No. 17 West Virginia Encounters UCF for a Three-Game Series

ORLANDO – No. 17 West Virginia is on the road in a pivotal three-game Big 12 Conference series against UCF. Game one is for Friday with the first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. EST, game two is slated for Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EST and the series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST.

The Mountaineers (34-5) dropped their first midweek game of the season Tuesday night at Penn State 3-2, ending a 14-game winning streak. However, West Virginia's 13-3 mark in the Big 12, including 11 straight conference wins, places the program atop the league standings.

West Virginia is second in the Big 12 in team batting average (.322) and rank third in team ERA (.489) during league play.

Jace Rinehart leads the team in batting average (.397) and slugging percentage (.706) in conference action. The senior also has team-highs in doubles (13) and RBIs (39) and is tied with senior Logan Sauve with seven home runs on the season.

Junior Sam White is batting a team-best .369.

Senior Griffin Kirn (4-0, 3.68 ERA, 61 K) is scheduled to start in the series opener, junior right-hander Gavin Van Kempen (2-0, 5.25 ERA, 33 K) is set for game two, and senior right-hander Jack Kartsonas (4-1, 1.78 ERA, 39 K) is slated for game three.

UCF is expected to counter with sophomore right-hander Camden Wicker (0-1, 5.29 ERA, 19), sophomore righty Russell Sandefer (2-2, 1.47 ERA, 35 K) is slated for game two, and sophomore Matt Sauser (3-0, 1.82 ERA, 21 K) is scheduled for the series finale.

The Knights (23-17, 6-12) lead the league in team batting average at .319 but their production in conference action ranks seventh, hitting .282 and own a team ERA of 6.27 in league play.

Junior Edian Espinal is hitting a team-best .352, sophomore Andrew Williamson has clubbed a team-high eight home runs, 40 RBI, and 14 doubles, which ranks fifth in the league.

West Virginia is 3-1 all-time against UCF, including a series sweep last season.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI