Baseball: WVU Resumes BIG EAST Play With Rutgers
April 08, 2005 11:45 AM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
April 8, 2005
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This weekend’s matchup will feature two head coaches who recently earned career milestone wins. West Virginia’s 11th-year skipper Greg Van Zant won his 300th game to become only the third coach in the program's 111-year history to accomplish that feat. Rutgers’ win over Monmouth on Wednesday marked head coach Fred Hill’s 700th career victory in 21-plus seasons with the Scarlet Knights.
West Virginia (12-18, 2-5) is coming off its top performance of the season with a 15-1 victory over Savannah State on Wednesday. WVU rode a brilliant eight-inning, three-hit effort from senior Marty Fagler and the Mountaineer bats collected a season-high 15 runs and 14 hits.
Seniors Lee Fritz, Chad McKown and sophomore Justin Jenkins lead the Mountaineer offensive attack. Fritz boasts a .386 clip with three triples and three home runs. McKown and Jenkins have combined for 12 home runs while batting .324 and .331 from the plate.
Rutgers (16-9, 5-1) brings a four-game win streak into this weekend’s games as the Scarlet Knights defeated Rider, Monmouth and swept Notre Dame in a pair of games.
Senior Cory Rodriguez and junior Johnny Defendis lead the Rutgers offense. Rodriguez sports a .370 average from the plate with two home runs and 14 RBI while Defendis is hitting a solid .349.
Game one on Saturday will mark the 47th meeting between the two schools. The Scarlet Knights hold a 29-16-1 all-time advantage in a series that began in 1917. Fans can follow the action via LiveStats on MSNsportsNET.com or listen to the game as U-92 FM will broadcast all three contests in the series.
The first 250 youth league baseball players in uniform for Saturday’s doubleheader will receive a free pair of Louisville Slugger TPX baseball wristbands. After game two on Saturday, Mountaineer players and coaches will be available for a picture and autograph session in the dugout.
