Friday, May 4
Lawrence, Kan.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
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Kansas
Mountaineers Back on the Road at Kansas
May 03, 2018 05:06 PM | Baseball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After four consecutive weekend series at home, the West Virginia University baseball team travels to Lawrence, Kansas, for a three-game series at Kansas, from May 4-6.
First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, while the series continues on Saturday, at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. The Big 12 series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
Friday, May 4, 7 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
Saturday, May 5, 3 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
Sunday, May 6, 1 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
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Winners of three in a row and seven of their last nine, the Mountaineers (23-19, 6-9 Big 12) have won back-to-back weekend series. WVU is ranked No. 34 in the NCAA RPI and has the No. 2 strength of schedule in the nation. West Virginia is receiving votes in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
Kyle Gray enters the weekend with a career-long and team-best 19-game hit streak and a 20-game reached-base streak. Additionally, Braden Zarbnisky (19 games), Darius Hill (18) and Marques Inman (17) have career-long reached-base streaks. Hill saw his 17-game hit streak come to an end on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers rank among the NCAA and Big 12 leaders in several categories. West Virginia leads the Big 12 and is No. 22 nationally with 73 stolen bases, while WVU is No. 3 in the league and No. 13 in the country with 42 double plays turned and No. 3 in the conference and No. 23 in the NCAA with 15 triples.
Individually, Zarbnisky ranks No. 4 in the country with 1.03 walks per game, while Hill also is in the top-10 nationally, at No. 9, with an average of 17.8 at-bats per strikeout. Inman's 0.45 doubles per game is 11th in the NCAA, and Zarbnisky also sits at No. 17 nationally with 0.60 stolen bases per game.
The Jayhawks (20-24, 3-11 Big 12) return home from a four-game roadtrip that concluded with a 9-4 win over Missouri State on Wednesday.
A pair of right-handers will start on both Friday and Saturday, beginning with senor BJ Myers (0-1, 4.85 ERA) for the Mountaineers and junior Jackson Goddard (4-0, 4.34) for the Jayhawks on Friday. Two sophomores will face off on Saturday, as Kade Strowd (4-3, 4.33) gets the ball for WVU and Ryan Zeferjahn (6-3, 4.31) goes for KU. Senior lefty Taylor Turski (1-7, 6.32) will start Sunday's game for Kansas, while West Virginia's starter has not been determined.
FOLLOWING ALONG
There are a number of ways to follow along to this weekend's action from KU's Hoglund Ballpark.
SCOUTING KANSAS
Kansas is 20-24 on the season and 3-11 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are 15-9 at home and 5-15 on the road. KU is coming off a 9-4 win at Missouri State on Wednesday. The victory snapped KU's 11-game losing streak, which included eight road games.
Jaxx Groshans leads Kansas with a .347 batting average, 58 hits, 37 RBIs and 14 doubles. Devin Foyle has a team-best eight home runs, a .586 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases and is second with a .331 average and 52 hits.
On the mound, Ryan Zeferjahn's six wins and 70 strikeouts paces the team, while his 4.31 ERA is the best among Jayhawk starters. Zack Leban has made 21 relief appearances and owns a 3.86 ERA with 10 saves.
In his 16th season with the Jayhawks, coach Ritch Price is 701-683-4 in his career and 485-454-3 in Lawrence. The winningest coach in program history, Price has led KU to three NCAA Tournaments and has coached 97 All-Conference selections.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JAYHAWKS
West Virginia is 9-7 all-time against Kansas after a series win last year in Morgantown. WVU is 6-3 at home, 2-3 in Lawrence and 1-1 at the Big 12 Championship. All 16 meetings have come since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2013.
In the first meeting between the two teams, in 2013, WVU swept the series in Beckley, West Virginia, with a trio of one-run victories. KU followed with a home sweep in 2014 and a 2-1 series win in 2015 in Morgantown.
In 2016, The Mountaineers won both games on the road. The series began with a 1-0 shutout on March 25 before an 11-6 win on March 26. The series-clinching victory was coach Randy Mazey's 100th win at WVU. Sunday's finale was cancelled due to snow.
West Virginia won last year's series vs. Kansas in Morgantown. BJ Myers struck out a career-high-tying 10 batters and pitched his first career complete game on April 7, leading WVU to a 10-1 win in the opener. WVU secured the series win the next day as Michael Grove took a perfect game into the eighth inning in an 8-0 win. Grove held KU to one hit, with a season-best 12 strikeouts and no walks. The Mountaineers were unable to complete the sweep with a 7-2 loss on April 9.
The Mountaineers and Jayhawks also have met twice at the Big 12 Championships. WVU lost a 7-2 contest in 2013 before a 10-9 win in 2014.
ON DECK: VIRGINIA TECH AT HOME ON AT&T SPORTSNET
West Virginia returns home to host Virginia Tech on Wednesday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. It is a Gold Rush, and fans also can play Baseball Bingo. The game will be televised regionally on AT&T SportsNet.
LAST TIME OUT: WVU STRIKES EARLY IN WIN
Back-to-back four-run innings to open the game propelled West Virginia to a 9-5 victory over Maryland on May 1 at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Single game tickets 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.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.
