2017 West Virginia Black Bears Roster
Team Record: 40-35
Finished 3rd in the NYPL's Pinckney Division
Manager: Brian Esposito (40-35)
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Morgantown, West Virginia
Ballpark: Monongalia County Ballpark
Attendance: 75,064, Avg. 2,029 in 37 home dates
The West Virginia Black Bears of the New York-Pennsylvania League ended the 2017 season with a record of 40 wins and 35 losses, finishing third in the league's Pinckney Division.
The Black Bears scored 324 runs and surrendered 294 runs. Tristan Gray drove in 37 runs. Bligh Madris led all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .270. Ike Schlabach topped the team with 6 wins, while Scooter Hightower earned a 1.94 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Members of the 2017 West Virginia Black Bears who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Austin Meadows, Bligh Madris, Kevin Kramer, Jason Delay, Beau Sulser, Adam Oller, Gift Ngoepe, Brandon Waddell, Tristan Gray, Jared Oliva, Hunter Owen, Connor Joe and Mitch Keller.
Brian Esposito served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Barraza | L | R | July 28, 1994 | 6'1" | 220 | Fresno, CA US |
| Brandon Bingel | R | R | February 2, 1995 | 5'10" | 185 | Peabody, MA US |
| Garrett Brown | L | R | March 23, 1993 | 6'0" | 185 | Hendersonville, NC US |
| Dylan Busby | R | R | November 28, 1995 | 6'2" | 196 | Sarasota, FL US |
| Joel Cesar | R | R | January 26, 1996 | 5'11" | 191 | Altamira, DO |
| Sergio Cubilete | R | R | March 19, 1995 | 6'4" | 185 | Azua, DO |
| Julio De La Cruz | R | R | October 5, 1995 | 6'1" | 190 | Yamasa, DO |
| Michael De La Cruz | L | L | July 10, 1996 | 6'1" | 165 | Santo Domingo Centro, DO |
| Jason Delay | R | R | March 7, 1995 | 5'11" | 195 | Plano, TX US |
| Matt Diorio | L | R | July 24, 1995 | 6'1" | 195 | Staten Island, NY US |
| Nick Economos | R | R | June 27, 1995 | 6'6" | 215 | Worcester, MA US |
| Ricky Eusebio | R | R | June 2, 1992 | 6'1" | 202 | New York, NY US |
| Yoandy Fernández | R | R | March 29, 1988 | 6'1" | 190 | , CU |
| Huascar Fuentes | R | R | June 2, 1992 | 6'2" | 195 | Santo Domingo, DO |
| Hector Garcia | L | L | October 4, 1995 | 6'0" | 170 | San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte DO |
| Robbie Glendinning | R | R | October 6, 1995 | 6'2" | 196 | Perth, AU |
| Yoel Gonzalez | R | R | August 1, 1996 | 6'1" | 180 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Tristan Gray | L | R | March 22, 1996 | 6'3" | 185 | Missouri City, TX US |
| Raúl Hernández | R | R | December 20, 1995 | 6'0" | 182 | Maturin, VE |
| Scooter Hightower | R | R | October 15, 1993 | 6'3" | 220 | Clarksville, TN US |
| Connor Joe | R | R | August 16, 1992 | 6'0" | 205 | San Diego, CA US |
| Mitch Keller | R | R | April 4, 1996 | 6'2" | 210 | Cedar Rapids, IA US |
| Shane Kemp | R | R | July 12, 1994 | 6'3" | 180 | Waterloo, IA US |
| Nick King | R | R | November 12, 1993 | 6'0" | 190 | Palm Springs, CA US |
| Kevin Kramer | L | R | October 3, 1993 | 6'0" | 195 | Turlock, CA US |
| Bligh Madris | L | R | February 29, 1996 | 6'0" | 208 | Las Vegas, NV US |
| Pasquale Mazzoccoli | S | R | March 28, 1992 | 6'5" | 200 | Katy, TX US |
| Chris McDonald | R | R | October 7, 1994 | 6'6" | 220 | Livonia, MI US |
| Austin Meadows | L | L | May 3, 1995 | 6'3" | 220 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Stephan Meyer | R | R | May 11, 1994 | 6'4" | 190 | Tucson, AZ US |
| Ryan Nagle | L | R | August 7, 1994 | 6'1" | 200 | Streator, IL US |
| Gift Ngoepe | R | R | January 18, 1990 | 5'8" | 200 | Pietersburg, ZA |
| Jared Oliva | R | R | November 27, 1995 | 6'2" | 195 | Saugus, CA US |
| Adam Oller | R | R | October 17, 1994 | 6'4" | 225 | Conroe, TX US |
| Hunter Owen | R | R | September 22, 1993 | 5'11" | 197 | Evansville, IN US |
| Evan Piechota | R | R | October 19, 1993 | 6'1" | 225 | Livonia, MI US |
| Brett Pope | L | R | May 28, 1996 | 6'0" | 180 | Statesville, NC US |
| Andrew Potter | R | R | February 9, 1994 | 6'0" | 210 | Lancaster, CA US |
| Hector Quinones | R | R | June 7, 1994 | 6'3" | 227 | Barceloneta, US |
| Sandy Santos | R | R | April 20, 1994 | 6'3" | 185 | La Vega, DO |
| Ike Schlabach | R | L | December 27, 1996 | 6'5" | 185 | Columbus, OH US |
| Jon Schwind | R | R | May 30, 1990 | 6'0" | 185 | Hilton, NY US |
| Matt Seelinger | R | R | April 19, 1995 | 6'0" | 205 | Westbury, NY US |
| Chris Sharpe | R | R | June 6, 1996 | 6'1" | 195 | , US |
| Raul Siri | R | R | October 21, 1994 | 5'9" | 175 | Santiago, DO |
| Deon Stafford | R | R | March 17, 1996 | 5'11" | 211 | Harrisburg, PA US |
| Michael Suchy | R | R | April 15, 1993 | 6'3" | 228 | Bradenton, FL US |
| Beau Sulser | R | R | May 5, 1994 | 6'2" | 195 | Escondido, CA US |
| Lucas Tancas | R | R | November 12, 1993 | 6'2" | 220 | , US |
| Brandon Waddell | L | L | June 3, 1994 | 6'3" | 180 | Houston, TX US |
| Andrew Walker | R | R | February 13, 1994 | 6'1" | 169 | Dayton, TX US |
| Gavin Wallace | R | R | November 14, 1995 | 6'5" | 210 | Staten Island, NY US |
| Blake Weiman | R | L | November 5, 1995 | 6'4" | 210 | Wheat Ridge, CO US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
