PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team will travel to Edmond, Okla., for a three-game MIAA series against the University of Central Oklahoma. The Gorillas and Bronchos will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. (CDT) Saturday (Mar. 27) at Wendell Simmons Field and close out the series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday (Mar. 28).
Pitt State enters the series with a 10-5 overall record and a 7-5 mark in MIAA play. The Gorillas currently sit in a tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Pitt State is currently riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping an MIAA road series against Northwest Missouri State University last weekend at Maryville, Mo.
UCO is 8-6 overall, 5-4 in the MIAA and sixth in the conference standings. The Bronchos defeated Missouri Southern State University, 11-6 in 10 innings, in their last outing to salvage the third game of a three-game series against the Lions.
As a team, Pitt State is hitting .286 and scoring 8.9 runs per game. The Pitt State pitching staff has a 5.11 ERA and has registered 132 strikeouts in 132.0 innings of work.
Freshman outfielder Ryan Koval leads the team with a .377 batting average. He's tallied five doubles, four triples, a home run and 17 RBIs. Koval ranks second in the MIAA in triples and ninth in the conference in batting average and RBIs. Junior shortstop Cruz Aranda is batting .356 with a team-leading 18 runs scored and eight stolen bases. He's tied for second in the MIAA in stolen bases and tied for fourth in the league in runs scored. Junior first baseman Garrett McGowan (.263 BA) has belted six home runs and 23 RBIs on the season. He leads the MIAA in RBIs and ranks second in the league in homers.
Junior RHP David Henderson leads the Pitt State pitching staff with a 4-0 record and a team-low 2.10 ERA. He's allowed just 17 hits and five walks in 25.7 innings of work and registered 22 strikeouts. Henderson is tied for third in the MIAA in victories and fifth in the league in ERA to date. Senior RHP Nick Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA) and junior RHP Peyton Ingalls (3-0, 5.48 ERA) also started games last week against the Bearcats.