First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, while the series continues on Saturday, at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. The Big 12 series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
Friday, May 4, 7 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
Saturday, May 5, 3 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
Sunday, May 6, 1 p.m. ET – Video | Radio | Stats
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Winners of three in a row and seven of their last nine, the Mountaineers (23-19, 6-9 Big 12) have won back-to-back weekend series. WVU is ranked No. 34 in the NCAA RPI and has the No. 2 strength of schedule in the nation. West Virginia is receiving votes in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
Kyle Gray enters the weekend with a career-long and team-best 19-game hit streak and a 20-game reached-base streak. Additionally, Braden Zarbnisky (19 games), Darius Hill (18) and Marques Inman (17) have career-long reached-base streaks. Hill saw his 17-game hit streak come to an end on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers rank among the NCAA and Big 12 leaders in several categories. West Virginia leads the Big 12 and is No. 22 nationally with 73 stolen bases, while WVU is No. 3 in the league and No. 13 in the country with 42 double plays turned and No. 3 in the conference and No. 23 in the NCAA with 15 triples.
Individually, Zarbnisky ranks No. 4 in the country with 1.03 walks per game, while Hill also is in the top-10 nationally, at No. 9, with an average of 17.8 at-bats per strikeout. Inman's 0.45 doubles per game is 11th in the NCAA, and Zarbnisky also sits at No. 17 nationally with 0.60 stolen bases per game.
The Jayhawks (20-24, 3-11 Big 12) return home from a four-game roadtrip that concluded with a 9-4 win over Missouri State on Wednesday.
A pair of right-handers will start on both Friday and Saturday, beginning with senor BJ Myers (0-1, 4.85 ERA) for the Mountaineers and junior Jackson Goddard (4-0, 4.34) for the Jayhawks on Friday. Two sophomores will face off on Saturday, as Kade Strowd (4-3, 4.33) gets the ball for WVU and Ryan Zeferjahn (6-3, 4.31) goes for KU. Senior lefty Taylor Turski (1-7, 6.32) will start Sunday's game for Kansas, while West Virginia's starter has not been determined.
FOLLOWING ALONG
There are a number of ways to follow along to this weekend's action from KU's Hoglund Ballpark.
- All three games will be streamed via ESPN3 on WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
- Fans can listen to the game on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state, while fans across the country can tune in to the broadcasts online at WVUsports.com and on the WVU Gameday App, as well as the TuneIn App on their mobile device. Dan Zangrilli will have the call.
- Direct links to the 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 can be found on social media by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @WVUBaseball.
SCOUTING KANSAS
Kansas is 20-24 on the season and 3-11 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are 15-9 at home and 5-15 on the road. KU is coming off a 9-4 win at Missouri State on Wednesday. The victory snapped KU's 11-game losing streak, which included eight road games.
Jaxx Groshans leads Kansas with a .347 batting average, 58 hits, 37 RBIs and 14 doubles. Devin Foyle has a team-best eight home runs, a .586 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases and is second with a .331 average and 52 hits.
On the mound, Ryan Zeferjahn's six wins and 70 strikeouts paces the team, while his 4.31 ERA is the best among Jayhawk starters. Zack Leban has made 21 relief appearances and owns a 3.86 ERA with 10 saves.
In his 16th season with the Jayhawks, coach Ritch Price is 701-683-4 in his career and 485-454-3 in Lawrence. The winningest coach in program history, Price has led KU to three NCAA Tournaments and has coached 97 All-Conference selections.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JAYHAWKS
West Virginia is 9-7 all-time against Kansas after a series win last year in Morgantown. WVU is 6-3 at home, 2-3 in Lawrence and 1-1 at the Big 12 Championship. All 16 meetings have come since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2013.
In the first meeting between the two teams, in 2013, WVU swept the series in Beckley, West Virginia, with a trio of one-run victories. KU followed with a home sweep in 2014 and a 2-1 series win in 2015 in Morgantown.
In 2016, The Mountaineers won both games on the road. The series began with a 1-0 shutout on March 25 before an 11-6 win on March 26. The series-clinching victory was coach Randy Mazey's 100th win at WVU. Sunday's finale was cancelled due to snow.
West Virginia won last year's series vs. Kansas in Morgantown. BJ Myers struck out a career-high-tying 10 batters and pitched his first career complete game on April 7, leading WVU to a 10-1 win in the opener. WVU secured the series win the next day as Michael Grove took a perfect game into the eighth inning in an 8-0 win. Grove held KU to one hit, with a season-best 12 strikeouts and no walks. The Mountaineers were unable to complete the sweep with a 7-2 loss on April 9.
The Mountaineers and Jayhawks also have met twice at the Big 12 Championships. WVU lost a 7-2 contest in 2013 before a 10-9 win in 2014.
ON DECK: VIRGINIA TECH AT HOME ON AT&T SPORTSNET
West Virginia returns home to host Virginia Tech on Wednesday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. It is a Gold Rush, and fans also can play Baseball Bingo. The game will be televised regionally on AT&T SportsNet.
LAST TIME OUT: WVU STRIKES EARLY IN WIN
Back-to-back four-run innings to open the game propelled West Virginia to a 9-5 victory over Maryland on May 1 at Monongalia County Ballpark.
- The Mountaineers stormed out to an 8-0 lead, thanks to four runs in the first and another four in the second.
- West Virginia scored nine runs on nine hits and benefited from three Terrapin errors. Eight WVU starters reached base and six had at least one hit in the victory. The offensive output was led by Kyle Gray, who had two hits and an RBI and extended his career-long and team-leading hit streak to 19 consecutive games and his reached-base streak to 20 games. Jimmy Galusky also had two hits and an RBI and hit his sixth home run of the season in the eighth.
- On the mound, Christian Young had a strong start to earn his third victory of the season, allowing no runs on just two hits in 5.0 innings. After the Terrapins scored five runs in the sixth inning off the WVU bullpen, Shane Ennis pitched 2.1 no-hit innings and Tristen Hudson picked up the final two outs of the game.
Single game tickets 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.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit WVUsports.com.
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