Friday, March 29
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Oklahoma
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Hosts No. 19 Oklahoma in Big 12 Home Opener
March 28, 2019 05:15 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team hosts No. 19 Oklahoma in its Big 12 Conference home opener this weekend, from March 29-31, at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The series begins on Friday, at 6:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday's first pitch is set for 4 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. With the threat of inclement weather in the Morgantown area this weekend, fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUsports.com and @WVUbaseball on Twitter for the latest updates on this weekend's schedule.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Admission for WVU students is free with a valid student I.D.
Friday is the season's first Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can play Baseball Bingo to win prizes. Saturday is Family Day, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. Saturday also is a beanie giveaway to the first 1,000 fans, courtesy of the WV Lottery. The weekend concludes on Sunday with the first of four trading card giveaways, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, ages 16 and under. Sunday also is Kids Day, presented by WVU Medicine, which features a Kids Zone, inflatables and Mr. Twister's Balloon Art and Face Painting, and kids can run the bases after the game.
The Mountaineers (14-10, 0-3 Big 12) are coming off a 15-3 victory at Marshall on Wednesday night in Charleston. WVU opened Big 12 play with three losses at Baylor last weekend.
The Sooners (21-5, 3-0 Big 12) began conference play with a three-game sweep of Kansas at home. OU is ranked in the top-25 in each major national poll, and comes in as high as No. 19 in this week's Coaches Poll.
Two right-handers will open the series on Friday night, as WVU junior Alek Manoah (3-1, 2.97 ERA) squares off against OU sophomore Cade Cavalli (3-1, 1.64). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Jackson Wolf (2-2, 4.50) gets the ball for the Mountaineers against junior righty Nathan Wiles (5-0, 2.89). Sunday will see junior right-hander Kade Strowd (2-2, 4.00) toe the rubber for West Virginia against Oklahoma's sophomore lefty Levi Prater (5-1, 0.98).
Statistically, WVU is No. 17 in the country and first in the Big 12 with 51 stolen bases, while the Mountaineers are No. 33 in the NCAA with 24 home runs and third in the Big 12 with 14 sacrifice bunts. On the mound, West Virginia is No. 24 in the NCAA with 7.29 hits allowed per nine innings and second in the conference with 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings and third with a 1.30 WHIP. The WVU defense has turned 20 double plays, which also is third-most in the league.
Individually, Manoah is No. 18 in the country with 51 strikeouts, and he leads the Big 12 with 12.63 strikeouts per nine innings. Freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker is No. 26 nationally with five sacrifice bunts, while junior center fielder Brandon White and sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes both rank No. 28 in the NCAA with 14 stolen bases and three triples, respectively. Sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh's six home runs is second in the conference, while Doanes' 10 stolen bases are third.
FOLLOWING ALONG
There are a number of ways to follow along with this weekend's action, with Dan Zangrilli and Ernie Galusky on the call.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is 21-5 on the season and 6-4 away from home. The Sooners are coming off a 6-5, non-conference loss at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, which snapped a seven-game win streak. In the Big 12-opening series sweep against Kansas, OU outscored the Jayhawks 19-9 in Norman, Oklahoma.
Tyler Hardman has a team-best 38 hits, 28 RBIs and five home runs, while Cade Cavalli's .357 batting average paces the squad. Levi Prater has struck out 46 batters and owns a 0.98 ERA with four earned runs allowed in 36.2 innings pitched.
Skip Johnson is in his second season at the helm of OU and has tallied a 49-30 record. He spent one year as OU's pitching coach prior to being named the head coach in June 2017. Johnson led the Sooners to their 38th NCAA Regional appearance in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SOONERS
The Mountaineers are 9-13 overall and 4-5 at home against the Sooners. The series began in 2012, a 2-5 loss in Eugene, Oregon, a year before WVU joined the Big 12. Last season, West Virginia was swept in a three-game series in Norman.
LAST TIME OUT: MIDWEEK WIN AT MARSHALL
West Virginia opened the week with a 15-3 victory at Marshall on Wednesday night at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston.
ON DECK: BACKYARD BRAWL IN MORGANTOWN
The Mountaineers begin the month of April at home with the Backyard Brawl against Pitt, on Wednesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. The rivalry matchup is a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concession items available for just $1, and fans also can play Baseball Bingo.
Single game tickets, season tickets and mini-packages for the 2019 season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and support the Mountaineers by purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The series begins on Friday, at 6:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday's first pitch is set for 4 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. With the threat of inclement weather in the Morgantown area this weekend, fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUsports.com and @WVUbaseball on Twitter for the latest updates on this weekend's schedule.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. Admission for WVU students is free with a valid student I.D.
Friday is the season's first Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can play Baseball Bingo to win prizes. Saturday is Family Day, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. Saturday also is a beanie giveaway to the first 1,000 fans, courtesy of the WV Lottery. The weekend concludes on Sunday with the first of four trading card giveaways, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, ages 16 and under. Sunday also is Kids Day, presented by WVU Medicine, which features a Kids Zone, inflatables and Mr. Twister's Balloon Art and Face Painting, and kids can run the bases after the game.
