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25th-Ranked WVU Returns Home to Host Oklahoma
April 27, 2017 07:23 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 27, 2017) – For the first time since 1982, the No. 25 West Virginia University baseball team will play a home game as a ranked team, when it hosts Oklahoma this weekend, from April 28-30, at Monongalia County Ballpark.
First pitch on Friday, April 28, is at 6:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday’s game will begin at 4 p.m. The series finale on Sunday, April 30, has been moved up 30 minutes, to 11:30 a.m., to accommodate a late change in OU’s travel schedule. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on TV throughout the state of West Virginia on Nexstar Media affiliates.
The series between the two teams is knotted at 8-8, after WVU beat OU twice in the Big 12 Championship last year, including an 11-1 contest in the semifinals to send West Virginia to its first ever Big 12 Championship final.
Ranked by Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) for the second consecutive week and in the top-25 for the first time in any poll since 1982, the Mountaineers (24-15, 9-6 Big 12) have won four of their first five Big 12 series and are tied for second place in the conference. WVU is coming off an 8-6 win at Virginia Tech on Tuesday night.
The Sooners (28-15, 6-6 Big 12) enter the weekend in fifth place in the conference, following a 1-2 weekend against Kansas. A 7-6 win in the finale against KU snapped OU’s seven-game losing streak. Oklahoma’s midweek game against UT Arlington was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Junior right-hander BJ Myers (3-2, 3.66 ERA) will start for the Mountaineers on Friday night, and he will face sophomore righty Jake Irvin (5-0, 2.13 ERA). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Kyle Tyler (0-1, 3.62 ERA) will go for the Sooners, while WVU’s starter has yet to be determined. In Sunday’s finale, freshman righty Alek Manoah (0-0, 2.88 ERA) will face OU’s junior right-hander Devon Perez (4-2, 4.21 ERA).
Friday’s game will feature postgame fireworks, presented by WVU Medicine, and fans can play baseball bingo throughout the game and win WVU prizes. Saturday is family day, where four tickets and a $10 concession voucher can be purchased for just $25. Saturday is also a True Blue game, where fans are encouraged to wear blue to cheer on the Mountaineers. Sunday is kids day, with postgame autographs and running the bases and Mr. Twister’s balloon art and face painting during the game on the party deck.
TICKETS
Tickets are still available for all three games this weekend. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at Gate A of Monongalia County Ballpark on gameday or in advance at the Gold Gate at the WVU Coliseum.
FOLLOWING ALONG
All three games will be streamed for free on WVUsports.com. Sunday’s game will be broadcast throughout the state of West Virginia on Nexstar Media affiliates, WVNS in Beckley, WBOY in Clarksburg, WOWK in Huntington and My Ohio Valley in Wheeling.
Fans can listen to the game on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state, online at WVUsports.com, on the Mountaineer Gameday App and the TuneInRadio App. Dan Zangrilli and Ernie Galusky will call the action.
Links to video streams, radio broadcasts and live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Additional behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes from Monongalia County Ballpark 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 parking and shuttle options for fans to make cheering on the Mountaineers even easier again this season.
Free parking will be available for all fans in the 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 will pick up at Towers and the Mountainlair, making two trips beginning 90
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma comes to Morgantown with a 28-15 record and is in fifth place in the Big 12 with a 6-6 mark. The Sooners are 21-5 at home and 7-10 on the road. Against top-25 foes, OU is 6-7.
The Sooners are coming off a series loss against Kansas at home. OU lost the opener, 15-10, before dropping the series with a 5-2 defeat. Oklahoma won the finale, 7-6, to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Oklahoma is led offensively by Steele Walker, who leads the team with a .358 batting average, 58 hits, 41 RBIs and six home runs. Renae Martinez has a .354 average with 46 hits and 28 RBIs.
On the mound, Connor Berry has made 15 relief appearances and owns a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched. Jake Irvin has seven starts, is 5-0 with a 2.13 ERA and is tied for the team lead with 47 strikeouts.
The Sooners are led by Pete Hughes, in his fourth season in Norman. After coming to OU from Virginia Tech, Hughes owns a 121-98-1 record at Oklahoma. He is 645-483-3 in his career, which includes an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013 with the Hokies.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SOONERS
West Virginia and Oklahoma are an even 8-8 against each other, though the Mountaineers have won three in a row. WVU is 3-3 in home games, 3-3 in Norman and 2-2 at a neutral site. In coach Randy Mazey’s five seasons, West Virginia is 8-7 against Oklahoma.
