Mountaineers Visit Campbell for Weekend Series

Friday, March 18

Buies Creek, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

Campbell

Photo by: Devin Kane

March 17, 2022 01:32 PM | Baseball

Game Notes Live Stats, Audio, Video

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team travels to Buies Creek, North Carolina, for a three-game series at Campbell from March 18-20.

Friday's series opener at Jim Perry Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 3 p.m., and 1 p.m., respectively.

Fans can follow all the action with live stats, found on WVUsports.com. All three games will air live on ESPN+, and each contest can be heard on the Mountaineer Sports Network on 100.9 WZST-FM, as well as various affiliates throughout the state, the WVU Gameday App and WVUsports.com.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Michael Kilker (2-0, 0.00 ERA) is set to make his first career start on Friday night, while Campbell counters with right-hander Thomas Harrington (3-1, 0.67 ERA). On Saturday, sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (2-1, 2.78 ERA) takes the mound against right-hander Cade Kuehler (0-2, 1.54 ERA) of Campbell, while freshman righty Chris Sleeper (1-2, 3.24 ERA) and the Camels' right-hander Aaron Rund (0-1, 5.27 ERA) close the series on Sunday.

WVU (9-6) has never played Campbell prior to this weekend. Overall, the Mountaineers are 22-18-1 all-time against members of the Big South Conference.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 2-1 loss at Duke on March 15, in Durham, North Carolina. Freshman infielder Grant Hussey hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth to give West Virginia the lead, before the Blue Devils answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Sleeper took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in 3.2 innings of work. However, fifth-year senior right-hander Trey Braithwaite and junior righty Jacob Watters combined to pitch 4.1 innings of no-hit ball out of the bullpen to close the game.

Despite the loss, WVU outhit Duke, 5-4.

West Virginia was scheduled to play at High Point on March 16. However, the game was canceled due to inclement weather.

The Mountaineers begin the weekend ranked No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference in stolen bases, with 50. The squad has tallied multiple stolen bases in 12 of its 15 games so far this season.

Sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook continues to lead WVU at the plate with a .429 average. Hussey is the team leader in home runs, with four, while junior outfielder Victor Scott II is No. 1 on the team with 17 RBI.

On the mound, Hampton has tallied a team-best 31 strikeouts in 22.2 innings this season. The De Pere, Wisconsin, native ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 in punchouts.

Of note, the Mountaineers will have played 14 of their first 18 games of the season away from home by the end of the weekend.

Campbell is led by coach Justin Haire, who has led the program to three NCAA Tournament berths since taking over in 2015. The Camels are coming off a 37-win season and Big South regular-season championship in 2021.

This year, CU is off to a 7-9 start. The squad went 1-1 at Liberty last weekend and fell, 9-5, at UNC Greensboro on March 15.

Two-way player Zach Neto leads the Camels at the plate this spring. The preseason All-American is hitting .396 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 12 RBI. Additionally, Neto was the Big South Player of the Year last season.

On the mound, Harrington has allowed just two runs in 27.0 innings of action this season. He has recorded 40 strikeouts with only two walks on the year.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.