Baseball: WVU to Face Connecticut on $1 Night
April 24, 2008 04:29 PM | General
April 24, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia baseball team will play host to BIG EAST foe Connecticut this weekend in a three-game series at Hawley Field. Game one will be held on Friday, April 25, and has been deemed “Dollar Day,” as all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Game two will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, followed by the final game of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.
WVU (29-11, 8-7 BIG EAST) and UConn (21-22, 7-11 BIG EAST) have met a total of 35 times since 1996. The Huskies took the series, 2-1, last season in Storrs, Conn. The Mountaineers fell 5-0 in game one, won 14-0 in game two and fell 2-0 in game three.
Pierre LePage leads the Huskies at the plate, batting .339, with 58 hits, including eight doubles and 28 RBIs. Right-hander John Folino (3.62 ERA, 3-3, 43H, 27K) will pitch Friday night, while lefty rookie Mike Hashem will face the Mountaineers on Sunday (1.88 ERA, 2-1, 15H, 20K). Saturday’s pitcher remains to be determined.
West Virginia has a firm hold on the BIG EAST offensive charts as the Mountaineers are hitting a collective .359 and slugging .553, leading the BIG EAST in both categories. The Mountaineers have scored 85 more runs than any other conference team with 370.
Six Mountaineers are batting .400 or above, led by third baseman Vince Belnome who has a .425 average on the year, and a team-best 55 RBIs. Senior Tyler Kuhn leads the pack with 71 hits, including 16 doubles, four triples and seven home runs, and 53 runs.
On the mound, the Mountaineers will most likely look to junior right-hander Josh Whitlock (6-3, 5.22 ERA, 47 K, 33 BB) and Stephen Morrison (5-2, 3.38 ERA, 42K, 35BB) as starters. Sophomore Chris Enourato, who leads the team with six saves, will be counted on as WVU’s closer.
All three games will be aired live on WAJR AM-1440 and U-92 radio stations.
