Friday, March 2
Bowling Green, Ky.
4:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Western Kentucky
Mountaineers and Hilltoppers Meet
March 01, 2018 04:38 PM | Baseball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – West Virginia continues its season-opening roadtrip with a series at Western Kentucky from March 2-4, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
First pitch on Friday, March 2, is set for 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT, while Saturday's contest will commence at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT The series finale at Nick Denes Field is set for Sunday, March 4, at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
The weekend series marks the first-ever meeting between WVU and WKU.
Western Kentucky will have live video, audio and stats for all three games this weekend at Nick Denes Field. Links to live stats, audio and video can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Additional behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes from Bowling Green, Kentucky, will be available on social media by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @WVUBaseball.
The Mountaineers enter the weekend with a 2-5 record, with their first seven games all coming away from Morgantown. West Virginia is coming off a 1-3 weekend at the Brittain Resorts Invitational in Conway, South Carolina.
West Virginia has hit 10 home runs this season, which ranks No. 21 nationally and second in the Big 12, while WVU is No. 3 in the league with seven double plays turned and No. 4 with four sacrifice bunts.
Individually, Shane Ennis continues to share the NCAA lead with a 0.00 ERA, and Kevin Brophy's 0.83 home runs per game also is No. 1 in the nation. Brophy is first in the Big 12 and 15th nationally with a slugging percentage of 1.000, while he is No. 1 in the league with 1.67 RBIs per game.
A pair of seniors will take the mound on Friday, with righty BJ Myers (0-0, 2.53 ERA) going for the Mountaineers and left-hander Ryan Thurston (1-1, 2.38) for the Hilltoppers. Saturday, sophomore right-hander Alek Manoah (0-2, 5.62) will throw for WVU, while junior righty Colby Taylor (1-0, 0.00) gets the ball for WKU. On Sunday, sophomore righty Kade Strowd (0-1, 3.24) makes his second start for West Virginia. Western Kentucky's starter is to be determined.
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
Western Kentucky enters the weekend with a 5-4 record and a 4-1 mark at home. WKU is 1-3 on the road and has lost two in a row after a 4-3 loss at No. 7 Kentucky on Tuesday. Last weekend, the Hilltoppers won a four-game series at home against Northern Illinois.
Jacob Rhinesmith leads the team with 10 hits and has a team-high-tying five RBIs with a .294 batting average and a .500 slugging percentage. Sam McElreath paces the team with a .389 average, with seven hits in 18 at-bats.
On the mound, five pitchers have picked up one win, while Colby Taylor owns a 0.00 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched with a pair of starts. Ryan Thurston also has two starts and a team-best 16 strikeouts, while Ben Morrison has all three of the Hilltopper's saves.
Western Kentucky is coached by John Pawlowski, who is in his third season and owns a 45-73 record. In his 17th year as a head coach, Pawlowski has a 550-391 career record and has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament four times. He came to WKU after head coaching stints at Auburn and the College of Charleston.
Pawloski played at Clemson from 1983-85, and was teammates with WVU coach Randy Mazey in 1985.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HILLTOPPERS
This weekend's series marks the first all-time meeting between West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
All-time, the Mountaineers are 50-30 against current members of Conference USA. Last season, WVU played three C-USA squads, loosing road series at Charlotte and Old Dominion and winning both mid-week games against in-state foe Marshall. This year, along with facing WKU, WVU will travel to Middle Tennessee State and play a pair of mid-week contests against Marshall.
ON DECK: AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
The Mountaineers begin a five-game stretch in Tennessee with a weekend series at Middle Tennessee State from March 9-11. The series begins on Friday, March 9, at 7 p.m. ET. First pitch on Saturday, March 10, is set for 5 p.m., while the finale will be on Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: WEEKEND IN SOUTH CAROLINA
West Virginia traveled to Conway, South Carolina, for the Brittain Resorts Invitational last weekend, where WVU went 1-3. The Mountaineers opened with a 6-2, 11-inning loss to VCU on Feb. 23 in the opener. The following day, WVU earned a 10-8 victory against Illinois in the first game, before an 8-5 loss to VCU in the nightcap. West Virginia concluded the weekend against host Coastal Carolina, with a 5-2 loss.
Season tickets, single game tickets and mini-packages for the 2018 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets at WVUGAME.com, call 1-800-WVU GAME or visit the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. The 2018 schedule, with game times, can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. A printable PDF and schedule breakdown also are available on WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.
First pitch on Friday, March 2, is set for 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT, while Saturday's contest will commence at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT The series finale at Nick Denes Field is set for Sunday, March 4, at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
The weekend series marks the first-ever meeting between WVU and WKU.
Western Kentucky will have live video, audio and stats for all three games this weekend at Nick Denes Field. Links to live stats, audio and video can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Additional behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes from Bowling Green, Kentucky, will be available on social media by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @WVUBaseball.
