BECKLEY, W.Va. - WVU Tech baseball closed out its 2025-26 season with a three-game River States Conference series against Midway University at Linda K. Epling Stadium, falling 16-0 on Thursday before dropping Friday's Senior Day doubleheader by scores of 12-6 and 5-4 in eight innings.
The Golden Bears finished the season 16-32 overall and 5-22 in conference play.
Game 1 - Midway 16, WVU Tech 0
Midway used a pair of big innings to pull away in the series opener, scoring nine runs across the third and fourth innings before adding six more in the sixth.
WVU Tech showed early life at the plate, putting runners in scoring position in the first inning after a single by Gabe Templeton and a double from Cody Cooper, but the Golden Bears were unable to push a run across.
Templeton, Cooper and Joshua Tibbits accounted for WVU Tech's three hits in the opener.
Marco Viteri Moran took the start, working 3.1 innings. Stefan Machkovski and Dale Boone followed in relief, while Cole Brown closed out the final 1.1 innings.
Game 2 - Midway 12, WVU Tech 6
WVU Tech jumped out early in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, building a 4-1 lead through two innings before Midway used a five-run fifth and a five-run eighth to pull away.
The Golden Bears struck first with a run in the opening inning and added three more in the second to take control early. WVU Tech continued to create offense throughout the game, finishing with 13 hits and six runs in the Senior Day opener.
Gabe Templeton helped pace the offense with three hits, while Angel Leiva also finished with three hits and drove in three runs. Cody Cooper added two RBIs, and Carson Crigger chipped in a double as the Golden Bears applied pressure throughout the lineup.
Cameron Lynch started on the mound and struck out seven over 5.1 innings. Luke Richards, Aidan McGlothlin and Andrew Lynch also saw time in relief.
Game 3 - Midway 5, WVU Tech 4 (8 innings)
The season finale turned into a late-inning battle, with WVU Tech erasing a four-run deficit before Midway pushed across the deciding run in the eighth.
Midway built a 4-0 lead before the Golden Bears answered with a four-run sixth inning. Maddex Sims brought in the first run with an RBI single, and Zachary Hunt followed with one of the biggest swings of the day, clearing the bases with a three-RBI double to even the game at 4-4.
Hunt led the offense with a strong finish, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Nate Wolfe added two hits, Sims recorded an RBI and JJ Polvinale scored a run as WVU Tech continued to battle into extra innings.
Braedan Pakkala delivered one of the strongest pitching efforts of the series, working 7.0 innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out five. Midway scored in the eighth to take the final game of the series.
Golden Bear Highlights
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Season Leaders
Through 47 games, WVU Tech finished the season batting .273 as a team with 258 runs, 385 hits and 101 extra-base hits. The Golden Bears totaled 75 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs and 238 RBIs while drawing 194 walks and stealing 55 bases.
Gabe Templeton led WVU Tech with a .346 batting average, 45 hits, 33 runs scored, 21 walks, 10 hit-by-pitches and a .472 on-base percentage. Jake Tompkins paced the Golden Bears with 38 RBIs and five home runs while adding 39 hits, eight doubles and a .471 slugging percentage.
Angel Leiva closed the season batting .339 with 37 hits, five doubles, 14 RBIs and a .433 on-base percentage, while Nate Wolfe hit .333 with 13 hits, five doubles and a .513 slugging percentage. Maddex Sims added 41 hits, nine doubles, two triples, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Cody Cooper finished with 38 hits, a team-best 10 doubles and 21 RBIs, and JJ Polvinale added 36 hits, 23 runs scored, 20 RBIs and a team-high 26 walks.
On the mound, WVU Tech finished with 340 strikeouts as a staff. Cameron Lynch led the Golden Bears with 54 strikeouts over 52.1 innings, while Marco Viteri Moran added 50 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. Braedan Pakkala finished with 48 strikeouts, Tate Martino added 35 and Stefan Machkovski recorded 29. Jonas Franti led the staff with two wins and one save, while Aidan McGlothlin also recorded a save.
Defensively, Angel Leiva, Joshua Tibbits, Nate Wolfe, Mason Everhart, Ethan Dylan Turner, Jonas Franti and several others finished with perfect fielding percentages. Tompkins handled a team-high 268 total chances at a .981 clip, while Polvinale recorded a team-best 106 assists.
Season Wrap-Up
WVU Tech closed the year with 16 wins, including a strong stretch late in the season that featured a series win over IU Kokomo, a nonconference sweep at Davis & Elkins and a road victory at IU Columbus. The Golden Bears also picked up home wins over Kentucky Christian, Bluefield State, Bluefield and Davis & Elkins while showing the ability to produce big offensive days throughout the spring.
The lineup had several steady contributors, led by Templeton, Sims, Tompkins, Cooper, Leiva and Polvinale, while younger players continued to gain valuable experience across the field. WVU Tech had seven players finish with at least 30 hits and six players drive in at least 18 runs, giving the Golden Bears a balanced offensive foundation to build on.
The pitching staff also saw several arms take on important roles as the season developed. Lynch earned River States Conference Pitcher of the Week honors late in the year, Viteri Moran and Pakkala carried key starts, and Franti, McGlothlin, Hargus, Richards, Machkovski and others provided innings out of the bullpen.
With returning production throughout the lineup and several underclassmen gaining experience in conference play, the Golden Bears close the season with pieces in place to continue building into next year.
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