Last year, WVU went 3-2 against OU, including a pair of wins in the Big 12 Championship. All five games took place in Oklahoma, with three games in Norman and two in Oklahoma City. The Mountaineers won the last three contests.
- West Virginia lost the regular-season series in Norman. WVU dropped a 1-0 game in 10 innings to open the series before falling 12-6 in game two. In the finale, WVU trailed 7-2 in the first inning, but stormed back to score 10 unanswered runs to win it, 12-7. Michael Grove pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in relief to lead the way, allowing four hits with 13 strikeouts.
- WVU opened the 2016 Big 12 Championship with a 6-0 win over OU on May 25. Ross Vance pitched 8.2 relief innings as West Virginia recorded its first postseason shutout since 2003. Kyle Davis homered as part of a four-run fourth inning.
- The offense exploded for 11 runs in an 11-1, seven-inning victory on May 28 to send the Mountaineers to their first ever Big 12 Championship title game. Davis added another home run with four RBIs.
ON DECK: MOUNTAINEERS HOST EASTERN MICHIGAN
WVU’s eight-game homestand continues on Tuesday, May 2, against Eastern Michigan. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
LAST TIME OUT: MOUNTAINEERS TOP VIRGINIA TECH
West Virginia capped a five-game road trip with an 8-6 win at Virginia Tech on Tuesday night, thanks to a six-run fourth inning and a dominant bullpen.
The Mountaineers trailed 5-0 early, but responded with six runs in the fourth inning, three of them unearned, to take a 6-5 lead. The Hokies answered to tie the game in the fifth, but again WVU responded with a run to take the lead back for good the following inning.
Reliever Jackson Sigman fueled the win with 3.2 lights-out innings in relief, striking out a career-best eight batters while allowing just one hit with no runs and no walks. Sigman picked up his second career win and improved to 2-2 on the season.
West Virginia’s six-run fourth was highlighted by a three-run home run by Kyle Davis. He led the team with three RBIs. Brandon White scored two runs and extended his hitting streak to eight games and his reached-base streak to 16 games, both career-longs. Kyle Gray reached base in his career-high-tying 10th consecutive game.
MOUNTAINEERS REMAIN IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
West Virginia is ranked nationally for the second consecutive week, at No. 25 in two polls. The Mountaineers entered the national rankings last week for the first time since 1982.
- West Virginia is ranked No. 25 by both Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has WVU at No. 26 in its Top 30 poll.
- West Virginia is also receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.
- Additionally, WVU is ranked No. 9 in the NCAA RPI. West Virginia is one of three Big 12 teams in the top 10 and one of four in the top 15. The Big 12 has the No. 1 conference RPI in the country.
- Last week, the Mountaineers were ranked in five of the six major polls. WVU was ranked for the first time since 1982 and ranked in four polls for the first time in program history. West Virginia’s highest ranking was No. 21, by Baseball America and D1 Baseball.
CRAMER NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
Senior first baseman Jackson Cramer has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Fan voting has begun to help select the Senior CLASS Award winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on seniorCLASSaward.com through June 7. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The winner will be announced during the 2017 College World Series in June.
QUICK HITS: KEY TEAM NOTES
- West Virginia is celebrating its 125th year of baseball. Founded in 1892, WVU owns an all-time record of 2,119-1,517-19. The Mountaineers are the second-oldest program in the Big 12.
- The Mountaineers are ranked nationally for the second consecutive week, highlighted by a No. 25 ranking by Baseball America. WVU has been ranked for the first time in program history in four polls, and is in the top 25 for the first time since 1982.
- West Virginia is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA RPI. The Big 12 has four teams in the top 15 and the league has the No. 1 conference RPI in the nation.
- WVU is 24-15 on the season, 8-3 at home and had won five consecutive weekend series before last weekend’s series loss at Kansas State.
- The Mountaineers are 8-4 against top-25 teams, with all but three games coming on the road.
- Senior Jackson Cramer has been named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. The award recognizes senior student-athletes who have shown a commitment in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. Fans can vote for Cramer at seniorCLASSaward.com.
Single game tickets, flex plan tickets and mini packs for the 2017 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, going to WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office in the WVU Coliseum. The 2017 schedule is available on WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.
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