1 of 3 Justin Pennybacker
2 of 3 Jake Sherman
3 of 3 Ryan Talbert
BECKLEY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball squad had three players named to the 2022 All-Mountain East Conference Team on Wednesday when the league coaches announced the results of their annual All-Conference balloting.
Starting pitcher Justin Pennybacker was a second-team selection while outfielder Jake Sherman and second baseman Ryan Talbert received honorable mention in the league-wide voting.
Pennybacker, a 6-0, 200-pound junior righthander from Follansbee, W.Va., was the ace of the Hilltopper staff this spring. He ranked No. 2 in the MEC with a 3.34 ERA and finished tied with Fairmont’s Logan Smith for the fewest earned runs allowed (25) by a full-season starter. He also ranked among the league’s top five in opposing batting average and won an MEC Pitcher of the Week Award with a two-hit shutout against regionally-ranked Glenville State in late March.
Sherman, a 5-11, 185-pound freshman outfielder from Newark, Ohio, led West Liberty and ranked No. 3 in the MEC with a .413 batting average. He also ranked No. 2 in the league with a .540 on-base average, reaching base in 31 of his 32 starts. The lefty table-setter had 38 hits in 92 at-bats to go along with 24 walks and 5 hit-by-pitches, finishing the season with a .467 slugging percentage and 1.007 OPS.
Talbert, a 5-9, 170-pound freshman second baseman from Hagerstown, Md., also spent a considerable amount of time on the basepaths for the Black and Gold. He batted .307 with 39 hits in 127 at-bats, including 9 doubles, a triple and a home run for a .467 slugging percentage. He also worked 24 walks and had 4 hit-by-pitches to finish with a .421 on-base average and ranked No. 2 on the team with an .838 OPS.
Notre Dame shortstop Ben Ross was the MEC Player of the Year with Glenville State ace Adam Riggleman earning MEC Pitcher of the Year honors. Charleston first baseman Kyle West was voted MEC Freshman of the Year with Coach of the Year honors going to Fairmont State’s Matt Yurish.
BASEBALL
2022 All-Mountain East Conference Team
MEC Player of the Year: Ben Ross (Notre Dame)
MEC Pitcher of the Year: Adam Riggleman (Glenville State)
MEC Freshman of the Year: Kyle West (Charleston)
MEC Coach of the Year: Matt Yurish (Fairmont State)
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School
C Tyler Dellerman Charleston
1B Bryce Jackson Frostburg State
2B Andrew Stone W.Va. State
SS Ben Ross Notre Dame
3B Zack Saryeldin Concord
UT Jack Lawrence Frostburg State
DH J.R. Heavilin Wheeling
OF Danny Estrada Frostburg State
OF Nick Farrell Notre Dame
OF Zach Musgrove Fairmont State
OF Jack Skantze Wheeling
SP Andrew Neff Concord
SP Adam Riggleman Glenville State
SP Ethan Soderna Charleston
SP Colt Webb Charleston
RP Anthony Stehlin Concord
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School
C Calen Kampes Glenville State
1B Kyle West Charleston
2B Jordan Bailey Charleston
SS Braxton Boddorf Charleston
3B Alec Medoza Notre Dame
UT Chandler Ballenger Alderson Broaddus
DH Ethan Kiple Frostburg State
OF Eric Chartier Charleston
OF Fabian Escalante Glenville State
OF Trevor Jones Frostburg State
OF Kyle Keenan Concord
SP Will Grove Frostburg State
SP Chase Norris W.Va. State
SP JUSTIN PENNYBACKER WEST LIBERTY
SP Logan Smith Fairmont State
RP Jose Rodriguez Glenville State
HONORABLE MENTION
C: Joey Duffer (CU); 1B: Chris Satcher (CU); 2B: RYAN TALBERT (WLU); 3B: Vince Sabatino (FAIR); Utility: Jacob Murray (WU); DH: Trevor Smith (GSU); OF: Josh Adkins (CU), Mathew Mangum (GSU), Nathan Paulsen (WVSU), JAKE SHERMAN (WLU), Blake Vandiver (WU); SP: Connor Cramer (FAIR), Julian Minaya (GSU), Max Proctor (FROST), Hayden Scudder (WU); RP: Cole Peschl (UC)