and 29 RBI.  Michael Bittinger and Brodie Guenther are two other names to look out for at the plate for the Yellow Jackets, as both bat around .340 and have over 55 hits, as the latter is tied for the team lead in doubles (11) and RBI (35).  Looking at the Yellow Jackets pitching staff, JT Fabian holds the lowest ERA on the team at 4.44, while Ayden Hodges leads the team in strikeouts with 67, and Brian Lingenfelter leads the team in wins with six, all having pithed over 50 innings so far on the year.  Brandon Morrison serves as WVSU's closer, sitting with a 2.59 ERA and two wins, picking up a team-high five saves in 17 appearances and 24.1 innings.
 
The Rest of the Field
The overall number one seed of Point Park holds the No. 1 slot in the North, as they opened the tournament with a win over the No. 3 seed in the South, which is represented by Concord.  The No. 1 seed of the South, which is held by Charleston, defeated Fairmont State, who claimed the No. 3 seed in the North, as the Pioneers and Golden Eagles advance, and the Mountain Lions and Falcons will square off today in the first elimination round.

2025 MEC Baseball Championship Seedings
NORTH: #1 Point Park, #2 Frostburg State, #3 Fairmont State
SOUTH: #1 Charleston , #2 West Virginia State, #3 Concord
 
Wednesday, May 7 – FIRST ROUND
#1N Point Park def. #3S Concord 15-5
#1S Charleston def. #3N Fairmont State 9-3
 
Thursday, May 8 – FIRST ROUND
#2N Frostburg State vs #2S West Virginia State – 10 AM
 
Thursday, May 8 – ELIMINATION ROUD
#3S Concord vs #3N Fairmont State - 1:30 PM