The Mountaineers enter the weekend with a 2-5 record, with their first seven games all coming away from Morgantown. West Virginia is coming off a 1-3 weekend at the Brittain Resorts Invitational in Conway, South Carolina.
West Virginia has hit 10 home runs this season, which ranks No. 21 nationally and second in the Big 12, while WVU is No. 3 in the league with seven double plays turned and No. 4 with four sacrifice bunts.
Individually, Shane Ennis continues to share the NCAA lead with a 0.00 ERA, and Kevin Brophy's 0.83 home runs per game also is No. 1 in the nation. Brophy is first in the Big 12 and 15th nationally with a slugging percentage of 1.000, while he is No. 1 in the league with 1.67 RBIs per game.
A pair of seniors will take the mound on Friday, with righty BJ Myers (0-0, 2.53 ERA) going for the Mountaineers and left-hander Ryan Thurston (1-1, 2.38) for the Hilltoppers. Saturday, sophomore right-hander Alek Manoah (0-2, 5.62) will throw for WVU, while junior righty Colby Taylor (1-0, 0.00) gets the ball for WKU. On Sunday, sophomore righty Kade Strowd (0-1, 3.24) makes his second start for West Virginia. Western Kentucky's starter is to be determined.
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
Western Kentucky enters the weekend with a 5-4 record and a 4-1 mark at home. WKU is 1-3 on the road and has lost two in a row after a 4-3 loss at No. 7 Kentucky on Tuesday. Last weekend, the Hilltoppers won a four-game series at home against Northern Illinois.
Jacob Rhinesmith leads the team with 10 hits and has a team-high-tying five RBIs with a .294 batting average and a .500 slugging percentage. Sam McElreath paces the team with a .389 average, with seven hits in 18 at-bats.
On the mound, five pitchers have picked up one win, while Colby Taylor owns a 0.00 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched with a pair of starts. Ryan Thurston also has two starts and a team-best 16 strikeouts, while Ben Morrison has all three of the Hilltopper's saves.
Western Kentucky is coached by John Pawlowski, who is in his third season and owns a 45-73 record. In his 17th year as a head coach, Pawlowski has a 550-391 career record and has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament four times. He came to WKU after head coaching stints at Auburn and the College of Charleston.
Pawloski played at Clemson from 1983-85, and was teammates with WVU coach Randy Mazey in 1985.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HILLTOPPERS
This weekend's series marks the first all-time meeting between West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
All-time, the Mountaineers are 50-30 against current members of Conference USA. Last season, WVU played three C-USA squads, loosing road series at Charlotte and Old Dominion and winning both mid-week games against in-state foe Marshall. This year, along with facing WKU, WVU will travel to Middle Tennessee State and play a pair of mid-week contests against Marshall.
ON DECK: AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
The Mountaineers begin a five-game stretch in Tennessee with a weekend series at Middle Tennessee State from March 9-11. The series begins on Friday, March 9, at 7 p.m. ET. First pitch on Saturday, March 10, is set for 5 p.m., while the finale will be on Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: WEEKEND IN SOUTH CAROLINA
West Virginia traveled to Conway, South Carolina, for the Brittain Resorts Invitational last weekend, where WVU went 1-3. The Mountaineers opened with a 6-2, 11-inning loss to VCU on Feb. 23 in the opener. The following day, WVU earned a 10-8 victory against Illinois in the first game, before an 8-5 loss to VCU in the nightcap. West Virginia concluded the weekend against host Coastal Carolina, with a 5-2 loss.
- Kevin Brophy hit three home runs with eight RBIs in Saturday's win over Illinois. The three homers are tied for second-most by a Mountaineer in a single game in team history, while his eight RBIs are tied for fifth-most. Brophy extended his hitting streak to a career-high and team-best five games after hitting his fourth home run of the day in Saturday's second contest. Brophy was rewarded with Big 12 Player of the Week accolades.
- Tyler Doanes singled in the fifth inning of Friday's game, his first career hit. Catcher Ivan Gonzalez threw out a career-high-tying two runners in two games this weekend and also extended his hitting streak to a season-best four games. Andrew Zitel extended his hitting streak to a career-best four games and recorded his third career multi-hit game and first since 2016 on Sunday.
- Jimmy Galusky hit home runs in back-to-back games and has three on the season and eighth in his career. Kyle Gray hit his first home run of the year and fourth of his career on Sunday, as Galusky and Gray went back-to-back.
- Friday's 11-inning contest vs. VCU was WVU's first extra-inning game of the year. Connor Hamilton made his Mountaineer debut as a pinch-hitter on Friday, while Jackson Wolf and Nick Denicola made their WVU debuts in Saturday's second contest.
Season tickets, single game tickets and mini-packages for the 2018 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets at WVUGAME.com, call 1-800-WVU GAME or visit the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. The 2018 schedule, with game times, can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. A printable PDF and schedule breakdown also are available on WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.
Players Mentioned
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