By Gary Fauber
Assistant Sports Editor
BECKLEY —
It’s somewhat fitting that Slippery Rock is the opponent in the West Virginia Miners’ first home playoff game.
The Sliders helped christen Linda K. Epling Stadium on June 5, 2010, when the Miners played their first-ever home game. Slippery Rock won that game 6-4 in front of 2,118 fans.
Of course, Miners fans will be hoping for a different result when the teams meet yet again tonight, this time for the Prospect League East Division championship. First pitch will be 7:05 p.m.
“I still remember opening up there,” said Slippery Rock manager Andy Charlot, who is also the pitching coach at WVU Tech. “There was a big crowd, the place was packed. I hope it’s the same type of atmosphere (tonight). It’s good for the kids. Everybody wins with that type of atmosphere.”
“If there is anybody we would want to be playing in the playoffs, it would be Slippery Rock,” West Virginia manager Tim Epling said.
And not just because of the history. The Sliders are owned by Mike Bencic and his wife, Laura Graham Bencic. Laura is a Pittsburgh native, but her father, Howard, started G&R Builders in Beckley 40 years ago.
Howard’s family was supposed to join him in Beckley, but he instead began a regular commute to and from the Steel City. Laura never has actually resided in Beckley, but is very familiar with the Miners and the Epling family.
“When Dad found out that the Eplings (own the Miners), he immediately said that they are good people,” she said. “And they have done a wonderful job with the stadium. I love the view of the mountains.”
“They have been pro-Miners since we got into the league,” Epling said. “We have a good relationship with those guys.”
Of course, they all want to see their team beat the other.
The teams closed out the regular season Saturday at Slippery Rock, with the Sliders winning 11-3. Just how seriously West Virginia took the game is the question — the Miners had already won the division’s regular season championship, and three position players pitched in relief.
Second baseman Sam Frost served up a three-run home run to Fred Ford, but two of the runs were charged to first baseman Abe Ruiz, who was tagged with five runs overall.
Ruiz left Pennsylvania with a 135.14 earned run average, but he did hit his second home run of the season.
Coby Chadick struck out the side in a scoreless eighth.
The Miners defeated Butler 10-3 the previous night, helping the Sliders win the second half East championship.
“We went into Butler knowing we needed to take one of the last two,” Epling said. “We kind of went after Butler. Not to say that we didn’t try against Slippery Rock, but we left some pitchers back home to make sure they were ready (for the playoffs).”
Jared Messer (5-2) will start tonight for the Miners. West Virginia’s opening day starter, Messer has a 2.58 earned run average, 49 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 66 1-3 innings.
“Jared has probably been the most consistent pitcher we have had all year,” Epling said. “You know he is going to be all around the plate, and everything he throws moves. Hopefully, he will match up well with Slippery Rock. They have been the hottest team in the second half.
“The biggest challenge for us will be making sure our defensive alignment is set up and we are pitching to one part of the plate, depending on who is hitting. If Jared can do that, I like our chances. But if it becomes a shooting match, they can hit.”
Starting for the Sliders will be Jeff Barto. The left-hander from Utah Valley University is 2-3 with a 2.75 ERA in 10 starts.
He started against the Miners July 21 in Slippery Rock, a 4-3 win for the Sliders. Barto tossed six innings, giving up eight hits and two earned runs in a no-decision.
The matchup pairs teams that went opposite directions in each half of the regular season.
The Miners (29-27) won the division’s first half title by a half-game, building up a big lead and then holding on for dear life with a 17-12 record. West Virginia needed a 2-0 win over Richmond on the half’s last day to secure the home playoff game.
West Virginia struggled offensively much of the second half and lost 15 of its last 27 games.
Meanwhile, the Sliders (26-29) got off to a bad start and finished in last place in the first half, 6 1/2 games behind the Miners. But they improved vastly from the Fourth of July and took the second half title with a 16-11 record.
“I think, overall, we just got a lot more confident,” Charlot said. “In the first half of the season, there were some situations where we were in some close games and we didn’t get any big hits.”
Third baseman Blake Roberts has been the Miners’ most consistent hitter. He leads the team with a .350 batting average, 17 doubles, five triples and 34 walks, and has been hit by a pitch nine times. He is second with 33 runs batted in.
Roberts leads the league in triples and is second in the league in doubles, walks and hit-by-pitches.
Shortstop Zach Tanner was flirting with the Triple Crown before cooling off. But he’s still second on the Miners with a .313 average and leads with seven homers and 37 RBIs. He hasn’t homered since June 26, at home against Lorain County.
Catcher Clay Prestridge is batting .286 and has been hit seven times. He also has 23 walks, 11 doubles and 23 RBIs. Left fielder Joe Koch is hitting .297, has walked 29 times and scored 36 runs.
Ruiz (.283), Frost (.255) and center fielder Paul Rambaud (.252) have been swinging well lately.
Outfielder Trent Wooldridge leads Slippery Rock with a .304 batting average. All-star outfielder Jon Capasso is hitting .299 with nine doubles and 24 RBIs.
The Sliders have the league’s top closer in Chase Byerly. The righty has saved a league-leading 16 of the team’s 26 wins. He is 2-1 with a 0.99 ERA, striking out 20 and walking just five in 27 1-3 innings.
The teams are more than familiar with each other. West Virginia and Slippery Rock played 10 times in the regular season, splitting the series. The Miners swept a three-game series at home June 13-15, while the Sliders took a two-game set July 18-19 in Beckley.
Slippery Rock has won the last four meetings.
Tonight’s winner will travel to take on either the Quincy Gems or Terre Haute Rex Wednesday for the league championship. Quincy hosts Terre Haute tonight in the West title game.
Tickets are still available for tonight’s game. Chairback seats are $10 and bleacher seats $7. They can be purchased by calling 304-252-7233, or at the gate starting at 5 p.m.
— E-mail: gfauber@
register-herald.com
