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The Pride of West Virginia received some exciting news before the Backyard Brawl. Morgantown, WV - Prior to the Backyard Brawl last night, The Pride of West Virginia received incredible news for 2024. Macy’s announced that the Mountaineer Marching Band has been selected to perform in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. https://twitter.com/westvirginiau/status/1703218785543438462?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw For a university that has been through a plethora of turmoil lately, this is certainly an encouragement achievement for the program! (Photo via West Virginia University)

The Pac-12 has hired Oliver Luck in hopes of saving the conference.   Morgantown, WV - According to David Hookstead of Outkick, the Pac-12 Conference has hired former WVU Quarterback and Athletic Director Oliver Luck in an advisory role as a consultant. This move was made in hopes that he can help save the league following conference realignment. https://twitter.com/Outkick/status/1690357467597688833?s=20 The full extent of his position with the Pac-12 is not yet known, per Hookstead. (Photo by WVU Athletics) 

WVU President Gordon Gee will step down as university president in 2025, per reports. Morgantown, WV - According to Brian Powell on Twitter, WVU President E. Gordon Gee will step down as university president in 2025. He will take up a role in WVU’s law school as a faculty member. https://twitter.com/bitmapped/status/1688642843022090240?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw Gee recently extended his prior contract which was set to expire in 2024. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown for updates. (Photo by West Virginia University) 

The West Virginia Baseball team is set to travel to Lexington, Kentucky for the beginning of the NCAA Tournament. While being in the big dance is exciting, they will be dealing with less than ideal circumstances. Morgantown, WV - The West Virginia University Baseball team is set to compete in the Lexington, Kentucky region in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. With the Mountaineers taking on Indiana this Friday night, the team will be making the trip to the Bluegrass State in the coming days. While this is certainly an exciting feat, Randy Mazey’s bunch will have to deal with less than ideal circumstances when they arrive in Lexington. According to Ben Upton of the 11Point Podcast, there are no hotels available within 100 miles of Lexington. Due to this, West Virginia and all of the teams competing will be forced to stay in dorm rooms on the campus of the University of Kentucky. https://twitter.com/Ben_Upton5/status/1663380804733378561?s=20 In an email that the school sent out to the teams, each opponent will be charged $92.50 per night for the residential suites. This will not include the extra money the school will charge for their laundry room nor anything else that may be a luxury. Of course this will not be fun, but the Mountaineers can make up for it all by stringing together some wins. Let’s hope that they do. (Photo by WVU Athletics) 

The West Virginia University Baseball team won a share of the 2023 Big 12 Regular Season Championship. They welcomed the trophy home today.   Morgantown, WV - Following a Big 12 Regular Season Championship, the WVU Baseball team finally had the opportunity to welcome the conference’s trophy home today in a moment the team shared on social media. https://twitter.com/wvubaseball/status/1663268289135476736?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw Watch the Mountaineers celebrate their incredible accomplishment in the tweet above. WVU takes on Indiana in the Lexington, Kentucky Region to begin the NCAA Tournament. They finished the season 39-18. (Photo by WVU Athletics)

WVU Baseball has been selected to the NCAA Tournament. Who will they face in the Lexington, Kentucky region?   Morgantown, WV - The WVU Baseball team is set to compete in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Earlier today, it was announced that the Mountaineers will be the 2nd-seed in the Lexington, Kentucky region Kentucky, the region’s 1st-seed, will take on 4th-seed Ball State to get things started. West Virginia will do battle with the 3rd-seed Hoosiers from Indiana. https://twitter.com/ncaabaseball/status/1663217582902583296?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw The Lexington region will face-off against one another from June 2nd to 5th. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown for updates. (Photo by WVU Athletics) 

After a successful 2023 season, WVU Baseball is set to compete in the NCAA Tournament.   Morgantown, WV - After winning a share of the 2023 regular season Big 12 championship, the Mountaineer Baseball team has officially been selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Moments ago, the team announced that they will be competing in the Lexington, Kentucky Regional. https://twitter.com/WVUBaseball/status/1663218016169996291?s=20 The Mountaineers finished the season 39-18. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown as we will bring you updates on WVU’s opponent in the Bluegrass State. (Photo by WVU Athletics) 

