Kent State University
West Virginia University
Golden Flashes Wrap Up 14-Game Road Stint at West Virginia
3/7/2019 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
*For consistency throughout the season, team rankings are based on the D1Baseball.com Top 25 Poll. No. 4 Oregon State is also ranked #2 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 5 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 10 in Baseball America, and No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
KENT, Ohio –The Kent State University baseball team (4-7) will conclude its 14-game road stint to open the 2019 slate with a three-game series at West Virginia (6-5) March 8-10. The games will be played at Monongalia County Ballpark Friday through Saturday and are scheduled for 3:00, 2:00, and 1:00 p.m. respectively.
Last time out, the Flashes went 1-2 at Charlotte, ending the series with a win on Sunday. Kent State notched 22 hits on the weekend, with two home runs and four stolen bases. Senior Pete Schuler collected four hits on the weekend, while senior Pavin Parks knocked in four runs on two hits, a double and a home run.
The Kent State pitching staff held the 49ers to a .281 average, totaling 20 strikeouts over three games. Senior Connor Wollersheim (0-2) tossed a complete game to start the series, allowing just one run and striking out six through 6.0 innings of work. Senior John Schreiber provided a solid start on the bump in the series finale, tying a career-high five strikeouts and allowing just one run through 4.2 innings of work. Freshman Luke Albright recorded the weekend's only win coming in as relief to Schreiber and striking out three in 2.2 innings of work.
On the season, redshirt sophomore Ben Carew leads the Kent State offense, batting .382 with 13 hits, a .400 on-base percentage and five stolen bases. He is slugging .441 with two doubles and seven RBIs. Junior Cam Touchette has notched 12 hits and seven RBIs, while Parks has added nine RBIs and six runs on seven hits, including a three-run home run against Charlotte. Schuler has tallied nine hits on the season and is on a six-game hitting streak that dates back to Feb. 24.
West Virginia
West Virginia has started the 2019 season 6-5 and ranks No.32 in the NCAA RPI. The Mountaineers have earned wins over Georgia State, Canisius, Georgia Southern, Towson, and Oregon State. WVU has only been shut out in one game, a 1-0 loss at Georgia Southern Feb. 23.
West Virginia is returning to Morgantown after traveling to No. 4 Oregon State for a three-game series last weekend. The Mountaineers dropped the first two games, but picked up a 2-0 win in the rubber match to end the weekend.
The Mountaineer offense is batting .194 through the first 11 games and has collected 66 hits with 12 doubles, two triples and seven homers. Sophomore Tyler Doanes leads the team, batting .317 with 13 hits, a double, a triple and six walks. Senior Darius Hill leads with a .525 slugging percentage, notching four doubles, a triple and a home run.
West Virginia pitching has held its opponents to a .194 batting average, allowing just 66 hits and fanning 99 batters. The Mountaineers battery shut out No. 4 Oregon State in Corvallis on Sunday, holding the Beavers to just three hits while striking out eight.
Friday will mark the 32nd time the two programs will meet, with the Flashes leading the all-time series 20-11. In the last meeting at the Chanticleer Classic in 2015, the Flashes topped the Mountaineers 5-2.
The 2019 Kent State Baseball Season is brought to you by Hometown Bank. Hometown Bank and Kent State Baseball – A Winning Team. There's no place like home.
