Saturday, May 4
Morgantown, W.Va.
12:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
TCU
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
No. 17 Mountaineers Host TCU in Final Big 12 Home Series
May 02, 2019 05:23 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team hosts its final Big 12 home series of the season when it welcomes TCU to Monongalia County Ballpark from May 3-5.
The series begins on Friday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET, and continues on Saturday, at 4:15 p.m. The finale is set for Sunday, at 1 p.m. Saturday's contest will air regionally on AT&T SportsNet. 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, during the week 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 Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can participate in Trivia Night and play Baseball Bingo. Saturday is the final Family Day of the season, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. There will be a bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans to Saturday's game, courtesy of United Bank. Saturday also is Alumni Day. Sunday is the final trading card giveaway, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, 16 and under. Sunday also is the final Kids Day of the year, 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. Additionally, Sunday is Cinco De Mayo at the ballpark, with free necklaces and shakers to the first 500 fans and $2.50 walking tacos.
The Mountaineers (27-15, 10-8 Big 12) have won 13 of their last 17 games and have won five consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2013 season. West Virginia is coming off a 2-0 win over Marshall and is ranked in the top 25 in each major poll and as high as No. 17 in two polls.
The Horned Frogs (24-19, 6-9 Big 12) come to Morgantown after an 11-6 victory at Abilene Christian on Tuesday night. The win snapped a five-game losing streak. TCU is receiving votes in this week's NCBWA poll.
WVU is tied for third place in the Big 12, one game out of second and 2.5 games out of first, while TCU sits in sixth place in the league standings.
In a highly-anticipated matchup between two of the Big 12's top aces, WVU junior right-hander Alek Manoah (6-2, 1.76 ERA) will face TCU junior left-hander Nick Lodolo (5-4, 2.15 ERA) in Friday night's opener. Sophomore lefty Jackson Wolf (2-2, 3.51 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mountaineers on Saturday against junior right-hander Charles King (3-2, 3.81 ERA), while junior righty Kade Strowd (4-5, 4.53 ERA) gets the ball for West Virginia in Sunday's finale against junior left-hander Brandon Williamson (3-3, 4.88 ERA).
Statistically, West Virginia's pitching staff is No. 7 nationally with 7.11 hits allowed per nine innings, No. 11 with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, No. 14 with a 3.33 ERA, No. 22 with a 1.25 WHIP and No. 25 with four shutouts. The Mountaineers also lead the Big 12 and are No. 26 in the NCAA with 78 stolen bases.
Individually, Manoah is No. 6 nationally in strikeouts (103), No. 8 in WHIP (0.85), No. 19 in ERA (1.76), No. 27 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.63) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.06) and No. 28 in strikeouts per nine innings (12.09).
Junior left-hander Nick Snyder is No. 6 in the country in hits allowed per nine innings (4.71), No. 11 in strikeouts per nine innings (13.50) and No. 30 in ERA (1.93). Junior center fielder Brandon White is second in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases, while junior right-hander Sam Kessler is third in saves (7), sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes is third in stolen bases (16) and freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker is third in sacrifice bunts (7).
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 TCU
TCU is 24-19 on the season and 6-9 in Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs are 14-9 at home, 6-7 on the road and 4-3 at a neutral site. TCU is coming off an 11-6 victory at Abilene Christian on Tuesday after being swept by Baylor in a three-game series in Fort Worth last weekend.
Jake Guenther leads the team with a .382 batting average, a .592 slugging percentage and 58 hits and boasts a team-high-tying six home runs and 33 RBIs. Augie Mihlbauer leads the pitching staff with a 1.32 ERA in a team-best 19 appearances, all in relief. Lodolo has a team-high 80 strikeouts, and Marcelo Perez has five saves on the season.
Jim Schlossnagle is in his 16th season at TCU and is 672-314 in Fort Worth and 749-358 in his career. Schlossnagle became the program's all-time winningest coach in 2016, and has posted the top 13 single-season win totals in school history. He was named the National Coach of the Year by NCBWA in 2010 and again by Baseball America in 2016.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HORNED FROGS
The Mountaineers are 5-18 all-time against the Horned Frogs and 3-6 at home. Last season, West Virginia won the opener in Fort Worth, 4-3, before TCU won the next two games and added a pair of victories at the Big 12 Championship.
Two years ago in Morgantown, WVU claimed its first series win against then-No. 3 TCU, with a pair of 5-4, walk-off wins. A sacrifice fly by Ivan Gonzalez drove in the winning run in the opener on April 14, after TCU tied the game with a three-run ninth. Two days later, West Virginia scored two runs on no hits in the ninth, thanks to four walks and a hit batter, as Darius Hill walked in the winning run.
LAST TIME OUT: SNYDER'S NEAR NO-NO
Snyder took a no hitter into the ninth inning and struck out 16 batters as West Virginia shut out Marshall, 2-0, on April 30.
ON DECK: ROADTRIP BEGINS AT VIRGINIA TECH
West Virginia begins a five-game roadtrip at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, May 8. First pitch in Blacksburg, Virginia, is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Single game tickets and flex plan 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, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET, and continues on Saturday, at 4:15 p.m. The finale is set for Sunday, at 1 p.m. Saturday's contest will air regionally on AT&T SportsNet. 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, during the week 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 Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can participate in Trivia Night and play Baseball Bingo. Saturday is the final Family Day of the season, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25. There will be a bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans to Saturday's game, courtesy of United Bank. Saturday also is Alumni Day. Sunday is the final trading card giveaway, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, 16 and under. Sunday also is the final Kids Day of the year, 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. Additionally, Sunday is Cinco De Mayo at the ballpark, with free necklaces and shakers to the first 500 fans and $2.50 walking tacos.
