Baseball: WVU Hosts the Dukes
March 10, 2009 03:54 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
March 10, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team looks to get back to its winning ways as it hosts nearby opponent Duquesne on Wednesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. at Hawley Field.
“It’s an extremely important game to get back in the positive direction,” Coach Greg Van Zant said. “Duquesne will be a difficult opponent. We need to pitch well and play good defense in order to win this game.”
The Mountaineers (7-4) are coming off a 14-8 loss to Canisius on Monday, but have won four of their last five with a four-game sweep over New Jersey Tech over the weekend. Catcher Tobias Streich led WVU at the plate on Monday, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a towering three-run home run in the eighth inning. The Johnsonburg, Pa., resident leads the Mountaineers with three home runs and 22 RBIs.
Swinging well throughout the season has been junior Vince Belnome. The Coastesville, Pa., native went 12-for-15 last week with 12 RBIs, eight runs scored and seven doubles, and is riding an 11-game hitting streak to start the season. He finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs against the Golden Griffins.
WVU shows a .407 batting average through its first 11 games. Four hitters in Grant Buckner (.425), Dan DiBartolomeo (.462), Jedd Gyorko (.533) and Belnome (.535) have marks of over .400, while Mark Dvoroznak has started his season off well with six hits in 10 at-bats.
The Mountaineers are averaging 11.7 runs per game in the early going, while averaging a five-run margin against their opponents.
Gyorko tallied three hits and two RBIs in WVU’s last contest, including a two-run double in the ninth inning. The reigning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year has one home run, 11 RBIs and seven doubles in 11 games played. Gyorko also has an impressive 10 multi-hit games thus far.
The Mountaineers face the Dukes (0-11) in what will be their sixth consecutive home contest. After its one-game series against Duquesne, WVU hosts another Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member in Siena for a four-game series beginning on Friday, March 13, at 3 p.m.
Duquesne remains winless after getting swept in a three-game series by No. 17 Florida from March 6-8. The Dukes also show losses against Southeastern Conference opponent South Carolina, Rhode Island, Northeastern and Maine.
“Duquesne could be the best 0-11 team in America,” Van Zant added. “They almost beat Florida and played tough against South Carolina. They’ve beaten us before so we’ll have our hands full.”
Senior Anthony Manley leads the Dukes with a .333 average. The infielder from Greensburg, Pa., has 11 hits in 33 at-bats, along with three RBIs, two doubles and a triple in 10 games started. Sophomore Andrew Heck follows with a .300 mark at the plate with three RBIs, a double and two steals.
WVU holds a 67-8 all-time mark against the Dukes. The Mountaineers won both contests in 2008 by scores of 8-1 and 14-0, while Duquesne nipped WVU with a 14-12 victory in Morgantown in 2007.
