Friday, March 23
Norman, Okla.
7:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Oklahoma
Big 12 Play Commences at Oklahoma
March 22, 2018 05:11 PM | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. – Winners of three consecutive weekend series, the West Virginia University baseball team begins Big 12 Conference play at Oklahoma this weekend, from March 23-25, in Norman, Oklahoma.
The series at L. Dale Mitchell Park begins on Friday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT, while the series concludes on Sunday at noon ET/11 a.m. CT.
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The Mountaineers (9-9) open conference action after a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the league a year ago. West Virginia has finished in the top four in three of its first five seasons in the Big 12. WVU is coming off a series win over Canisius, while its midweek matchup vs. La Salle was postponed due to rain.
The Mountaineers rank among the NCAA and Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. WVU has hit a league-best 25 home runs, which is No. 19 nationally. The Mountaineers also lead the Big 12 with 18 double plays turned and are second with 27 stolen bases.
Individually, Kevin Brophy continues to pace the Big 12 and rank No. 13 nationally with 0.40 home runs per game. Darius Hill is No. 14 in the country and No. 3 in the conference with an average of 20.0 at-bats per strikeout. Additionally, Shane Ennis' three wins are second-most in the league.
The Sooners (14-9) also open Big 12 action this weekend. OU finished just ahead of the Mountaineers in the Big 12 last year, with a 12-11 record. Oklahoma is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, and is ranked No. 24 by Perfect Game.
West Virginia was voted fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll with 38 points, just two points behind the Sooners, who were picked to finish fourth. Both WVU and OU were one of the seven Big 12 teams to make the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
A trio of right-handers will start for both teams this weekend. Senior BJ Myers (0-0, 5.55 ERA) will throw for the Mountaineers on Friday, while junior Jake Irvin (0-0, 5.55) will go for the Sooners. On Saturday, sophomore Alek Manoah (1-2, 3.68) gets the ball for WVU and Devon Perez (2-0, 2.22) goes for OU. Sunday's finale will see a pair of sophomores on the mound, with Kade Strowd (2-2, 3.68) facing Oklahoma's Nathan Wiles (1-1, 5.49).
FOLLOWING ALONG
All three games will include a radio broadcast and online stream and live stats, while the first two games will be on TV.
ON DECK: BACKYARD BRAWL IN MORGANTOWN
The Mountaineers return home to host the Backyard Brawl against rival Pitt on Tuesday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. The first 200 fans will receive a free fleece blanket, and all fans can play Baseball Bingo. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Last Time Out: Home-Opening Win
The Mountaineers opened its home season with a series win over Canisius from March 16-18. In its home opener, West Virginia walked off, 10-9 on March 16, as Isaiah Kearns singled home the game-winning run in the ninth. The next day, the Mountaineers shut out the Golden Griffins, 2-0, to win the series. WVU rallied in the ninth inning in Sunday's series finale, but could not complete the sweep in a 4-3 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.
The series at L. Dale Mitchell Park begins on Friday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT, while the series concludes on Sunday at noon ET/11 a.m. CT.
TV, Radio and Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Mountaineers (9-9) open conference action after a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the league a year ago. West Virginia has finished in the top four in three of its first five seasons in the Big 12. WVU is coming off a series win over Canisius, while its midweek matchup vs. La Salle was postponed due to rain.
The Mountaineers rank among the NCAA and Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories. WVU has hit a league-best 25 home runs, which is No. 19 nationally. The Mountaineers also lead the Big 12 with 18 double plays turned and are second with 27 stolen bases.
Individually, Kevin Brophy continues to pace the Big 12 and rank No. 13 nationally with 0.40 home runs per game. Darius Hill is No. 14 in the country and No. 3 in the conference with an average of 20.0 at-bats per strikeout. Additionally, Shane Ennis' three wins are second-most in the league.
The Sooners (14-9) also open Big 12 action this weekend. OU finished just ahead of the Mountaineers in the Big 12 last year, with a 12-11 record. Oklahoma is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, and is ranked No. 24 by Perfect Game.
West Virginia was voted fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll with 38 points, just two points behind the Sooners, who were picked to finish fourth. Both WVU and OU were one of the seven Big 12 teams to make the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
A trio of right-handers will start for both teams this weekend. Senior BJ Myers (0-0, 5.55 ERA) will throw for the Mountaineers on Friday, while junior Jake Irvin (0-0, 5.55) will go for the Sooners. On Saturday, sophomore Alek Manoah (1-2, 3.68) gets the ball for WVU and Devon Perez (2-0, 2.22) goes for OU. Sunday's finale will see a pair of sophomores on the mound, with Kade Strowd (2-2, 3.68) facing Oklahoma's Nathan Wiles (1-1, 5.49).
FOLLOWING ALONG
All three games will include a radio broadcast and online stream and live stats, while the first two games will be on TV.
- Fans can listen to all three games on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state, while fans across the country can tune in to the broadcast online at WVUsports.com and on the WVU Gameday App and the TuneIn App on their mobile device.
- Friday night's contest will be broadcast on FCS Central, while Saturday afternoon's game will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
- Direct links to 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 Norman can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @WVUBaseball.
ON DECK: BACKYARD BRAWL IN MORGANTOWN
The Mountaineers return home to host the Backyard Brawl against rival Pitt on Tuesday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. The first 200 fans will receive a free fleece blanket, and all fans can play Baseball Bingo. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Last Time Out: Home-Opening Win
The Mountaineers opened its home season with a series win over Canisius from March 16-18. In its home opener, West Virginia walked off, 10-9 on March 16, as Isaiah Kearns singled home the game-winning run in the ninth. The next day, the Mountaineers shut out the Golden Griffins, 2-0, to win the series. WVU rallied in the ninth inning in Sunday's series finale, but could not complete the sweep in a 4-3 loss.
- In the opener on March 16, Kearns singled home the game-winning run in the ninth inning of a 10-9 win. In his first at-bat of the game, Kearns singled for his first hit of the season on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. The Mountaineers improve to 4-0 in home openers at Monongalia County Ballpark. CC scored at least one run in each of the first four innings before being held to one run in the final five innings. WVU scored four in the first and two in the second, but trailed 8-6 in the fourth. Kearns' walk-off hit came after Brandon White hit his first career home run in the seventh inning, a three-run shot that gave WVU a 9-8 lead.
- The next day, WVU recorded its first shutout of the year in a 2-0 victory. In a pitcher's duel, sophomore right-hander Alek Manoah had his best start of the season and did not allow a run on three hits in 7.0 innings. He struck out a career-high-tying seven batters. For the Golden Griffins, starter Charlie Sobieraski gave up a two-run home run to Chase Illig in the first inning, but did not allow another run.
- In the finale, WVU rallied with a two-out run in the bottom of the ninth, but stranded runners on the corners in a 4-3 loss. WVU scored a run in the first but gave up two in the third and two in the fourth to fall behind, 4-1. West Virginia pitchers allowed four runs on four hits with 12 walks, while three inning-ending double plays helped to limit the damage.
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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