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Big 12 Foe Kansas State Heads to Morgantown
April 14, 2016 05:15 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team resumes Big 12 Conference play this weekend, April 15-17, when Kansas State makes its first visit to Monongalia County Ballpark.
The series begins on Friday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. ET, while first pitch on Saturday is set for 4 p.m. The series finale, on Sunday, has been moved up to a noon ET start, to accommodate Kansas State’s travel schedule.Following Friday’s opener, there will be a postgame fireworks show courtesy of WVU Medicine. Saturday’s contest is Family Day, and fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. Sunday is Kids’ Day, where fans can get autographs from the Mountaineers and run the bases after the game, while free balloon animals and facepainting will be available during the game.
Fans who cannot make it to Sunday’s game originally scheduled for 1 p.m. can exchange their ticket for a future game at the box office at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (17-14) are 4-4 in Big 12 play and fourth in the league standings, while the Wildcats (14-19) are ninth in the league with a 1-8 league record. Since joining the conference in 2013, WVU is 6-3 against K-State, including a three-game sweep in 2014 at Hawley Field.
WVU will open the weekend with junior right-hander Chad Donato (1-3, 3.81 ERA) on the mound. Senior left-hander Ross Vance (4-1, 4.23 ERA) will start on Saturday, while sophomore righty BJ Myers (3-3, 2.86 ERA) gets the ball on Sunday.
Donato will go up against K-State junior lefty Parker Rigler (2-6, 4.69 ERA) and Vance will face senior right-hander Levi MaVorhis (3-3, 4.60 ERA). In the finale on Sunday, Myers squares off against senior righty Corey Fischer (1-3, 5.60 ERA).
Game Notes | Live Stats: Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Live Video: Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG, Online
TICKETS
Tickets are available for all three games against Kansas State. 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 and live stats can be found at WVUSports.com. 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.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
Kansas State, who did not play a midweek contest, comes to Morgantown with a 14-19 record and a 1-8 record in Big 12 play. K-State is 3-6 on the road in 2016.
The Wildcats are coming off a 1-2 weekend against Texas. After a 6-3 loss in the opener and a 12-5 defeat on April 9, Kansas State posted a 3-2 win in the series finale. KSU scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth to come back and win it.
K-State is 0-6 against ranked foes, with back-to-back series sweeps to open Big 12 play against No. 19 Oklahoma State and at No. 22 Texas Tech.
The Wildcats are led by Brad Hill, in his 13th season in Manhattan. He owns a 404-322 record at KSU and an 822-413 career record. At Kansas State, Hill has guided his team to a Big 12 title and Super Regional appearance in 2013 and four NCAA Regionals in the last seven years.
HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
West Virginia is 6-3 all-time against Kansas State, with all nine meetings coming since WVU joined the Big 12 for the 2013 season.
The series opened in 2013, where WVU won the opener in Manhattan, Kansas, 13-2, before two one-run defeats, 6-5 and 4-3.
In K-State’s first visit to Morgantown in 2014, West Virginia swept the Wildcats at Hawley Field. After a 10-1 win in the opener, the Mountaineers won the series with a 6-5, walk-off victory on a fielder’s choice. WVU completed the sweep when Ross Vance pitched 7.0 innings to earn the win in a 6-1 victory.
Last season in Manhattan, the Mountaineers opened with an 8-2 defeat before responding to win the series. WVU evened the series with a 5-3 win behind a complete game three-hitter by Vance. Kyle Davis had two hits and two RBIs as West Virginia scored three runs in the first two innings, and KC Huth knocked in the game-winner in the fourth with an infield single. The following day, the Mountaineers won the series with a 3-2 victory. Davis drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with a two-out double to score one. Blake Smith pitched the final 1.2 innings in relief of Chad Donato and picked up the win.
ON DECK: WVU VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
WVU’s nine game homestand concludes on Tuesday, April 16 vs. Youngstown State at 6:30 p.m. ET. It will be Dollar Day at Monongalia County Ballpark, where all tickets and select concession items are just $1.
LAST TIME OUT: WVU VS. PITT
West Virginia suffered a midweek setback to Pitt, 4-1, on Tuesday evening at Monongalia County Ballpark. The Mountaineers loaded the bases in the ninth inning with two outs, but could only bring home one run. The Panthers used a four-run eighth inning to claim the 191st meeting between the two teams. WVU holds a 103-88 advantage in the all-time series.
In the ninth inning, the WVU comeback attempt began when the Mountaineers loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a pair of walks and an error. After Pitt’s closer Yaya Chentouf entered the game, freshman designated hitter Ivan Vera delivered with a single to score junior pinch-hitter Shaun Wood.
With the bases still loaded and the potential game-winning run at the plate, a flyout ended the game.
Tuesday’s starter was Wheeling, West Virginia, native Michael Grove. For the second consecutive week against a rival, the right-hander was strong on the mound. Making his second career start in as many weeks, Grove pitched 5.0 shutout innings, allowing five hits with a career-best four strikeouts and four walks.
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 was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Monday.
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 single game tickets and can be found at WVUsports.com, while flex plan ticket information is available here.
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