Two-Game, Midweek Series Versus West Virginia On Deck for Morehead State Baseball - MSU Eagles

Two-Game, Midweek Series Versus West Virginia On Deck for Morehead State Baseball

By Ryan Frye, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations

GAME NOTES | ESPN+ (GAME ONE | GAME TWO) | LIVE STATS (GAME ONE | GAME TWO)

MOREHEAD, Ky. –

After claiming a series victory in its first Ohio Valley Conference series of the year, taking two of three games from in-state rival Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State baseball embarks outside conference play for a two-game, midweek series.

Morehead State travels east to Morgantown, W. Va. for a two-game, midweek series with West Virginia, meeting the Mountaineers for the first time since 2019 while meeting in Morgantown for the first time since 2017.

The Eagles enter after capturing two-of-three from Eastern Kentucky last weekend to improve to 7-7 on the season and 2-1 in the OVC. West Virginia enters at 5-5, dropping their series with Central Michigan last weekend two games to one.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday's games air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with both games featuring a 3 p.m. ET first pitch time.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Records: Morehead State (7-7; 2-1 OVC) | West Virginia (5-5; 0-0 Big 12)
Series: West Virginia leads 11-6
Last Five Meetings: March 13, 2019 (MOR 9, WVU 6) | March 12, 2019 (WVU 9, MOR 3) | April 5, 2017 (WVU 5, MOR 1) | April 16, 2013 (WVU 13, MOR 5) | March 27, 2012 (MOR 7, WVU 5)

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Morehead State | West Virginia
Game One: RHP Will Lozinak (0-1; 15.43 ERA) | LHP Ben Hampton (1-0; 0.00 ERA)
Game Two: To Be Announced | RHP Carlson Reed (0-0; 0.00 ERA)

NOTABLE

• Meeting for a two-game midweek series for the first time since 2019, Morehead State and West Virginia continue their series Tuesday and Wednesday in Morgantown, W. Va. The two-game series just the fifth and sixth meetings in Morgantown in a 17-game series that dates back to 1976. The Mountaineers lead the series 11-6, but the Eagles had won the previous meeting on March 13, 2019.
• Freshman centerfielder Ryley Preece collected his first career four-hit game Saturday versus Eastern Kentucky, hitting for the cycle while also hitting his first career home run. His cycle was the first for an Eagle since Niko Hulsizer hit for the cycle on April 18, 2018, versus SIUE.
• Since entering the starting lineup versus Marshall on March 6, Preece has reached safely in each game, reaching with a hit in each of his first five career starts. He reached in the final game versus the Eastern Kentucky series after being hit by a pitch. His six-game reached base streak is tied with Ryan Layne's six-game streak as the Eagles' longest active streak.
• In addition to his six-game reached base streak, Layne also owns a four-game hitting streak, the longest active Morehead State hitting streak. During his four-game hitting streak, he's collected multi-hits in two of the four games while hitting a pair of doubles and a home run.
• In all three games in the Eagles' series with Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State's pitching staff recorded six or more strikeouts in each game and have recorded six or more punchouts in each game this season. Dating back to last season, Eagle pitchers have recorded 17 consecutive games with six or more strikeouts.
• Morehead State enters the week ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 70th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Eagle pitchers have collected 131 punchouts in 118.0 innings on the season.
• Redshirt senior left-hander Cory Conway ranks fifth in the OVC in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 12.06 strikeouts per nine innings. Conway enters the midweek series as the only primary relief pitcher—no games started—in the OVC to rank top-10 in the conference in K/9.
• Falling short of the innings limit to rank in the OVC, relievers, right-hander Grant Herron and left-hander John Bakke, also post strikeout per inning totals greater than 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Herron posts a 14.46 K/9 while Bakke posts an 11.08 K/9.
• Conway also enters the midweek series leading the OVC in earned run average, holding an ERA of 1.15 through seven appearances and 15.2 innings pitched this season. He's permitted just two earned runs, and five runs total, over his 15.2 innings of work.
• Bakke ranks sixth in the NCAA and first in the conference in pitching appearances, appearing in nine games this season. With seven appearances apiece, Conway and Herron rank fifth in the OVC in total appearances.
• With a pair of victories on the season, Conway is tied for the OVC lead in pitching victories while Herorn's pair of saves rank second in the conference, falling one shy of the league lead.
• Senior catcher Jack Gardner produced his second four-RBI game of the season in game one of Saturday's doubleheader versus Eastern Kentucky as he's tallied 15 runs batted in this season. He ranks third in the OVC in RBI while his four home runs rank second in the conference.

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2021-03-15 21:42:38Z
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