MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the second weekend in a row, the West Virginia University baseball team faces an opponent for the first time as the Mountaineers travel to Houston from April 11-13. First pitch from Schroeder Park on Friday and Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. ET while Sunday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.
 
Mountaineer fans can watch the games on ESPN+, listen on Mountaineer Sports Network, and can follow along with live stats at WVUsports.com.
 
West Virginia is 27-4 on the season and 7-3 in the Big 12 after sweeping Utah in its most recent series. In the latest polls, the Mountaineers sit at No. 11 in Perfect Game, No. 20 in NCBWA, and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
 
Junior Skylar King leads WVU with a .365 batting average while senior Jace Rinehart has a 1.099 OPS, six home runs, and 33 RBI to lead the team. On the mound, redshirt senior Griffin Kirn is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a team-high 50 strikeouts. Freshman Benjamin Hudson leads WVU with a 1.04 ERA, one of 11 pitchers with ERAs below four.
 
Pitching Probables
LHP Griffin Kirn (3-0, 3.86 ERA, 50 K, 18 BB, 39.2 IP) vs. RHP Paul Schmitz (3-2, 4.28 ERA, 27 K, 15 BB, 40.0 IP)
RHP Gavin Van Kempen (2-0, 4.91 ERA, 28 K, 18 BB, 29.1 IP) vs. RHP Richie Roman (0-4, 4.97 ERA, 38 K, 14 BB, 29.0 IP)
RHP Jack Kartsonas (2-1, 3.12 ERA, 27 K, 4 BB, 17.1 IP) vs. TBA
 
Houston is 19-14 this season and 5-7 in Big 12 play. The Cougars took two of three from Baylor before splitting midweek games with Rice and McNeese this past week.
 
Xavier Perez leads the team with a .345 batting average, seven home runs, and 33 RBI. Antoine Jean has been their top pitcher with a 3-1 record, three saves, and 66 strikeouts in just 37.1 innings.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.