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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a seven-game road trip, the West Virginia baseball team returns home to take on in-state foe Marshall Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jake Carr (0-2, 13.75 ERA) takes the mound for the Mountaineers in the midweek matchup, while Marshall counters with sophomore right-hander Ryan Capuano (1-0, 8.71 ERA).
The two teams have already met once this season, as MU topped West Virginia, 7-1, on March 23, in Huntington. Of note, Marshall hasn’t defeated WVU in Morgantown since April 9, 1991.
Last time out, the Mountaineers dropped two-of-three games at Baylor, from April 9-11, in Waco, Texas. WVU fell, 6-3, in the series opener and 7-4 in the middle game, before it grabbed an 8-4 win in the series finale.
With Sunday’s win, WVU coach Randy Mazey earned his 250th career victory at West Virginia. The ninth-year coach is one of just four skippers in program history to reach the milestone.
Redshirt sophomore catcher/outfielder Vince Ippoliti and freshman infielder Mikey Kluska each lead the Mountaineers with a .324 average at the plate. Kluska also paces the club in hits (33) and RBI (19). In the power department, McCormick is tied with fifth-year senior infielder Kevin Brophy for the team lead in home runs, with six, while junior outfielder Austin Davis and sophomore outfielder Victor Scott have stolen nine bases apiece this season.
On the mound, senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf is sitting with a 3.05 ERA in a team-best 41.1 innings of work, while Hampton is at 3.10 in 20.1 innings. Both have three wins on the year.
Marshall is led by 15th-year coach Jeff Waggoner. The Thundering Herd enter Wednesday’s game on a 12-game losing streak and are just 2-14 on the road in 2021. Since the WVU win, MU has endured four-game sweeps by Florida Atlantic (March 26-28), Old Dominion (April 2-4) and Western Kentucky (April 9-11).
The Herd is led by sophomore infielder/outfielder Luke Edwards’ .346 average, nine doubles and 14 RBI, while freshman catcher Ryan Leitch’s five home runs are good for No. 1 on the team.
On the mound, Capuano didn’t allow a hit in 3.1 innings of action against WVU on March 23. He walked three and struck out two, earning the win.
Men’s soccer team to conclude road trip at Bowling Green
The West Virginia men’s soccer team completes a three-game road trip with a match at Bowling Green on Wednesday with kickoff from Cochrane Soccer Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, scheduled for 3 p.m.
“I think we’re at that point of the season now where we want to continue to play good football and really reinforce our identity,” Mountaineer coach Dan Stratford said. “They’ve shown that in past games, but now we’re talking about much, much smaller details in terms of the fundamentals of how our system is implemented. Ultimately, it’s about those three points at the end of the game.”
Last time out, West Virginia won their fourth match in the last five contests on April 11, earning a 2-0 win at Northern Illinois to compete the season sweep over the Huskies.
WVU keeper Steven Tekesky leads the Mid-American Conference in shutouts (5), shutouts per game (0.56), save percentage (0.818) and goals against average (0.65). Freshman defender Jesus De Vicente is tied for the conference lead in assists (5) and assists per game (0.56).
The Falcons are coming off a 1-0, overtime win over Akron on April 11, as Vinny Worner’s “Golden Goal” in the 96th minute lifted BGSU over the Zips.
Bowling Green is second in the MAC in shots (103), goals allowed (0.90), goals against average (0.89) and shutouts (4).
Chris Sullivan paces the Falcon offense, leading the team in assists (5), points (11) and shots (22), while he is tied for the team lead in goals, with three. Sullivan is tied for first in the MAC in assists and second in shots per game (2.20) and assists per game (0.50). In goal, Logan Kowalczyk leads the squad with 15 saves, as well as four shutouts on the year to sit second in the league.
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