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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia baseball team continues its homestand by playing host to Coastal Carolina for a three-game weekend series from Friday to Sunday at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Friday’s series opener is slated for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday’s game will begin at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for noon.
Senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf (1-1, 2.12 ERA) gets the start for the Mountaineers on Friday night, while the Chanticleers counter with redshirt junior left-hander Reid VanScoter (1-0, 2.03 ERA). On Saturday, WVU sends sophomore left-hander Jake Carr (0-2, 18.32 ERA) to the hill against junior righty Nick Parker (1-1, 3.92 ERA) from Coastal. The visitors are set to start redshirt sophomore righty Jacob Maton (2-2, 4.34 ERA) on Sunday, while West Virginia’s series-finale starter is to be determined.
WVU (7-5) and Coastal (10-5) have met 14 times prior to this weekend’s series. The Chanticleers lead the all-time series, 10-4. The two schools already met once this season, a 10-5 CCU win on Feb. 27, 2021, in Conway, S.C. Of note, this weekend marks Coastal’s first-ever trip to Morgantown.
Last time out, WVU earned a two-game sweep of Morehead State Tuesday and Wednesday at Monongalia County Ballpark. The Mountaineers topped the Eagles, 7-1, on Tuesday, before a 4-2 win on Wednesday.
A pair of freshmen made their first career starts in the midweek series, as left-hander Ben Hampton (4.0 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 K) earned the win on Tuesday, while right-hander Carlson Reed yielded just a single hit in 3.0 innings of work in a no decision on Wednesday.
WVU’s five-run third inning set the tone in Tuesday’s win. Freshman infielder Mikey Kluska tallied a three-run triple in the frame to give the hosts a lead it would never relinquish. The Mountaineers scored two more in the eighth to close the door on the victory.
On Wednesday, senior catcher/outfielder Paul McIntosh and sophomore outfielder Victor Scottt homered in the win. Freshman right-hander Tyler Chadwick earned his first career win on the mound, while junior righty Madison Jeffrey notched his first career save.
Coastal is off to a 10-5 start to the 2021 campaign and last split a four-game series against FIU from March 12-14 in Conway. CCU has played just one road game this season, a 4-1 win over then-No. 16 Wake Forest on Feb. 23.
The Chants are led offensively by junior catcher BT Riopelle, who is hitting .354 in 48 at-bats this spring. Meanwhile, sophomore infielder Eric Brown has already belted five homers with 15 RBIs this season. In all, CCU has a total of five players with at least 10 RBIs in its first 15 games.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Keaton Hopwood is 3-0 on the young season, while Parker is 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA in a team-leading 20.2 innings pitched.
Mountaineers and Herd to face each other in two games
The West Virginia University baseball team has added a pair of games against Marshall on Tuesday, March 23, in Huntington, and Wednesday, April 14, at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The in-state foes are set to meet at the Kennedy Center YMCA on March 23, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. The two clubs also will battle in Morgantown, with a 6:30 p.m., first pitch slated for April 14.
Any tickets purchased for the originally-scheduled game against Marshall on March 9, which was postponed, will be valid for the rescheduled home game on April 14. Fans who have stored their tickets in their mobile wallet will need to ensure app updates are active. Additionally, single-game tickets will be available for the rescheduled contest, found at WVUGAME.com, or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU-GAME. All tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and are priced at $7, as reflected on the seat map at WVUGAME.com. A limit of six (6) tickets can be purchased per account.
A limited number of WVU student tickets also will be available on game days in pairs of two. Student tickets can be picked up at Gate A or C of Monongalia County Ballpark. Students are admitted free with a valid student I.D.
The Mountaineers and Thundering Herd have met 72 times, most recently in 2019. Overall, WVU leads the all-time series, 48-24. Of note, West Virginia, which has won nine of the last 10 meetings against Marshall, including seven in a row, is set to make its first appearance in Huntington since April 5, 1988.
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