The Mountaineers (14-10, 0-3 Big 12) are coming off a 15-3 victory at Marshall on Wednesday night in Charleston. WVU opened Big 12 play with three losses at Baylor last weekend.
The Sooners (21-5, 3-0 Big 12) began conference play with a three-game sweep of Kansas at home. OU is ranked in the top-25 in each major national poll, and comes in as high as No. 19 in this week's Coaches Poll.
Two right-handers will open the series on Friday night, as WVU junior Alek Manoah (3-1, 2.97 ERA) squares off against OU sophomore Cade Cavalli (3-1, 1.64). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Jackson Wolf (2-2, 4.50) gets the ball for the Mountaineers against junior righty Nathan Wiles (5-0, 2.89). Sunday will see junior right-hander Kade Strowd (2-2, 4.00) toe the rubber for West Virginia against Oklahoma's sophomore lefty Levi Prater (5-1, 0.98).
Statistically, WVU is No. 17 in the country and first in the Big 12 with 51 stolen bases, while the Mountaineers are No. 33 in the NCAA with 24 home runs and third in the Big 12 with 14 sacrifice bunts. On the mound, West Virginia is No. 24 in the NCAA with 7.29 hits allowed per nine innings and second in the conference with 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings and third with a 1.30 WHIP. The WVU defense has turned 20 double plays, which also is third-most in the league.
Individually, Manoah is No. 18 in the country with 51 strikeouts, and he leads the Big 12 with 12.63 strikeouts per nine innings. Freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker is No. 26 nationally with five sacrifice bunts, while junior center fielder Brandon White and sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes both rank No. 28 in the NCAA with 14 stolen bases and three triples, respectively. Sophomore designated hitter Paul McIntosh's six home runs is second in the conference, while Doanes' 10 stolen bases are third.
FOLLOWING ALONG
There are a number of ways to follow along with this weekend's action, with Dan Zangrilli and Ernie Galusky on the call.
- The games will be streamed live for free on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App, while fans also can watch the stream live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the "West Virginia Mountaineers" channel.
- Fans can listen to the games on the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on various affiliates throughout the state, while fans across the country can tune into the broadcast online at WVUsports.com/Watch and on the WVU Gameday and TuneIn Radio Apps.
- Live stats can be found at WVUsports.com/Stats.
- Direct links to video and radio streams and live stats are available 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 OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is 21-5 on the season and 6-4 away from home. The Sooners are coming off a 6-5, non-conference loss at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, which snapped a seven-game win streak. In the Big 12-opening series sweep against Kansas, OU outscored the Jayhawks 19-9 in Norman, Oklahoma.
Tyler Hardman has a team-best 38 hits, 28 RBIs and five home runs, while Cade Cavalli's .357 batting average paces the squad. Levi Prater has struck out 46 batters and owns a 0.98 ERA with four earned runs allowed in 36.2 innings pitched.
Skip Johnson is in his second season at the helm of OU and has tallied a 49-30 record. He spent one year as OU's pitching coach prior to being named the head coach in June 2017. Johnson led the Sooners to their 38th NCAA Regional appearance in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SOONERS
The Mountaineers are 9-13 overall and 4-5 at home against the Sooners. The series began in 2012, a 2-5 loss in Eugene, Oregon, a year before WVU joined the Big 12. Last season, West Virginia was swept in a three-game series in Norman.
LAST TIME OUT: MIDWEEK WIN AT MARSHALL
West Virginia opened the week with a 15-3 victory at Marshall on Wednesday night at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston.
- WVU's season-high 15 runs came on 12 hits, while Marshall was held to three runs on three hits. West Virginia scored in each of the first four innings, highlighted by a nine-run third, to lead 13-0 in the middle of the fourth. The offense was aided by 11 walks, including four with the bases loaded, and all but one starter had a hit and seven drove in at least one run.
- McIntosh led the team with a season-high-tying three hits and three RBIs with two runs scored. He hit his team-best sixth home run of the season in the third inning.
- On the mound, junior left-hander Nick Snyder collected his team-leading fourth win of the season to improve to 4-1. In 4.0 innings, he allowed one unearned run on two hits with seven strikeouts and five walks. Snyder was followed by five relievers who combined to hold the Thundering Herd to two runs, one earned, on one hit with eight strikeouts and one walk in the final 5.0 innings.
- The Mountaineers have won six in a row and eight of the last nine meetings against the Thundering Herd. West Virginia has won 17 of 20 in the in-state series since 1993 and extends its lead in the all-time series to 47-24.
ON DECK: BACKYARD BRAWL IN MORGANTOWN
The Mountaineers begin the month of April at home with the Backyard Brawl against Pitt, on Wednesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Monongalia County Ballpark. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark. The rivalry matchup is a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concession items available for just $1, and fans also can play Baseball Bingo.
Single game tickets, season tickets and mini-packages for the 2019 season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and support the Mountaineers by purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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