Baseball: WVU Set for Backyard Brawl
April 22, 2010 03:00 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 22, 2010
PITT GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team plays its most spirited rival in No. 24 Pitt this weekend at Hawley Field. First pitch on Friday, April 23, is set for 6 p.m., followed by start times of 3 p.m. and noon on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
WVU owns a 96-78 series edge over its Backyard Brawl rival, dating back to 1895 when Pitt was originally know as Western University of Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers (17-20, 3-9) and Panthers (27-10, 9-3) split their four games last season, including a 20-8 win by WVU in the BIG EAST Championship that set a conference tournament record for most runs in a game.
“Pitt is a tremendously talented team this year. They have a lot of talent at the plate and on the mound,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “We always enjoy playing our biggest rival, and it should be a fun series for our fans this weekend.”
Submitted photo
Junior Jedd Gyorko powered WVU to a 23-6 win at Duquesne on Wednesday evening, setting its season-high for runs scored. Gyorko finished 3-for-7, tied a career-high with six RBIs and hit two home runs in the first inning to spark a Mountaineer offense that registered 23 base hits.
The Morgantown native is atop the school’s career list in several categories. He is second in runs scored (180), third in doubles (61), multiple-hit games (77) and extra-base hits (95), fourth in base hits (247) and fifth in RBIs (164).
WVU’s offensive performance at Duquesne allowed it to reach the .300 mark in team batting average for the first time this season. The Mountaineers now have five players who are categorically batting over .300, as well as redshirt freshman Chris Rasky (.342), who has not met the 2.5 at-bat-per-game requirement just yet.
Junior first baseman Justin McDavid holds a 13-game hitting streak entering the weekend series. He is batting .310 and has produced 31 RBIs in 31 games played this season.
Playing well behind the plate has been junior college transfer Kevin Griffin, who belted his second home run in the past week last night against the Dukes. In his last five games, the Martinsburg native is 7-for-21 with two home runs, six RBIs and one double.
Junior Dom Hayes’ team-leading .420 batting average is now the third-highest in the conference after he garnered four more hits last night. He now has 21 multiple-hit games this season, including a five-hit performance at Maryland on April 7. The Freehold, N.J., native also leads the Mountaineers with a .463 on-base percentage.
WVU is 20-17 against Pitt in Van Zant’s tenure, which began in 1995. The Mountaineers have swept the Panthers in their last two home series in 2006 and 2008.
Pitt has earned its national ranking by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll because of its talented balance of hitting and pitching. Pitt is the top hitting team in the conference, batting .363 while also leading the BIG EAST in on-base percentage (.442), runs scored (354), hits (504), RBIs (320), doubles (107) and total bases (705).
Junior Joe Leonard leads the Panthers with a .428 average, 17 doubles, a .648 slugging percentage and 103 total bases. He also has four home runs, 17 doubles and three triples.
Junior outfielder John Schultz leads the BIG EAST with a .524 on-base percentage, and is batting .410 with two home runs and 32 RBIs. Catcher Corey Brownstein, who was named the conference player of the week on April 12, is hitting .400 with 28 RBIs.
Senior shortstop Danny Lopez is Pitt’s biggest threat on the base paths, stealing 23 bases in 28 attempts. First baseman David Chester is the team’s leader with seven home runs.
On the mound, Pitt’s primary three starters all boast impressive records. Sophomore left-hander Matt Iannazzo is 6-1 with a team-best 3.23 ERA. Iannazzo struggled against the Mountaineers last season, surrendering seven runs on six hits in 1.2 innings pitched in a 16-4 WVU win.
Right-hander Nathan Hood is 4-0 in eight games started, showing a 3.26 ERA. He took the loss against the Mountaineers in last year’s postseason contest, allowing five runs on three hits in one inning. Hood has struck out 47 batters in 51 innings pitched this year.
Right-hander Corey Baker is 8-1 with a 3.63 ERA this season, owning a team-high 54 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched.
Pitt has won three of its four conference series, taking two of three at home against 11th-ranked Louisville two weeks ago. The Panthers swept St. John’s and Villanova, while falling in two of three to Rutgers. Pitt owns non-conference victories over Memphis and Penn State.
This weekend features two promotions at Hawley Field. Friday night is the second scheduled “Dollar Night,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas available for purchase for just one dollar each.
The WVU coaching staff and players will conduct a youth baseball camp following Sunday’s contest. Brochures and other information regarding the event can be found on MSNsportsNET.com.