(Photo by Colorado Athletics)  With the Big 12’s expansion talk being louder than usual, Colorado is the school garnering the most attention. Athletic Director Rick George spoke on the topic with Buffs Wire earlier this week.   Boulder, Colorado - The Colorado Buffaloes are hot on the expansion trail as of late. With the Big 12 rumored to expand with several additions, many expect the Buffs to be the first team to receive the invite - and accept. Many random social accounts have reported that Colorado will be making the move any day now, but that has yet to come to fruition. However, Colorado Athletic Director Rick George recently spoke with Buffs Wire about the subject, and many of his quotes were quite…interesting. https://twitter.com/BrianHowell33/status/1662204013054689282?s=20 Rick George on Colorado’s potential move to the Big 12:  “We’re members of the Pac-12, we’re proud members of the Pac-12 and we’ve got to see where our media rights deal lands and where our conference goes. In a perfect world, we’d love to be in the Pac-12, but we also have to do what’s right for Colorado at the end of the day. We’ll evaluate things as we move forward.” There it is, folks. While Colorado certainly hopes that their athletics can remain in the Pac-12, George does leave the door open for their potential exit. According to Justin Walker of Couz’s Corner, Colorado currently has two “Special Board Meetings” scheduled for next week. This will be something to keep an eye on for fans and media of the Big 12. https://twitter.com/couz206/status/1662264912142368769?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown for updates.

WVU baseball player JJ Wetherholt wins conference player of the year.  MORGANTOWN, WV - According to the Big 12 social media pages, WVU baseball player JJ Wetherholt has been named the Big 12 Baseball Player of the Year. https://twitter.com/Big12Conference/status/1661117088117960705?s=20 This is the first time in WVU Baseball’s history that they have had a player win the Big 12 Player of the Year.   He tallied a .447 average, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases. Congratulations, JJ!

Cover Photo: WVU Athletics Nearly 40 years after graduating from Syracuse University, West Virginia University Play-by-Play Announcer and longtime MetroNews Statewide Sportsline Host Tony Caridi was inducted into the WAER Hall of Fame. WAER 88.3 FM, which is part of the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University, celebrated its 75th anniversary by welcoming two former members of their campus radio station into the hall in a Tuesday night ceremony, Caridi, a 1984 graduate, and ’01 graduate and CBS sports announcer Andrew Catalon. A native of Lockport, New York, Caridi spoke to friends, family members, and fellow Syracuse colleagues and other broadcasting greats in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium. Before speaking, highlights of his career calling Mountaineer games graced the backdrop. Memorable calls of plays made by WVU greats Pat White and Geno Smith could be heard. Of course, you can’t forget about the basketball team punching their final four ticket to Indianapolis.“So long Big Blue, hello Gold and Blue! The West Virginia Mountaineers are going to the Final Four,” Caridi said back in 2010. While the moments were sweet, for Caridi, it’s the people he appreciates even more for the journey he’s had and getting him to where he is today. “All the things that I’ve been able to do and this great, wonderful blessing I’ve received, would be great and well, but absolutely hollow if it weren’t for family,” said Caridi. Caridi referenced his brother and sister in the crowd yesterday, people he says work just as hard, thanks to their parents. The hard work ethic installed in Caridi is something he attributes to his father, an immigrant, who made a living in the states running a grocery store, with the help of Caridi’s mother. Working long days and longer weeks are nothing new to the Caridi family. “We need to always help one another out because that is the essence of this business,” Caridi said. “If I ever get the opportunity to help someone, I’m helping them." Tony joined WVRC Media in 1984 as a news anchor on WAJR in Morgantown. He took over the role of Sports Director when MetroNews was founded in 1986. That same year, Caridi became the host of MetroNews Sportsline, which he is still the host of to this day. His work with the Mountaineer Sports Network started in 1987 as a television play-by-play announcer and reporter. Caridi’s current role as radio play-by-play began a decade later in 1997. Caridi summed his career up best with his final statement. “There was always a reason to stay in Morgantown.”  

