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WVU Hosts Backyard Brawl
April 11, 2016 06:59 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Backyard Brawl resumes on the diamond when the West Virginia University baseball team hosts Pitt on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET at Monongalia County Ballpark.
It will be the 191st meeting between WVU and Pitt, marking the most games played among any WVU opponent. The Mountaineers are 4-2 against the Panthers since 2013 after the teams split the series last season.The game is a Gold Rush, and all fans are encouraged to wear gold to cheer on the Mountaineers. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a gold shaker, courtesy of Coke Zero.
Coming off his first career start, freshman right-hander Michael Grove will take the mound for the Mountaineers (17-13). In last week’s 10-inning victory at Marshall, Grove got the start and did not allow an earned run in 5.0 innings.
The Panthers (14-13) will start junior righty Sam Mersing. Making his seventh start of the year, Mersing is 4-2 with a 7.11 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for the Backyard Brawl against Pitt. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at Gate A of Monongalia County Ballpark.
FOLLOWING ALONG
For fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person at Monongalia County Ballpark, there are several ways to tune in live. A live video stream, courtesy of Coca-Cola, and live stats can be found at WVUSports.com. On the radio, Jeff Culhane and Ernie Galusky will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state. The radio broadcast can also be found online at WVUsports.com or on the TuneIn Radio App and the Mountaineer Gameday App. Additional updates and notes can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team at @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
PARKING AND SHUTTLE INFO
There are several new parking and shuttle options for fans to make cheering on the Mountaineers even easier this season.
Free parking will be available for all fans in the new parking lots behind the outfield fence. Lot 1 is located behind the right field wall and adjacent to the clubhouse facility at the ballpark, and lot 2 is located across the street from Gate A.
A limited amount of ADA accessible parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for free in the lot closest to Gate A. The lot is located behind the left-center field wall, behind the scoreboard. An ADA parking permit will be required to park in the spots reserved for ADA parking.
Free shuttle service for WVU students will also be offered to each WVU baseball home game this season through WVU Transportation. Student must have a valid WVU Student ID to ride the shuttle.
The shuttle schedule and complete parking information can be found at WVUsports.com.
HISTORY VS. THE PANTHERS
West Virginia is 103-87 all-time against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. Since the first meeting in Pittsburgh in 1895, WVU is 61-37 at home, 39-48 on the road and 3-2 at a neutral site. WVU has faced Pitt 190 times, the most of any Mountaineer opponent.
WVU and Pitt first met in 1895, a 13-6 victory in Pittsburgh. The following season, the Panthers came to Morgantown, where the Mountaineers again won, 4-3.
In 1981 and 82, and again from 1996-2012, West Virginia and Pitt met as conference rivals. First in the Eastern 8, where WVU went 5-3 against Pitt in 81-82, and then in the Big East, from 1996-2012. As Big East foes, the Panthers owned a 24-22 edge in the series.
WVU and Pitt have met every season since 2008. Since 2013, when the two teams have met twice each year, the Mountaineers own a 4-2 advantage. Last year, WVU won 4-1 in Pittsburgh before a 4-1 loss at home.
ON DECK: WVU HOSTS KANSAS STATE
West Virginia welcomes Big 12 foe Kansas State to Morgantown from April 15-17 as part of WVU Family Weekend. The series begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET, and there will be a postgame fireworks show, courtesy of WVU Medicine. Saturday’s 4 p.m. contest is Family Day, and fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. The series concludes on Sunday, April 17 at 1 p.m. with Kids’ Day, and fans can get autographs from the Mountaineers and run the bases after the game.
LAST TIME OUT: WEEKEND VS. FURMAN
WVU is coming off a weekend series vs. Furman. The Mountaineers won the series finale of Sunday’s doubleheader, after losing the series-opener, 7-3, and the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, 8-6.
WVU opened the series with a 7-3 loss on Friday. After Saturday’s game was snowed out, the teams played a doubleheader on Sunday. WVU dropped the opener, 8-6 before an 8-5 win in the nightcap.
With eight freshmen in the starting lineup, WVU exploded for eight runs on 16 hits, and every player had a hit, and six had two or more. Six different players drove in the eight runs. Freshman second baseman Andrew Zitel led the way with a career-best three hits and two RBIs. Sophomore starter BJ Myers, one of two upperclassmen, earned his third win of the year and turned in his fifth quality start, going 6.2 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts.
Junior Jackson Cramer, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week reached base safely in the two games he played in, and has reached base in 49 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the Big 12
Juniors Shaun Wood and Ray Guerrini hit home runs over the weekend, Wood’s was his first of the season and 12th of the year, while Guerrini’s was his third in 2016 and sixth in his career.
Kyle Gray NAMED BIG 12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
After leading the team with a .750 slugging percentage and six hits last week, freshman Kyle Gray has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
Along with his team-best slugging percentage and six hits last week, Gray was second on the team with a .500 average and a .625 on-base percentage. He added two extra-base hits and four walks.
Gray reached base safely in six consecutive at-bats this weekend against Furman. Playing just two of the three games, he recorded five hits and two RBIs with two walks and seven total bases for a team-best .625 average and a .875 slugging percentage.
Gray is the fourth Mountaineer to earn a Big 12 weekly honor this season, joining Players of the Week Jackson Cramer and KC Huth and Pitcher of the Week BJ Myers.
Single game and flex plan tickets for the 2016 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. More information on season tickets and the 30-game home schedule can be found at WVUsports.com, while single game ticket information is available here.
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