Baseball: WVU Set for UMES, Duquesne
April 12, 2009 04:12 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 12, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team prepares for a pair of nonconference opponents when it hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, April 13, at 4 p.m., followed by a matchup at Duquesne on Tuesday, April 14, at 4 p.m.
The Mountaineers (25-7, 10-2) have an opportunity to reach their best 33-game regular season start in school history with a win over the Hawks (8-25, 6-4) on Monday. WVU is tied with the 2006 squad for the school’s best overall mark through 32 games with a 25-7 record.
WVU is 9-0 all-time against UMES, dating back to 2005. Former WVU pitcher Matt Yurish threw five hitless innings to defeat the Hawks in game one of a doubleheader in 2008, and Coach Greg Van Zant earned his 400th win in game two following the Mountaineers’ 18-1 victory.
WVU boasts a 15-5 record against nonconference foes this season, including victories over Indiana, Northwestern, Tennessee and Kentucky. Following their contests against UMES and Duquesne, the Mountaineers have four remaining nonconference opponents in the regular season, including Ohio, Morehead State, Atlantic Coast Conference rival Maryland and Youngstown State.
Entering Sunday, the Mountaineers are tied with Arizona State for the nation’s ninth-best winning percentage (.781). WVU has won 17 of its last 20 games, recently taking two of three games from BIG EAST rival St. John’s at Hawley Field.
Senior Austin Markel gave WVU a power surge in its recent three-game series with the Red Storm, going 5-for-12 with three home runs, including a key grand slam in game one on Friday to elevate the Mountaineers to a 9-3 victory. The Elizabethville, Pa., native raised his batting average by eight points to sit at .333 as the team’s hitter in the No. 2 slot.
Grant Buckner has been a consistent force at the plate for WVU. The Elkview, W.Va., native has a 14-game hitting streak entering the week, and went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBIs in WVU’s 16-2 victory over St. John’s.
The Mountaineers also face the Dukes (8-25, 3-8) on Tuesday for the third and final time this season. WVU took the first game, 8-5, on March 11 at Hawley Field, then won another home contest against Duquesne on March 31, 7-5.
WVU is 69-8 all-time against the Dukes.
