WVU Baseball Player Makes Appearance At BMAC Golf Classic
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MOUNDSVILLE -- There was a special guest Thursday at the Belmont Mountaineers Athletic Club's 30th Annual BMAC Golf Classic, held at Moundsville Country Club.
WVU baseball player Ben McDougal traded his baseball glove for clubs, representing the Mountaineers at the event.
"It’s awesome," McDougal said of coming up for the event. "You know, the Mountain State and West Virginia has molded me, and so I’m happy to give back any way I can."
McDougal, a Bridgeport, W.Va. native, compiled a 3.14 ERA this season for WVU, the left-hander appearing in 13 games, all in relief.
He is a transfer from Potomac State.
"You go into a grocery store, you go anywhere really, you’re gonna see somebody with a flying W on their shirt or hat, and that means a lot to not only the athletic community at West Virginia, but everyone, right?" McDougal said. "That sort of community, especially with West Virginia not having any pro teams or anything like that, the college is something for people to build around, and it’s really special."
John S. Marshall, a founder of the Belmont Mountaineer Athletic Club, was glad to have McDougal in attendance Thursday.
"The baseball team is this year’s honoree for our Golf Classic, and Ben is representing the team," Marshall said. "And the ironic part of it is, his junior college [Potomac State] coach was Donnie Schafer, who’s from Marshall County, grew up in Marshall County."
The BMAC Golf Classic is a major fundraiser for the Belmont Mountaineer Athletic Club, and the funds from Thursday's outing will help the Club sponsor the BMAC athletic scholarship at WVU, where the BMAC has sent nine local student-athletes to Morgantown.
Two past recipients-- Chase Harler and Alyssa DeSantis, were a part of Thursday's field of competitors. Colton McKivitz is also a past recipient of the scholarship.
As for McDougal, the hurler wasn't quite ready to hit the links.
"I’ve been getting into it, getting better and better, but I’m not going on the tour anytime soon," McDougal said.
WVU made their first-ever appearance in the College World Series, eventually bowing out to North Carolina back in June. Even a month later, McDougal said the experience is still surreal.
"When we’d won the Super Regional and we found out we were going to the College World Series, we kept saying it didn’t feel real," McDougal said.
"And now that it’s over, I still can’t say that it really feels all that real. You know, it was a special moment that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, and I hope that the state of West Virginia will also cherish for the rest of their lives. But hopefully, it’s not the last time that we end up going there."
The Golf Classic was well-attended and took competitors through 18 holes.