West Virginia Tech University Baseball will travel to Owensboro, Kentucky this weekend for a playoff like three game set with Brescia University. Sweep the series and the Golden Bears 🐻 will pull into a tie for fifth place.
The top four spots are all but secured with an epic series taking place this weekend between the two teams that have distanced themselves from the pack.
Top Four
The final weekend series has IU Southeast coming to Beckley, making the set with Brescia University even more important. Winning two out of three in Owensboro will keep the goal of postseason play alive while a sweep would be Awesome.
Midway Eagles closes out with IU Columbus and Brescia, leaving a window of opportunity for WVU-T to secure a tournament invite.
WVU-T continues its non-conference Baseball ⚾️ fest with a doubleheader in Beckley today versus Fisher College.
Linda K Epling StadiumKevin Burress and Tammy Tobler
We begin a new week by trying hard to put the finishing touches on our seven game College Baseball ⚾️ series in Beckley, West Virginia before driving 🚗 back the 104 miles to Cavalier Park for tonight’s Softball game versus Galax High School.
Not sure how many times that announcing ball games has included two states and three contests but here we go!
The quest this weekend here in Beckley has been to show our program and the city as a legitimate player in the World 🌎 of small College Baseball. The multi million dollar facility that is Linda K Epling Stadium even comes with a back drop that would fit in a Norman Rockwell painting 🖼.
The Fisher College Falcons will head back to Boston after play today while the Golden Bears 🐻 will set their sights on Owensboro, Kentucky and the HUGE weekend series that awaits at Brescia University.
At some point the decision has to be made about when to turn things over here and head South, allowing for traffic on the Turnpike. We have a special Ceremonial First Pitch tonight as we acknowledge that time that Paul Nester invested in the beautification of Cavalier Park.
Tonight is our fifth attempt to host on third of nine Home games. Spring weather plays tricks on schedules at both the High School and College level. Both teams enter the night with 3-4 records and Head Coaches that both have serious ties to Carroll County High School.
The two steps 🚶♂️that need to fall between the three ball games ⚾️ and the drive involves both Christy Shupe and Adrienne Harris. Two young Ladies that give up their time to direct Sports teams at CCHS in the Springtime. The Boys Tennis team plays today across the parking lot and getting a team photo 📷 to use for when we share their results from matches would be a big get and today is one of a handful of opportunities.
In regards to trying to time out meeting up with Coach Harris today, this is something that is important for her and anything that I can do to assist her and her efforts is highly relevant.
Tonight is Varsity only as Galax High School 🏫 doesn’t field a Junior Varsity Softball team. The upside there being it won’t a quadruple header but at the same time Alexis Dalton and Terry Warf miss out on another chance to coach up our younger Cavaliers.
The last piece of business will be to try and keep up with the Girls Tennis 🎾 match and two Boys Soccer ⚽️ matches being played tonight over at Floyd High School.
Coming full circle 🔵 about how Coach Nester managed to land at the top of the Totem Pole that is our efforts. Nester is at the final stages of a lifetime spent Coaching our youth and is trying hard to make the experience for his team both highly competitive and equally enjoyable for all involved. That deserves all the time and respect that I can spare.
Tonight will be special for two reasons, first being that he will be coaching against a former player and second, Coach will be watching 👀 his Awesome Big Brother toss out the First Pitch !
Monday has started now and will be another Day in the Neighborhood. Just this time it will include two States.
It will be fun to look back 18 hours from now and check the report card.
Have yourself a Blessed Day 🙌!
8:40. Arrival @ Stadium 8:50. Setup BP 9:10-9:50 Tech BP 9:50-10:30. Fisher BP No Infielder/Outfield… 10:55. Intro/Anthem 11am Game Time
Left to Right – Scott Dulin, Lawrence Nesselrodt and Jeremy Sheetinger.
Three College Baseball programs that are spread across the eastern seaboard met for a second straight day on Sunday. This time it was a round robin triple header, beginning at 11:00 am and ending shortly after 8pm.
Georgia Gwinnett College won the opener 10-3 over Fisher and exacted revenge over West Virginia Tech 13-5 in the middle game. After the final out the Grizzlies loaded up the bus 🚌 to head back to Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The #2 ranked program in the NAIA wrapped up its stay at 3-1 and now sits at 36-4 on the season.
