Ah Yes! The smell of freshly-cut grass, the crack of salted peanuts, the smoke of finely grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, the hum of the John Deere tractor swirling around the basepaths, and the best part the PING of an Easton Aluminum ball. Baseball season is in full effect. For a brief moment, I’m taking a brief respite from fabulous Coach Huggs basketball to update you on the Mountaineer baseball team and how they’ve done this season. Longtime coach Greg Van Zant, who recently achieved the 400-win milestone on Tuesday, will lead the charge of some talented young troops who will hopefully surprise the Big East in a good way.

The WVU Mountaineer baseball team, after a rough 4-3 start, now has a record of 22-6. The stellar record is due in large part to feasting on such teams as Coppin State, Iona, Morehead State, and UMES. Because of that weak schedule their RPI ranking is 114th with an SOS of 204 according to boydsworld.com. On the other hand, WVU is mashing the cover off the ball. They are 3rd in the nation with a .351 batting average. Also they’re 12th in runs scored, 19th in hits, 11th in doubles, and 7th in triples. Van Zant’s preference for small ball has also lead them to be 3rd in sac flies and 9th in sac bunts.

Among the leaders are University High alum Jedd Gyorko. The freshman is currently batting .439 with 4 homers and 35 RBIs. The true strength is his defense. The second basemen, in all 28 games he’s played, as not committed a single error. Another is catcher/outfielder Justin Parks. The regular at leadoff is 5th in the nation with a .453 batting average.

With a 4-2 Big East record this team will go as far as only pitching and defense will take them. At the moment they are 17th with a .975 fielding percentage and a pitching ERA of 3.90 (thanks once again to the weak schedule). The best pitchers so far have been Billy Gross, Stephen Morrison, and closer Chris Enourato. Gross has a 2.13 ERA with 42 K’s in 38 innings. Morrison has a 2.28 ERA with only a .182 BAs against the opponent. Enourato, a Bridgeport native known for having a solid baseball program, has kicked butt on the mound giving up only 1 ER in 11 2/3 innings with 4 saves.

This weekend the Mountaineers will play the USF Bulls at Hawley Field for a 3-game series. Hopefully the weak schedule will not affect them come Big East time. The weather will eventually be sunny and pleasant so come out to Hawley Field and support the Mountaineers as they continue to play some quality baseball.