MORGANTOWN, W.Va.- The West Virginia University baseball team will host Seton Hall in a three-game BIG EAST series April 21-23 at Hawley Field in Morgantown, W.Va.
Thursday’s game will begin at 7:05 p.m., while Friday’s game starts at 5 p.m. and Sunday’s finale starts at 1 p.m. Thursday’s game has been designated as a “Dollar Night,” with all tickets and select concessions costing just $1.
WVU (22-15, 8-4) was last in action this past weekend, taking two out of three at Notre Dame. West Virginia won the first game in 10 innings by a score of 6-4 and lost the second 5-2. WVU came back Sunday and won 8-1.
Senior right-hander Andy Berry led the Mountaineer pitching staff with a nine-inning complete game in Sunday’s finale. Berry allowed just one run on three hits and struck out five, including the final three Notre Dame batters.
Redshirt freshman lefty Marshall Thompson went 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs in the first game of the series, while freshman righty Corey Walter pitched seven innings of relief in the second game, allowing two earned runs and four hits.
Redshirt senior shortstop Grant Buckner led the team at the plate with a 6-for-12 performance, including four runs, two doubles, a home run and four RBIs. Senior third baseman Justin McDavid batted 5-for-13 with a run and two doubles.
The Mountaineers are batting .306, second in the BIG EAST, while placing second in slugging percentage (.437), on-base percentage (.381), doubles (72), total plate appearances (1,464), at bats (1,227) and sacrifice flies (16). WVU leads the league in runs (240), hits (375), RBIs (216), home runs (25) and total bases (536).
Designated hitter Jeremy Gum continues to lead the team offensively with a .353 batting average with 25 runs, 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBIs. Seniors Grant Buckner and Justin McDavid lead the squad with 30 RBIs apiece, while junior Dan DiBartolomeo leads the team with 35 runs scored. Six WVU hitters are batting over .300.
Freshman Ryan Tezak continues to lead the bullpen with a 2.29 ERA in 10 appearances and 19.2 innings. Tezak has struck out 22 and carries a 2-0 record with two saves.
The Pirates come into the weekend series sitting in a tie for fifth place in the BIG EAST with a 5-7 conference record, 16-17 overall. Last weekend, Seton Hall dropped the first two games against USF by scores of 4-2 and 6-4, before coming back on Sunday and defeating the Bulls 6-0.
As a team, Seton Hall is batting .251 with four hitters batting over .300. Sophomore second baseman Mike Genovese leads the team with a .333 batting average and has 14 runs, three doubles and a team-leading 18 RBIs. Freshman benterfielder Zach Granite leads the squad with 25 runs scored, while batting .315. Senior first baseman Sean Gusrang (.315) and junior rightfielder Dale Anderson (.313) are the other two players batting over .300. Gusrang led the Pirates with a .412 batting average last week, recording seven hits in 17 at-bats.
Seton Hall’s starting pitchers are tops in the BIG EAST and the pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.94. Sophomore lefty Greg Terhune is expected to start Thursday and has a 3-3 record in nine starts with a 3.63 ERA. Terhune has allowed 44 hits in 44.2 innings, while walking 12 and striking out 37. Friday’s starter, senior right-hander Joe DiRocco, is 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA this season. He is one of only two BIG EAST starters without a loss this year. DiRocco has 48 strikeouts in 64.1 innings, allowing 44 hits and walking 19. Sophomore righty Jon Prosinki will start Saturday and has a 3-3 record in seven starts with a 3.38 ERA. Prosinki threw 7.2 innings of shutout baseball to grab the win in the series finale against USF. He allowed just four hits and a walk, while striking out six.
Out of the bullpen, sophomore right-hander Ryan Harvey leads the team with 15 appearances and has recorded three saves in 21 innings of work. Harvey has struck out 35 and only allowed 15 hits. Genovese, sophomore righty George Fernandez, sophomore lefty Rick Mangione and sophomore righty Frank Morris have all seen 10 or more appearances out of the bullpen.
WVU and Seton Hall first met in 1976. West Virginia holds a 24-13 edge over the Pirates in the all-time series. Last season, West Virginia took two of three from Seton Hall last year at Seton Hall. Seton Hall shutout the Mountaineers in game one 2-0, before WVU took the final two games by scores of 5-2 and 3-0. Matt Malloy finished the series 3-for-9 with one double and one triple, while Buckner went 3-for-10 with a run, one home run and three RBIs. Mark Dvoroznak and McDavid also each recorded an RBI. Berry earned a no decision in 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run.
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