Saturday, April 23
Lubbock, Texas
2:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Texas Tech (DH)
Mountaineers Head West for Texas Tech Series
April 21, 2022 03:15 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team travels to Lubbock, Texas, for a three-game, Big 12 Conference series at No. 8 Texas Tech from April 22-24.
Friday night's series opener at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled for 3 p.m., and 2 p.m., respectively.
Fans can follow all the action with live stats, found on WVUsports.com. Additionally, all three games can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and heard on the Mountaineer Sports Network on 100.9 WZST-FM (Friday and Sunday) and 98.3 WBKE-FM (Saturday), as well as various affiliates throughout the state, the WVU Gameday App and WVUsports.com.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Watters (2-2, 3.28 ERA) gets the start on the mound on Friday night, while sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (6-2, 3.05 ERA) goes on Saturday and fifth-year senior right-hander Zach Bravo (3-1, 5.65 ERA) follows on Sunday. TTU is set to counter with right-hander Andrew Morris (4-0, 4.01 ERA) on Friday, right-hander Brandon Birdsell (5-2, 2.54 ERA) on Saturday and right-hander Chase Hampton (3-3, 5.45 ERA) on Sunday.
The Mountaineers (23-12, 6-3 Big 12) are an even 15-15 all-time against Texas Tech. Last season, the Red Raiders took two of three games from April 16-18, 2021, in Morgantown. Of note, this weekend marks the first time WVU visits Lubbock since March 29-31, 2018.
Last time out, WVU took down rival Pitt, 3-2, in 11 innings on April 20, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Seven Mountaineer pitchers combined to record 14 strikeouts and yield just three hits in the victory, as sophomore right-hander/utility Ben Abernathy was awarded the win.
With the win, WVU improved to 4-0 all-time at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It also evened the season series with Panthers at 1-1.
The Mountaineers have stolen 125 bases this season, including 10 against Pitt earlier this week, the most in single-season program history. The squad enters the weekend ranked No. 2 nationally in the category.
Individually, junior outfielder Victor Scott II has a team-leading 30 stolen bases, which sits at No. 1 in WVU's single-season record book. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native also is No. 2 in the nation on the base paths.
On the mound, Hampton continues to lead the Mountaineer pitching staff. His six wins are tied for the most in the Big 12, and opposing hitters are batting just .218 against the southpaw this spring.
In the bullpen, fifth-year senior right-hander Trey Braithwaite has four saves, including three in his last five appearances. He has allowed just one hit with 12 strikeouts in his last 11.1 innings of work.
At the plate, four different Mountaineer regulars are hitting better than .300 this spring. Sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook, who is on a 10-game hit streak, leads the way at .354.
West Virginia received votes in multiple polls this week. The club also checked in at No. 28 in the latest College Baseball Newspaper's top-30 poll.
WVU coach Randy Mazey has posted a record of 286-220 in his 10 seasons with the Mountaineers. Overall, he has 473 wins in 16 years as a head coach.
Texas Tech is led by 10th-year coach Tim Tadlock, who has the Red Raiders out to a 27-13 mark this season. TTU also is 7-5 in Big 12 play. Last weekend, Tech was swept at TCU.
Most recently, the squad dropped an 11-10 decision at New Mexico on April 19. In all, the Red Raiders have lost eight of their last 11 games but are 18-1 at home on the year.
Texas Tech is ranked as high as No. 8 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. The club also was placed at No. 9 by D1Baseball.com this week.
Jace Jung is hitting a team-best .382 for TTU this spring. He also leads the team in doubles (16) and home runs (12). Additionally, Kurt Wilson is the team's leader in RBI, with 48.
Birdsell has fanned 73 in 46.0 innings to lead the pitching staff. What's more, opponents are hitting just .198 against him. In the bullpen, right-hander Trendan Parish has six saves.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday night's series opener at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled for 3 p.m., and 2 p.m., respectively.
Fans can follow all the action with live stats, found on WVUsports.com. Additionally, all three games can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and heard on the Mountaineer Sports Network on 100.9 WZST-FM (Friday and Sunday) and 98.3 WBKE-FM (Saturday), as well as various affiliates throughout the state, the WVU Gameday App and WVUsports.com.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Watters (2-2, 3.28 ERA) gets the start on the mound on Friday night, while sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (6-2, 3.05 ERA) goes on Saturday and fifth-year senior right-hander Zach Bravo (3-1, 5.65 ERA) follows on Sunday. TTU is set to counter with right-hander Andrew Morris (4-0, 4.01 ERA) on Friday, right-hander Brandon Birdsell (5-2, 2.54 ERA) on Saturday and right-hander Chase Hampton (3-3, 5.45 ERA) on Sunday.
The Mountaineers (23-12, 6-3 Big 12) are an even 15-15 all-time against Texas Tech. Last season, the Red Raiders took two of three games from April 16-18, 2021, in Morgantown. Of note, this weekend marks the first time WVU visits Lubbock since March 29-31, 2018.
Last time out, WVU took down rival Pitt, 3-2, in 11 innings on April 20, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Seven Mountaineer pitchers combined to record 14 strikeouts and yield just three hits in the victory, as sophomore right-hander/utility Ben Abernathy was awarded the win.
With the win, WVU improved to 4-0 all-time at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It also evened the season series with Panthers at 1-1.
The Mountaineers have stolen 125 bases this season, including 10 against Pitt earlier this week, the most in single-season program history. The squad enters the weekend ranked No. 2 nationally in the category.
Individually, junior outfielder Victor Scott II has a team-leading 30 stolen bases, which sits at No. 1 in WVU's single-season record book. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native also is No. 2 in the nation on the base paths.
On the mound, Hampton continues to lead the Mountaineer pitching staff. His six wins are tied for the most in the Big 12, and opposing hitters are batting just .218 against the southpaw this spring.
In the bullpen, fifth-year senior right-hander Trey Braithwaite has four saves, including three in his last five appearances. He has allowed just one hit with 12 strikeouts in his last 11.1 innings of work.
At the plate, four different Mountaineer regulars are hitting better than .300 this spring. Sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook, who is on a 10-game hit streak, leads the way at .354.
West Virginia received votes in multiple polls this week. The club also checked in at No. 28 in the latest College Baseball Newspaper's top-30 poll.
WVU coach Randy Mazey has posted a record of 286-220 in his 10 seasons with the Mountaineers. Overall, he has 473 wins in 16 years as a head coach.
Texas Tech is led by 10th-year coach Tim Tadlock, who has the Red Raiders out to a 27-13 mark this season. TTU also is 7-5 in Big 12 play. Last weekend, Tech was swept at TCU.
Most recently, the squad dropped an 11-10 decision at New Mexico on April 19. In all, the Red Raiders have lost eight of their last 11 games but are 18-1 at home on the year.
Texas Tech is ranked as high as No. 8 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. The club also was placed at No. 9 by D1Baseball.com this week.
Jace Jung is hitting a team-best .382 for TTU this spring. He also leads the team in doubles (16) and home runs (12). Additionally, Kurt Wilson is the team's leader in RBI, with 48.
Birdsell has fanned 73 in 46.0 innings to lead the pitching staff. What's more, opponents are hitting just .198 against him. In the bullpen, right-hander Trendan Parish has six saves.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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