Baseball: WVU Faces St. John's
April 08, 2010 01:32 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 8, 2010
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| Greg Van Zant |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After scoring a season-best 20 runs in its last contest, the West Virginia University baseball team looks to build momentum as it faces BIG EAST rival St. John’s this weekend at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
Game one begins on Friday, April 9, at 3 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. and noon starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Mountaineers (14-15, 2-4) boosted their team batting average to .291 after producing 25 hits in 46 at-bats against Maryland on Wednesday. WVU received career-best efforts from juniors Jedd Gyorko (six RBIs), Dom Hayes (five hits), redshirt freshman Chris Rasky (two home runs) and freshman Brady Wilson (four hits, one home run).
WVU, however, will shift its focus on its second conference road series of the season. It came away with a series victory at Seton Hall from March 26-28, winning by scores of 5-2 and 3-0 in a three-game set that was dominated by pitching. The Mountaineers then were swept at home by Connecticut last week.
“St. John’s is consistently one of the top programs in the BIG EAST year in and year out,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “They are always well-coached and typically have one of the nation’s better offenses each season. They’ll provide a real test for our team and we’re certainly looking forward to the challenge.”
Hayes continues to lead the Mountaineers at the plate, batting .444 and reaching base safely in all but two games this season. The Freehold, N.J., native has found a spot in the No. 2 hole of the lineup, and is second in the BIG EAST behind Villanova’s Matt Szczur in batting average. Hayes also has a team-best .496 on-base percentage.
Gyorko is batting .350 and leads WVU with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. The Morgantown native has recorded several quality at-bats this season, striking out just nine times compared to 20 walks. On average, Gyorko is fanning just once every 16 plate appearances this season.
Junior Justin McDavid is another key player for the Mountaineers. The Queen Creek, Ariz., native has filled in well at first base, and continues to drive in runs as he carries a team-best eight multiple RBI games this season. McDavid is averaging just over one RBI per game started.
Redshirt junior Colin Durborow has provided a power boost this season, sitting second on the squad with four home runs. The Gibsonia, Pa., native has played third base, second base and first base this season to help offset WVU’s injuries in the infield.
Expected to start for WVU on Friday is junior right-hander Jarryd Summers (1-4). The Sharpsville, Pa., native continues to hold opposing batters to under a .200 average (.194) in seven starts this season. He has sur¬rendered just one home run in 44 innings, and has fanned 37 batters overall.
Summers has endured three losses this season in which he has allowed four runs or less, including two quality starts. The preseason all-BIG EAST team member allowed one run on one hit while fanning 11 in a loss to Western Carolina, and gave up one earned run in seven innings pitched in a loss to Seton Hall.
The Red Storm (16-10, 3-3) won all three games at the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge earlier this season, defeating Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. It was swept on the road against Pitt in its conference-opening weekend, but rebounded with a home sweep against Seton Hall.
St. John’s is batting .323 as a team, the second-highest average in the conference. Sophomore shortstop Joe Panik leads St. John’s with a .415 mark, two home runs and 18 RBIs. Junior Paul Karmas is one of several power threats on the team, hitting .303 with team highs of five home runs and 34 RBIs.
Jimmy Parque is the Red Storm’s other .400 hitter, batting .402 with two home runs and 22 RBIs. Third baseman Greg Hopkins and outfielder Jeremy Baltz have 29 RBIs apiece.
Right-hander Bruce Kern is expected to duel with Summers on Friday afternoon. The Yaphank, N.Y., native is 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in seven starts. Righty Nick Cenatiempo is Saturday’s probable, showing a 1-1 record with a 5.32 ERA, while right-hander Kyle Hansen is 3-1 with a 4.62 ERA.
