MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Feb. 15, 2024) – The West Virginia University baseball team opens the 2024 campaign with a four-game series at Stetson, Feb. 16-19, in DeLand, Fla.
Fans can follow with live stats of all four games at WVUsports.com.
Junior Aidan Major will get the ball the begin the season for the Mountaineers. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 4-2 with 4.88 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched. He will be followed by two transfers with junior Tyler Switalski and senior Hayden Cooper taking the mound on Saturday and Sunday.
Pitching Probables (2023 Stats)
RHP Aidan Major (4-2, 4.88 ERA, 59 K, 14 BB, 48.0 IP) vs. RHP Aric McAtee (6-5, 3.91 ERA, 90 K, 38 BB, 78.1 IP at Florida Southern)
LHP Tyler Switalski (8-5, 5.60 ERA, 80 K, 31 BB, 80.1 IP at GWU) vs. RHP Dylan Jacobs (3-2, 5.26 ERA, 43 K, 27 BB, 37.2 IP)
RHP Hayden Cooper (1-3, 5.06 ERA, 38 K, 22 BB, 37.1 IP at SIUE) vs. LHP Daniel Paret (1-1, 5.19 ERA, 42 K, 27 BB, 34.2 IP)
TBA vs. TBA
The Mountaineers return 17 players from last year’s Big 12 Championship roster including reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and unanimous All-American JJ Wetherholt. The junior hit a nation-best .449 while tallying 16 home runs, 24 doubles, 60 RBI and 36 stolen bases. In D1Baseball’s position power rankings, Wetherholt clocked in as the No. 1 shortstop in the country. He is also considered a top prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
Other key returners for WVU include catcher Logan Sauve, first baseman Grant Hussey, and pitcher David Hagaman, who all earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention status in 2023 along with Major. In D1Baseball’s power rankings, Hussey was ranked as the No. 49 first baseman while Major came in as the No. 102 starting pitcher.
The Mountaineers and Hatters are meeting on the diamond for the first time since 1998. In three games between the two programs, Stetson leads 2-1 with all three matchups taking place in DeLand.
Stetson is led by head coach Steve Trimper in his 8th year and is coming off a 35-23 season. The Hatters finished third in the ASUN with a 20-10 record before bowing out of the ASUN Tournament after pool play.
The Hatters were selected to finish fourth in the ASUN this season, behind Lipscomb, FGCU, and Jacksonville.
Redshirt senior Brandon Hylton returns after leading the Hatters with a .347 batting average last season while also hitting eight home runs. Senior Jonathan Gonzalez is the top returning pitcher for Stetson after going 8-4 with a 4.13 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 72.0 innings in 2023.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Fans can follow with live stats of all four games at WVUsports.com.
Junior Aidan Major will get the ball the begin the season for the Mountaineers. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 4-2 with 4.88 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched. He will be followed by two transfers with junior Tyler Switalski and senior Hayden Cooper taking the mound on Saturday and Sunday.
Pitching Probables (2023 Stats)
RHP Aidan Major (4-2, 4.88 ERA, 59 K, 14 BB, 48.0 IP) vs. RHP Aric McAtee (6-5, 3.91 ERA, 90 K, 38 BB, 78.1 IP at Florida Southern)
LHP Tyler Switalski (8-5, 5.60 ERA, 80 K, 31 BB, 80.1 IP at GWU) vs. RHP Dylan Jacobs (3-2, 5.26 ERA, 43 K, 27 BB, 37.2 IP)
RHP Hayden Cooper (1-3, 5.06 ERA, 38 K, 22 BB, 37.1 IP at SIUE) vs. LHP Daniel Paret (1-1, 5.19 ERA, 42 K, 27 BB, 34.2 IP)
TBA vs. TBA
The Mountaineers return 17 players from last year’s Big 12 Championship roster including reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and unanimous All-American JJ Wetherholt. The junior hit a nation-best .449 while tallying 16 home runs, 24 doubles, 60 RBI and 36 stolen bases. In D1Baseball’s position power rankings, Wetherholt clocked in as the No. 1 shortstop in the country. He is also considered a top prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
Other key returners for WVU include catcher Logan Sauve, first baseman Grant Hussey, and pitcher David Hagaman, who all earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention status in 2023 along with Major. In D1Baseball’s power rankings, Hussey was ranked as the No. 49 first baseman while Major came in as the No. 102 starting pitcher.
The Mountaineers and Hatters are meeting on the diamond for the first time since 1998. In three games between the two programs, Stetson leads 2-1 with all three matchups taking place in DeLand.
Stetson is led by head coach Steve Trimper in his 8th year and is coming off a 35-23 season. The Hatters finished third in the ASUN with a 20-10 record before bowing out of the ASUN Tournament after pool play.
The Hatters were selected to finish fourth in the ASUN this season, behind Lipscomb, FGCU, and Jacksonville.
Redshirt senior Brandon Hylton returns after leading the Hatters with a .347 batting average last season while also hitting eight home runs. Senior Jonathan Gonzalez is the top returning pitcher for Stetson after going 8-4 with a 4.13 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 72.0 innings in 2023.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
