Baseball: WVU Set for BIG EAST Home Opener
April 02, 2009 05:17 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 2, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team faces Georgetown in its BIG EAST home-opening series from April 3-5 at Hawley Field.
WVU is set to battle the Hoyas (10-16, 3-3) on Friday at 5 p.m. Both teams follow with a Saturday game at 3 p.m., and end on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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| Coach Greg Van Zant has the Mountaineers off to a 20-6 start.
WVU Photography/Brian Persinger photo |
Two come-from-behind efforts have aided WVU’s four-game winning streak. The Mountaineers (20-6, 5-1) defeated Duquesne, 7-5, on Tuesday after trailing 2-0 through the first inning. They ended Wednesday’s contest against Ohio with a dramatic 10-9 walk-off victory after trailing 8-1 entering the bottom of the fifth.
The Mountaineers sit atop the BIG EAST standings with their 5-1 conference mark, sweeping Connecticut and defeating Villanova in two of three games - both on the road. WVU is one of only 17 Division I schools to claim 20 victories heading into its all-important weekend series with Georgetown.
Both teams have not faced each other since the 2007 season, a series in which WVU won two of three games against the rival Hoyas to end the regular season.
Sophomore Dan DiBartolomeo continues to lead the conference with a .467 average. The third baseman recently snapped a 23-game hitting streak against Ohio, and is one of four Mountaineers with at least four home runs on the season.
WVU has four hitters batting over .400 heading into the weekend. Vince Belnome, who leads the BIG EAST with 43 RBIs, is hitting .424 in the cleanup role. Jedd Gyorko, who tied Wednesday night’s game in the ninth with a towering three-run home run, is batting .420 and holds the conference lead in doubles (16) and hits (47).
Left fielder Justin Parks is hitting .400. The Columbus, Ohio, resident has enjoyed a recent power surge by hitting three of his four home runs over the last four games. Parks led WVU with a 3-for-5 performance against the Bobcats.
Right-hander Jarryd Summers will get the probable start on Friday against Georgetown. The sophomore from Sharpsville, Pa., has allowed just 13 earned runs in 39.1 innings pitched, including five of six starts where he allowed three earned runs or less. He leads the squad with 41 strikeouts, sitting at second in the conference behind Louisville’s Justin Marks.
Billy Gross has won in his last three outings. The right-hander from Frederick, Md., defeated Villanova last Sunday by giving up four runs in seven innings pitched with six strikeouts. Gross shows two complete games on the season with a 3.58 ERA.
Left-hander Jonathan Jones has been a reliable starter for the Mountaineers this season. He joins closer Chris Enourato and Andy Altemus as the only WVU pitchers with undefeated records, carrying a 3-0 mark. Jones has struck out 20 batters this season in 27 innings pitched.
WVU leads the BIG EAST by 26 points with a .368 team batting average. The Mountaineers are also averaging nearly 10 runs per game (9.9), good enough for 10th best in the nation.
Georgetown recently won two of three games against 2008 conference regular season champion St. John’s, but are coming off a 6-1 loss to George Mason on Wednesday evening.
The Hoyas are led by utility player Erick Fernandez, who is hitting .385 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Outfielder Sean Baumann follows with a .365 clip and four home runs.
On the mound, Jimmy Saris, Will Harris and Tim Adleman will get the likely starts for GU. Saris, a right-hander, leads the trio with a 2-2 record and a 4.67 ERA. Adleman has pitched a team-high 38.2 innings this season, and Harris has struck out 18 batters in 30.1 innings.
This weekend’s series is deemed as Alumni Weekend, with former Mountaineer baseball players taking part in a host of festivities throughout the weekend. Saturday’s game will include former players receiving on-field recognition during the game.
