Baseball: WVU Plays Host to Notre Dame
May 07, 2010 02:01 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
May 7, 2010
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| Jedd Gyorko |
NOTRE DAME GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team returns to Morgantown to face BIG EAST opponent Notre Dame in a doubleheader beginning on Saturday, May 8, at 2 p.m. at Hawley Field. Game two will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one, followed by a matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Mountaineers (18-26, 3-15) look to end a three-game skid as they fell at Cincinnati last weekend. WVU is seventh in the BIG EAST with a .301 team batting average, and is averaging nearly 6.5 runs per game.
“Notre Dame is a quality opponent with a rich baseball history,” coach Greg Van Zant said. “We’re looking to regroup and finish the regular season strong starting with this weekend’s games.”
Junior first baseman Justin McDavid currently holds a 20-game hitting streak, making him the fifth Mountaineer to hit consecutively in at least 20 games since 2001. The Queen Creek, Ariz., native joins teammates Dan DiBartolomeo (23) and Jedd Gyorko (21) as well as former players Justin Jenkins (38) and Tyler Kuhn (24) on the list.
McDavid’s hitting streak first began on April 1. In that 20-game span, he is batting .333 with two home runs, 25 RBIs and a team-best 12 doubles. He leads the team with 14 multiple RBI games.
Third baseman Grant Buckner has been stellar at the plate as well, batting .340 with four home runs and 29 RBIs. The Elkview native had three multiple-hit performances in four games last week, going 8-for-15 with one home run, four RBIs and three doubles. Buckner currently holds an 11-game hitting streak, making him the fourth Mountaineer this season to have a double-digit hit streak.
Shortstop Jedd Gyorko continues to lead the Mountaineers in several categories, including home runs (14), RBIs (47), slugging percentage (.696), runs scored (50), walks (31) and is tied with Dom Hayes in doubles (18). Gyorko’s 128 total bases also lead the team and rank 25th nationally, and he is 44th in doubles, 48th in home runs per game (.32) and 50th in home runs.
In last weekend’s series, redshirt junior Jeremy Gum provided a spark with two home runs while going 6-for-11 overall. Gum is now batting .307.
WVU continues to lead the nation in sacrifice bunts, tallying 63 as a team. Redshirt juniors Mark Dvoroznak and Colin Durborow are each tied for 13th nationally with 11 sacrifice bunts apiece, which leads the BIG EAST.
The Fighting Irish (20-24, 8-10) are coming off a series loss at home to St. John’s. losing in two of three games to the Red Storm. Notre Dame is currently tied for seventh with Cincinnati in the conference standings, but owns the tiebreaker after winning two of three over the Bearcats two weekends ago.
In Notre Dame’s one victory over St. John’s, starting right-hander Brian Dupra (4-2) pitched eight innings and allowed five runs on nine hits with two strikeouts. The Rochester, N.Y., native leads the Irish starters with a 4.66 ERA, and is expected to start in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Sophomore left-hander Steve Sabatino (3-6) is expected to start in game two, showing a 5.74 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched. Sabatino has made 11 starts this season and has thrown just one wild pitch.
Sunday’s probable is senior right-hander Eric Maust (0-4). The starter punter for Notre Dame football has a 6.35 ERA in 13 appearances this year, and has recorded 24 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.
Notre Dame is batting .282 overall, ranking 10th in the conference. Its most consistent performer has been senior outfielder Ryan Connolly, who leads the Irish with a .368 mark, nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 13 doubles. Senior Casey Martin is batting .356 with four home runs and 29 RBIs, while senior David Mills carries a .344 average with two home runs and 30 RBIs.
Sunday’s contest is a “Dollar Day,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas available for purchase for just one dollar each.