West Virginia Tech scored five runs 🏃♂️in the bottom of the first in the night 🌙 cap and held on for a 5-3 victory over Fisher College.
Ryan Kessinger and Lawrence Nesselrodt
One of the highlights in the day was getting to welcome Three Rivers District member, Alleghany High School to Linda K Epling Stadium 🏟. The Cougars Baseball ⚾️ team and Coaches took in part of the day long action 🎬. Making the 82 minute drive 🚗 over made for a fun day for the Cougars and added to the largest home crowd of the season.
Ness greeting the Cougars in between games.
Kessinger was a staple in the Golden Bears 🐻 lineup for his four year stay back when the School was still located in Montgomery and played our home games at East Bank, WV.
Games 6 & 7 of the seven game series are set for Monday morning 🌄 and then the Falcons will head back to Boston.
West Virginia Tech University currently sits 1+1/2 game back of the sixth and final post season slot. Midway(Kentucky) is the team to catch as the final two weeks play out.
Oakland City can pull into a tie for the top spot by defeating Midway at home today and if they do so, the Golden Bears 🐻 will be just one game behind!
Midway faces Brescia & IU Columbus in their final two weekend series.
Golden Bears 🐻 now 1 game behind Midway and 3 behind Brescia with six to play.
Georgia Gwinnett rolled Fisher College 15-2 in the opening game of a seven game series Saturday afternoon at Linda K Epling Stadium 🏟 in Beckley. The #2 ranked team in N.A.I.A improved to 35-3 on the season by winning a mind boggling 15th straight game.
Forty-five minutes later they were facing a talented but below .500 team (13-21) in West Virginia Tech University. What took place over the next 2:32 is the greatest regular season victory in the 17 year stretch that Lawrence Nesselrodt has spent at the helm of the Golden Bears 🐻 program.
Robert Kelley (Vienna, Virginia) was overpowering for WVU-T, going six strong innings to earn the 5-3 victory over the Grizzlies.
Kelley was at his best in the top of the fifth inning when the right-hander struck out the side on just 10 pitches. It was a stretch where five straight Grizzlies returned to the bench after a strike out.
The final line for Kelley was six innings pitched, allowing 1 run on four hits and two walks while fanning 10. Cameron Lynch earned the save by recording the final nine outs.
The Golden Bears 🐻 plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break the scoreless tie and never looked back. Noah Cummings started the rally with a one out double and Hunter Fansler followed with a single. Logan Spurlock chased home Cummings with his single and one out later Lynch made it 3-0 with a single that drove in Fansler and Spurlock.
West Virginia Tech pushed the lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Cummings singled home Chase Herndon after the left fielder singled at stole second base.
Georgia Gwinnett finally pushed across its first run in the final inning of work for Kelley. A one out walk and a RBI double from Alex Harrell trimmed the lead to 4-1 but Kelley managed to stand Harrell at third base.
Herndon led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored the final run when Fansler doubled for his third hit of the game.
GGC threatened in the eighth inning with back to back singles but Lynch recorded the final two outs to end the rally.
Three outs away from a win for the ages, the Golden Bears allowed the first three batters to reach base. Two singles sandwiched around a hit by pitch. The second single cut the lead to 5-2 and a flyout to centerfield made it 5-3 with one out.
WVU-T closed out the victory with back to back web gymes. Third baseman Jordan Thurmond tracked down a foul ball and finally gloved it at the railing for the second out. Braxton Meguair doubled to put the tying runs in scoring position, bringing up Harrell with the game in the balance.
Harrell send a blast to left centerfield that pinned Herndon to the wall before he clutched the 27th and final out to seal the victory.
The three Schools 🏫 will return to Epling Stadium 🏟 Sunday for a triple header beginning at 11:00 am when Fisher and Georgia Gwinnett kickoff a round robin day where each team plays each other.
GGC heads back to Lawrenceville at the end of the day Sunday, completing their four game stay. WVU-T and Fisher will return on Monday for a double header, to finish up the seven games in three days.
Scoring SheetJeremy Sheetinger and Lawrence Nesselrodt.
Sheetinger runs an amazing program and does it with a great deal of Class. A great ambassador for College Baseball ⚾️.
The road less traveled ! 