Baseball: WVU Battles Notre Dame
April 16, 2009 02:27 PM | General
April 16, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team travels to South Bend, Ind., to take on BIG EAST rival Notre Dame for a three-game set from April 17-19 at Frank Eck Stadium.
WVU takes on the Fighting Irish on Friday at 6:05 p.m., followed by a Saturday afternoon contest beginning at 3:05 p.m. First pitch for Sunday’s game is 1:05 p.m.
The Mountaineers (27-7, 10-2) are searching for their first series victory at Notre Dame since taking two of three in 2003. WVU owns a 7-2 mark away from Hawley Field this season, the fifth-best road record in the nation.
WVU finished 8-1 in its recent nine-game homestand, defeating St. John’s in two of three games and sweeping Georgetown in three contests. WVU also won home games over Duquesne, Ohio and Maryland Eastern Shore, then defeated Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Tuesday evening.
The Mountaineers tallied five home runs against the Dukes in their 21-12 victory, their highest single-game home run total since hitting five against Seton Hall in game one of a doubleheader on May 8, 2005.
Senior Austin Markel has enjoyed a hot streak at the plate, hitting a home run in five consecutive games heading into the weekend series at Notre Dame. Since WVU’s 9-3 victory on April 9 against St. John’s, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week has gone 10-for-21 with five home runs, 13 RBIs, 10 runs scored and three doubles.
Fifth-year senior Justin Parks had a career night against Duquesne on Tuesday, posting a career-high seven RBIs with two home runs, his second multi-home run game of the season. The Columbus, Ohio, native is one of four WVU players hitting over .400, as he shows a .407 at the leadoff position.
Right fielder Grant Buckner carries a 16-game hitting streak, the second-longest in 2009 by a WVU player. Dan DiBartolomeo had a 23-game hitting streak that was snapped against Ohio on April 1 after putting down a sacrifice bunt in the ninth inning that helped lead to the game-winning run.
Slugger Vince Belnome leads the Mountaineers with a .426 average as well as 53 RBIs. The Coatesville, Pa., native has 17 multiple RBI games in 2009 and is slugging at nearly .700 (.698) in the cleanup spot.
Belnome’s 53 RBIs are 29 shy of breaking the school’s all-time record held by Mark Landers, who recorded 81 RBIs in 61 games in 1994. Through 34 games in WVU’s 40-21 season, Landers posted 35 RBIs, which has already been surpassed by Belnome, Tobias Streich (46), DiBartolomeo (36), and matched by Markel (35).
Sophomore right-hander Jarryd Summers will get the start in Friday’s matchup. The Sharpsville, Pa., native is 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA, and has 60 strikeouts in 55.1 innings pitched. Summers has been able to maintain his control all season, showing nearly a 3:1 strikeout-walk ratio in 2009.
Right-hander Billy Gross is riding a five-game winning streak after starting the season with an 0-2 mark through his first two appearances. Since then, the Frederick, Md., native has gone 5-0 in five games started while allowing just 11 earned runs in 38.2 innings pitched. Gross has not allowed a home run in his last three starts.
The Fighting Irish (20-13, 6-6) recently lost two of three to conference opponent Cincinnati, but swept Villanova, 3-0, in its previous BIG EAST series. Notre Dame also shows a win over common opponent Illinois (14-7) and a recent loss to Northwestern (5-1).
Starters Cole Johnson (4-0, 2.30), Brian Dupra (3-4, 5.51) and Eric Maust (4-2, 5.40) will be on the mound for Notre Dame this weekend. Preseason All-American A.J. Pollack is batting .346 with four home runs and 29 RBIs, while sophomore Greg Sherry holds a .352 average.
WVU is 16-34 all-time against Notre Dame, as both teams split, 2-2, in 2008.
