MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After a historic performance against Kansas State, redshirt senior infielder Caleb McNeely of the West Virginia University baseball team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week presented by University Apartments.
In the series-opening win over the Wildcats on March 31, McNeely hit for the Cycle, becoming the first Mountaineer since 2014 and just the fourth in 128 seasons of WVU baseball to complete the feat. He joins Billy Fleming against Kansas in 2014, Bob Spangler against Coppin State in 1998, and Hal Grossman against Ohio Wesleyan in 1939 to accomplish the rare feat.
In four games this past week, which also included a midweek victory over Marshall, McNeely hit .528 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and five RBI while also adding a stolen base, helping lead the Mountaineers to a 3-1 week.
For the season, the Versailles, Kentucky, native is hitting .330 with six home runs, 23 RBI and a team-leading three triples while also swiping nine bases.
This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers return to the state of West Virginia this week for four games, beginning with Marshall at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston on Wednesday, April 5, at 6 p.m … WVU then returns to Monongalia County Ballpark for a weekend series against Kansas … first pitch on Friday, April 7, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 8, for 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 9, for 3 p.m. … Sunday’s game airs on ESPNU.
Last Week in Baseball: West Virginia went 3-1 this past week, defeating Marshall, 9-7, in Morgantown on March 28 before taking two of three on the road at Kansas State … Landon Wallace had a three-run triple against the Herd while Sam White hit a solo home run … in the series opener against Kansas State, the Mountaineers won, 8-3, behind the strong pitching of Ben Hampton … Hampton matched a career high with 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings … Caleb McNeely hit for the cycle, becoming the first WVU player since 2014 and just the fourth in 128 seasons … JJ Wetherholt went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run … the Mountaineers fell to K-State on Saturday, 7-1, mustering just four hits at the plate … WVU clinched the series with a 10-6 win on Sunday … the Mountaineers had three home runs in the game from Grant Hussey, Braden Barry and McNeely.
Notes in Baseball: The Mountaineers became the first Big 12 team to win a conference series on the road this season in 11 tries … WVU has now won five straight games against Marshall … Caleb McNeely joined Billy Fleming against Kansas in 2014, Bob Spangler against Coppin State in 1998 and Hal Grossman against Ohio Wesleyan in 1939 as the only Mountaineers to hit for the cycle … overall, McNeely hit .529 for the week with two home runs, two doubles, a triple, and five RBIs … five relievers threw at least one inning this week without allowing a run, led by David Hagaman (4.2 innings) and Carlson Reed (4.0) … Hagaman did not allow a hit in his two appearances … Wetherholt’s home run against the Wildcats on Friday was his 50th hit of the season, becoming the first player in the nation to reach that plateau … Wetherholt has reached base in 35 consecutive games, dating back to last season.
This Week in Swimming & Diving: The Mountaineers have completed the 2022-23 season.
Last Week in Swimming & Diving: Freshman Gabriela Martin of the West Virginia University women’s swimming and diving teams closed her inaugural season at the 2023 Rfen (Real Federación Española de Natación) Championship on March 30 – April 1, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain … on day one of competition, Martin represented West Virginia in the 200 free, placing 41st and finishing with a time of 2:09.35 … moving to day two, the Las Gabias, Grenada, Spain, native swam in the 100 free, touching the pads in 59.85 to finish 64th during prelims … on the final day of competition, Martin concluded her freshman season swimming in the 50 free, finishing in 85th (28.04).
Notes: The men’s and women’s swimming teams concluded the 2022-23 season with seven team records, 48 all-time top 10 times and 73 lifetime best times.
This Week in Tennis: The West Virginia University women’s tennis team (11-8, 1-5 Big 12) returns to Morgantown to continue Big 12 Conference play against No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. ET, inside the Summit Tennis Academy.
Last Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers continued their spring road stint in Norman, Oklahoma, on March 31, falling to No. 23 Oklahoma (15-8, 5-1 Big 12), 6-1, before falling
to No. 17 Oklahoma State (12-5, 5-1 Big 12), 7-0, on April 2, in Stillwater … WVU dropped the doubles point during Friday’s competition against the Sooners … during singles play, sophomore Camilla Bossi, senior Ting-Pei Chang, sophomore Michaela Kucharova, sophomore Tatiana LIpatova and redshirt freshman Maja Dodik fell in two sets … junior Momoko Nagato battled through three sets against OU’s Emma Staker, ultimately claiming WVU’s only victory of the match, 4-6, 6-3 (11-9) … during Sunday’s competition against the Cowgirls the Mountaineers fell behind, 1-0, after OSU claimed the doubles point … during singles play, Oklahoma State went on a 6-0 run to clinch the match … Lipatova, Bossi, Dodik and Kucharova suffered losses in two straight sets … Nagato and Chang fought through three sets, but ultimately fell to the Cowgirls.
