Road Success
April 07, 2003 05:19 PM | General
April 7, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Considering West Virginia won only two Big East road games last year, baseball coach Greg Van Zant is pleased with his team’s 2-1 road mark last weekend at Seton Hall and Pitt.
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| Pitcher Shawn Miller has come on to claim one of West Virginia's three weekend starting spots. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
“We got two out of three on the road last weekend and considering we went 0-4 on the same trip last year, we’ll take it,” said Van Zant.
Last year West Virginia’s season came crashing to a halt after a tough four-game stretch that saw WVU lose two 10-inning games at Boston College on Friday and then drop a doubleheader at Villanova two days later on Sunday.
Before those games, West Virginia owned a 17-11 record including a winning 6-4 mark in conference play. After that, the Mountaineers managed to win just three of their final 11 league games to finish the season with a disappointing 9-16 conference record.
West Virginia’s road play was an encouraging sign for Van Zant, now 247-211-1 in his ninth season as WVU’s skipper.
“We’re still in the race,” he remarked.
Last weekend West Virginia outlasted Seton Hall, 4-3 in a 10-inning game that forced the second contest to be canceled due to darkness.
The Mountaineers boarded a bus and headed back to Morgantown early Saturday morning before turning around to play a doubleheader at Pitt on Sunday.
West Virginia captured the first game, 10-8 before losing the nightcap, 4-0.
“That was a tough stretch,” Van Zant said. “All three of those games were played in cold weather and our guys were pretty tired after the second game at Pitt.”
WVU’s 3-2 league mark puts it in a tie with Boston College for fifth place in the conference standings, one-half game behind Rutgers for fourth place.
Notre Dame is atop the league standings with a 7-1 record, followed by Virginia Tech (6-1) and Connecticut (6-3).
West Virginia begins a critical 10-game home stand Tuesday against Towson and faces Connecticut for three games this weekend. After the Huskies, West Virginia plays host to Virginia Tech on Thursday, April 17, and Georgetown on Monday, April 21, for four games.
“This upcoming 10-game home stand is huge,” said Van Zant. “If we can really play well it could put is in a position to have a shot of making the conference tournament.”
The Mountaineers (18-10, 3-2) should have a better idea after those seven league games if they should begin making plans for the four-team Big East Conference tournament to be played May 22-24.
Van Zant says he’s been happy with his team’s effort and concentration so far.
“One of the things I’m most pleased with is the fact that our team plays hard,” he said. “Our guys never quit.”
The coach singled out the hitting of seniors Eric Grimm and Tim McCabe, and the development of sophomore right handed pitcher Shawn Miller as the key reasons for his team’s solid league start.
“Tim is having his best season and Eric is really hitting the ball with authority,” said Van Zant. “And Shawn Miller has worked his way into our weekend rotation. He is a real competitor and just goes out there and battles every time out.”
With two conference games canceled due to bad weather West Virginia has just 24 league games this season, meaning the Mountaineers have little margin for error.
“We’re just taking the approach of winning every game we can,” said Van Zant. “And part of that is that you have to win games on the road to make the conference tournament.”
For now, the road must wait.
West Virginia plays host to Towson (13-12) in a non-conference matchup at Hawley Field Tuesday night. The game will get underway at 7 p.m. and U-92’s coverage will be carried on the Internet by clicking on the Baseball Live Events schedule.