(Photo by WVU Athletics) The Mountaineer Baseball team has been the surprise of Morgantown this spring. Heading into this weekend’s matchup with Kansas at 22-7, a home series win could’ve kept the momentum going. Unfortunately for 24th-ranked West Virginia, they couldn’t quite get the job done. Despite crushing the Jayhawks 12-3 on Easter Sunday, the Mountaineers dropped the series 2-1, all but sealing their fate of dropping out of the rankings this week. Randy Mazey’s crew put up a good fight on Friday and Saturday, but fell 5-3 and 10-7 respectively. They will have an opportunity to right their wrongs prior to a visit to Oklahoma State next weekend with a mid-week game against Penn State. West Virginia (23-9, 3-3) will travel to Happy Valley on Tuesday. The first pitch is set to take place at 6 p.m.

Mountaineer baseball player J.J. Wetherholt is having quite the season. Following a first half of the season that saw him lead the Big 12 Conference in hits, the sophomore has been named a Mid-Season All-American. He currently has a .462 batting average and has 54 hits on the season. https://twitter.com/voicemorgantown/status/1643398964014637058?s=46&t=cXIQ4JQG-pp-P6qrRwLwjw   Wetherholt and the Mountaineers take on Marshall on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.   The game will broadcast on ESPN+.

Cover Photo: WVU Athletics Jose Perez was an absolute powerhouse at Manhattan, where he was chosen as the preseason Player of the Year in the MAAC. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds last season, so it was expected that he would be a major player at WVU. Once he transferred to WVU, he was denied eligibility. After his waiver was denied on December 16, they appealed the decision. However, only 90 minutes before the Mountaineers took on Baylor in Morgantown, the NCAA denied Perez's appeal. The NCAA has been trying to cut down on student-athletes transferring multiple times. According to their new criteria approved yesterday, the NCAA states, "The Council voted unanimously to update guidelines for the waiver process for undergraduate student-athletes who are transferring for a second time...Each waiver request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but moving forward, student-athletes must meet one of the following criteria to be granted a waiver to compete immediately." A demonstrated physical injury or illness or mental health condition that necessitated the student's transfer (supporting documentation, care plans and proximity of the students support system will be considered) or Exigent circumstances that clearly necessitate a student-athletes' immediate departure from the previous school (e.g. physical assault or abuse, sexual assault) unrelated to the student-athletes athletics participation. Perez has done everything asked of him. He did not practice with the team until the fall semester was over and he enrolled for the spring semester back in November. WVU didn't cheat in any way to help prepare Perez for his season. They also didn't cheat their way to a waiver approval either. Yet, both Jose Perez and his team are hurting. Perez also revealed the terrible circumstances surrounding how Manhattan College dealt with the transfer process. It is now clear that they tried to keep Perez and his teammates from leaving the team. Manhattan fired head coach Steve Masiello with less than two weeks before the first game of the season. The college did this because they believed that the player wouldn't want to leave just days before the start of the season. They knew that if they had fired him any earlier, a large number of player would have entered the portal. Perez left because Masiello was more than a coach; he was a father figure. Even in recent WVU history, several athletes have played with three or four different schools. JT Daniels started his career at USC, then went to Georgia, then WVU, and now Rice. Erik Stevenson started at Wichita State, then Washington, then South Carolina, and is finishing his collegiate career at WVU. Perez is eligible to play for the Mountaineers in the 2023-2024 season, but there's no guarantee that he will stay that long. His plan was to play this season, then move on from college. This means that it would be very hard to keep him around for another year, when he would be a sixth-year senior. The NCAA has used this situation to make an example out of both Perez and WVU's entire basketball program.

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