Notes: No. 10 Iowa State (14-4, 4-2 Big 12 enters Saturday’s matchup in Morgantown after suffering a loss to Oklahoma on Sunday, April 2 … this weekend’s competition marks the 12th matchup since the series began in 2009 with Iowa State holding the all-time advantage over the Mountaineers, 10-1 … during last year’s match, the Cyclones defeated West Virginia, 6-1.
This Week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers continue their road trip, as they head to Fairfax, Virginia, to compete in the Dalton Ebanks Invitational hosted by George Mason University from April 7-8.
Last Week in Track and Field: The West Virginia University track and field team competed at the Stanford Invitational hosted by Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, on March 31-April 1 at Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field … senior Rachel Butler set a personal best in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33:40.77 … redshirt junior Charlotte Wood made her debut in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33:45.95 … redshirt senior Mikaela Lucki ran the 5,000-meter race for the first time in her collegiate career, finishingin 16:08.81 … junior Mikenna Vanderheyden earned a personal best time of 4:23.56 over 1,500 meters.
Notes: Butler’s effort places her at number two on West Virginia’s all-time list … Wood secured fourth in WVU’s record book … Lucki earned the sixth best time in Mountaineer program history … Friday marked Vanderheyden’s best effort in the event by almost five seconds, as her previous best came at the 2022 Outdoor Big 12 Conference Championships, where she crossed the finished line at 4:28.44.
This Week in Gymnastics: West Virginia has completed its 2023 season.
Last Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers tallied a 195.850 team score to finish in fourth place of the first session of the NCAA Pittsburgh Regional Second Round inside the Petersen Events Center on March 31 … WVU posted scores of 49.075 on vault, 48.775 on the uneven bars, 48.650 on balance beam and 49.350 on floor exercise … freshman Emma Wehry paced West Virginia on vault, positing a career-high tying 9.9 to finish in a tie for first place on the event … on bars, a leadoff 9.85 from senior Kianna Yancey led the rotation, while freshman Carlee Nelson’s 9.825 on beam was the Mountaineers’ highest score on the event … moving to floor exercise, a pair of 9.9s for fifth-year senior Kendra Combs and senior Abbie Pierson paced an impressive final rotation for West Virginia … a pair of Mountaineers appeared in the all-around, as Yancey posted a 39.25 and Pierson earned a season-best 39.15.
Notes: WVU finished the 2023 season with a 12-9 overall record, as well as a 1-2 mark in conference competition … West Virginia played host to the Big 12 Championship on March 18, inside the WVU Coliseum for just the third time in program history, as well as the second time in the past three years … the Mountaineers placed third at the conference meet with a 196.225 team score … going into the postseason, WVU boasted a 196.515 National Qualifying Score (NQS), its highest in program history … West Virginia posted a season high of 197.325 on March 5, its highest score since 2004 … the squad reached the 197.0 threshold for the first time since 2004, as well as the first time in 12th-year head coach Jason Butts‘ tenure … WVU’s event scores of 49.425 on vault and 49.475 on beam also were its highest totals since 2004 … the Mountaineers reached a season-best 49.575 on floor exercise on Feb. 19, its best score since 2016, with all six gymnasts scoring a 9.9 or higher … West Virginia finished the year ranked No. 30 overall in the Road to Nationals rankings, including No. 19 on vault and floor
This Week in Golf: West Virginia will return to action on Monday, April 17, to host the two-day Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
Last Week in Golf: The golf team wrapped up play at The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, South Carolina, last Tuesday … the Mountaineers were paced by freshman Westy McCabe, who was 3-under-par with rounds of 68-71-74=213 … junior Will Stakel shot even par, finishing with rounds of 77-69-70=216 … junior Oli Ménard finished 1-over-par with rounds of 73-66-78=217, while junior Jackson Davenport finished 2-over-par with rounds of 72-73-73=218 … sophomore Max Green posted rounds of 72 on Monday and 75 on Tuesday after not competing in Sunday’s first round … as a team, the Mountaineers shot rounds of 290-278-292=860 (-4) and finished in 14th place … at the Butler Spring Invitational in Indianapolis, sophomore Todd Duncan finished fifth at 3-under-par with rounds of 69-68-70=207 … fifth-year senior Kurtis Grant and senior Trent Tipton tied for 11th place at 1-over-par. Grant shot 71-70-70=211, while Tipton had rounds of 69-71-71=211.
