West Virginia Black Bears


The West Virginia Black Bears are a Minor League Baseball team based in Granville, West Virginia. The team began play in the New York–Penn League in 2015 as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team is owned by Bob Rich, Jr. and plays at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morgantown and West Virginia University.
In August 2014, it was announced that the Jamestown Jammers would cease operations and move to Morgantown. On October 22, the team announced that they would be named the "Black Bears" following a fan vote, as the American black bear is the state animal of West Virginia. Other finalists included Black Diamonds, Canaries, Coal Kings, Coal Sox, Energy, Moonshiners, Muskets, Wild Ones, and Wonder.
In January 2015, Wyatt Toregas was named as their inaugural manager. The Black Bears won the New York–Penn League wild card in their inaugural season. The team then defeated the Williamsport Crosscutters and the Staten Island Yankees to win the 2015 New York–Penn League Championship.

Roster

Season-by-season record