Baseball: WVU Battles Bearcats
April 29, 2010 01:51 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 29, 2010
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| Jarryd Summers |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team plays its first conference road series in nearly three weeks as it faces BIG EAST opponent Cincinnati this weekend at Marge Schott Stadium.
First pitch on Friday, April 30, is at 6:30 p.m., followed by 4 p.m. and 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“This weekend is another crucial BIG EAST series for our ballclub,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “Our team is fighting for a spot in the conference tournament, and we’ve got a team in Cincinnati that has some of the best arms in the BIG EAST. We’re hoping our preparation this week will help us come away with a big road series win.”
The Mountaineers (18-23, 3-12) face the Bearcats (20-20, 5-10) for the first time since outscoring them, 42-14, in a three-game series in Morgantown on May 9-10 last season. WVU leads the all-time series, 15-12, dating back to a 10-0 victory over Cincinnati in 1908.
WVU looks to sustain its recent offensive success against a Cincinnati team that is second in the BIG EAST with a 3.75 team ERA. Over its last 10 games against St. John’s, Louisville, Duquesne, Eastern Kentucky and Pitt, the Mountaineers are batting .359 with 14 home runs, 32 doubles and an average of 9.4 runs per game. In that span, WVU has raised its team batting average by 20 points to .307, ranking sixth in the conference.
On Tuesday, WVU defeated Duquesne, 16-6, to mark its season-high for runs scored at Hawley Field. The Mountaineers produced 20 base hits in that contest, their third highest of the season and most at home. Junior catcher Kevin Griffin led the team with four base hits, while junior first baseman Justin McDavid hit a three-run home run to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.
Overall, McDavid is batting .301 with 40 RBIs and 12 doubles. Right fielder Dom Hayes ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with a .408 batting average and continues to lead the team with a .451 on-base percentage and 69 base hits.
Jedd Gyorko recorded his 14th home run of the season last Tuesday, tying Phil Wunderlich of Louisville for second in the BIG EAST. The Morgantown native is hitting .360 with team-highs of 47 RBIs, 123 total bases and 48 runs scored. Gyorko also boasts a 31/14 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and is reaching base nearly 45 percent of the time.
Cincinnati is ahead of the Mountaineers by two games in the conference standings, sitting in sole possession of the final eighth-place spot needed to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship. The Bearcats defeated Ohio State, 12-4, at the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge, but do not own a conference series victory this season.
Cincinnati has taken one game in each series versus Villanova, USF, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Notre Dame.
As much as they rely on their starting pitching, the Bearcats are full of reliable relievers in the bullpen. Three relievers in left-hander Cory Hough (1-0, 2.25 ERA), right-hander Brian Sand (3-3, 2.29) and righty Sam Slavik (2-1, 2.53) have ERAs under three runs, while left-hander Brian Garman carries a 3-1 record with a 1.63 ERA in 12 appearances, including two games started.
Senior right-hander Tyler Smith is eighth in the BIG EAST with a 3.47 ERA, while junior righty Dan Jensen trails with a 3.60 ERA in nine games started.
Cincinnati is last in the BIG EAST with a .241 team batting average, carrying one .300 hitter in sophomore outfielder Kendal Coleman. Catcher Jimmy Jacquot leads the team with seven home runs and 32 RBIs, and junior outfielder Mikel Huston is hitting .295 with 12 RBIs.
The Mountaineers are expected to start right-hander Jarryd Summers (1-7, 4.66) on Friday night, with the rest of the rotation to be determined.
