Baseball:WVU Takes On Rutgers In Three-Game Series
March 27, 2008 05:05 PM | General
March 27, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team will play Rutgers in a three-game BIG EAST match-up in Piscataway, N.J., this weekend at Bainton Field. Game one of the series will be held on Friday, March 28, at 3:30 p.m. Game two and three will be held on Saturday and Sunday, both at 1 p.m.
Friday’s game will mark the 53rd meeting in program history between Rutgers (6-13, 0-3 BIG EAST) and WVU (19-4, 3-0 BIG EAST) in series play, which began in 1917. The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series 33-18-1. The Mountaineers are looking for their first win in Piscataway since 1997. WVU has lost 12 straight games on Rutgers’ home field.
Sophomore third-baseman Vince Belnome is coming off of a hot week where he batted .643, had four RBIs, a homerun, nine hits and eight runs scored in a three-game sweep over conference rival Pitt last weekend. On Monday, March 24, against Coppin State, Belnome had four hits and finished with a career-best five RBIs to lead the West Virginia attack.
On the mound, the Mountaineers will most likely look to junior right-hander Josh Whitlock (5-0, 2.34 ERA, 25 K, 14 BB) and Stephen Morrison (4-0, 1.47 ERA, 27K, 18BB) as starters.
Rutgers dropped its last game 1-0 against Princeton on Wednesday, March 26. The Scarlet Knights’ last win came on Tuesday, March 25, against Rider, 4-3.
Rutgers will pitch two right-handers against WVU. On Friday, Casey Gaynor (1-4, 3.93 ERA, 34K, 8 BB), who leads RU in strikeouts and lowest ERA, will face the Mountaineers. On Saturday, Matt Giannini (0-3, 10.80 ERA, 15K, 13BB) will pitch against WVU, while Sunday’s pitcher is still to be determined.
Last time out, the Mountaineers were led by Justin Parks who recorded seven RBIs, including a grand slam, to help WVU in a doubleheader sweep over Morehead State, on Tuesday, March 25. The Mountaineers finished with 26 runs on 29 hits to stretch its win-streak to 11.
West Virginia’s record of 19-4 is currently the eighth best in the country, tied with Coastal Carolina and North Carolina. The Mountaineers also rank 10th in the country with 9.5 runs per game and fourth in the country with a +5.3 scoring margin. Head Coach Greg Van Zant is just three away from his 400th career win.