The Mountaineers (27-15, 10-8 Big 12) have won 13 of their last 17 games and have won five consecutive Big 12 series for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2013 season. West Virginia is coming off a 2-0 win over Marshall and is ranked in the top 25 in each major poll and as high as No. 17 in two polls.
The Horned Frogs (24-19, 6-9 Big 12) come to Morgantown after an 11-6 victory at Abilene Christian on Tuesday night. The win snapped a five-game losing streak. TCU is receiving votes in this week's NCBWA poll.
WVU is tied for third place in the Big 12, one game out of second and 2.5 games out of first, while TCU sits in sixth place in the league standings.
In a highly-anticipated matchup between two of the Big 12's top aces, WVU junior right-hander Alek Manoah (6-2, 1.76 ERA) will face TCU junior left-hander Nick Lodolo (5-4, 2.15 ERA) in Friday night's opener. Sophomore lefty Jackson Wolf (2-2, 3.51 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mountaineers on Saturday against junior right-hander Charles King (3-2, 3.81 ERA), while junior righty Kade Strowd (4-5, 4.53 ERA) gets the ball for West Virginia in Sunday's finale against junior left-hander Brandon Williamson (3-3, 4.88 ERA).
Statistically, West Virginia's pitching staff is No. 7 nationally with 7.11 hits allowed per nine innings, No. 11 with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, No. 14 with a 3.33 ERA, No. 22 with a 1.25 WHIP and No. 25 with four shutouts. The Mountaineers also lead the Big 12 and are No. 26 in the NCAA with 78 stolen bases.
Individually, Manoah is No. 6 nationally in strikeouts (103), No. 8 in WHIP (0.85), No. 19 in ERA (1.76), No. 27 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.63) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.06) and No. 28 in strikeouts per nine innings (12.09).
Junior left-hander Nick Snyder is No. 6 in the country in hits allowed per nine innings (4.71), No. 11 in strikeouts per nine innings (13.50) and No. 30 in ERA (1.93). Junior center fielder Brandon White is second in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases, while junior right-hander Sam Kessler is third in saves (7), sophomore second baseman Tyler Doanes is third in stolen bases (16) and freshman shortstop Tevin Tucker is third in sacrifice bunts (7).
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.
- Saturday's game will be televised regionally on AT&T SportsNet.
- All three games will be streamed live for free, though Saturday's contest will be blacked out inside the AT&T SportsNet viewing footprint. The streams are available on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App, while fans also can watch 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 TCU
TCU is 24-19 on the season and 6-9 in Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs are 14-9 at home, 6-7 on the road and 4-3 at a neutral site. TCU is coming off an 11-6 victory at Abilene Christian on Tuesday after being swept by Baylor in a three-game series in Fort Worth last weekend.
Jake Guenther leads the team with a .382 batting average, a .592 slugging percentage and 58 hits and boasts a team-high-tying six home runs and 33 RBIs. Augie Mihlbauer leads the pitching staff with a 1.32 ERA in a team-best 19 appearances, all in relief. Lodolo has a team-high 80 strikeouts, and Marcelo Perez has five saves on the season.
Jim Schlossnagle is in his 16th season at TCU and is 672-314 in Fort Worth and 749-358 in his career. Schlossnagle became the program's all-time winningest coach in 2016, and has posted the top 13 single-season win totals in school history. He was named the National Coach of the Year by NCBWA in 2010 and again by Baseball America in 2016.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HORNED FROGS
The Mountaineers are 5-18 all-time against the Horned Frogs and 3-6 at home. Last season, West Virginia won the opener in Fort Worth, 4-3, before TCU won the next two games and added a pair of victories at the Big 12 Championship.
Two years ago in Morgantown, WVU claimed its first series win against then-No. 3 TCU, with a pair of 5-4, walk-off wins. A sacrifice fly by Ivan Gonzalez drove in the winning run in the opener on April 14, after TCU tied the game with a three-run ninth. Two days later, West Virginia scored two runs on no hits in the ninth, thanks to four walks and a hit batter, as Darius Hill walked in the winning run.
LAST TIME OUT: SNYDER'S NEAR NO-NO
Snyder took a no hitter into the ninth inning and struck out 16 batters as West Virginia shut out Marshall, 2-0, on April 30.
- In one of the most dominating pitching performances in program history, Snyder threw his first career complete game to go along with the one hit allowed, one walk and career-best 16 strikeouts. He allowed just two baserunners in the shutout, a walk in the third inning and a two-out single in the ninth.
- The one-hitter was the first by a Mountaineer since Zac Cline held Virginia Tech to one hit on May 23, 2003 and the 10th nine-inning one-hitter in program history. Snyder's 16 strikeouts are the most by a WVU hurler since Wes Shaw had 16 on April 8, 1989, against Fairmont State. The 16 strikeouts are tied for eighth-most in program history, and is one of seven 16-strikeout performances in WVU history.
- WVU's offense was fueled by single runs in the third and fifth, both on two-out base hits. Hill had three hits, an RBI and a run scored to lead the way.
- The Mountaineers improved to 8-0 in Snyder's starts, and he has a team-high-tying six wins.
- West Virginia has won seven in a row against the Thundering Herd and nine of the last 10 meetings. Since 1993, West Virginia has won 18 of the last 21 in the in-state series. WVU leads the all-time series, 48-24, which began in 1910.
ON DECK: ROADTRIP BEGINS AT VIRGINIA TECH
West Virginia begins a five-game roadtrip at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, May 8. First pitch in Blacksburg, Virginia, is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Single game tickets and flex plan 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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