PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team will play host to Northwest Missouri State University in a three-game MIAA series beginning Friday (Mar. 10).
 
The Gorillas and Bearcats will face one another at 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and Noon Sunday at Al Ortolani Field. The series originally was scheduled for Maryville, Mo., but the venue change was precipitated by inclement weather and a natural grass surface at Bearcat Field. NWMSU will be the home team in the match-ups.
 
Pitt State will bring a 12-6 record into the weekend action. The Gorillas swept a three-game MIAA series from Missouri Western State University last weekend at St. Joseph, Mo. NWMSU is 3-14 overall and 1-5 in MIAA play. The Bearcats snapped a six-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over Missouri Southern State University the last time out last Sunday (Mar. 5).
 
The Gorillas enter the weekend series batting .322 on the season and scoring 9.7 runs per game. Pitt State's pitching staff currently sports a 6.93 ERA and the squad has a .965 fielding percentage to date. The Gorillas opponents are hitting .269 and scoring 7.6 runs per game. The opposition has a 9.66 ERA and a .977 fielding percentage to date.
 
Junior infielder Cade Clemons leads the squad with a .414 batting average. He has eight doubles, two triples, four home runs and 14 RBI to his credit. Junior catcher Nixon Brannan in hitting .397 with three doubles, eight home runs and a team-leading 29 RBI. Brannan was named both the MIAA and the Central Region Hitter of the Week after going 8-for-12 with four home runs and nine RBI in the three-game sweep of MWSU last weekend. Senior outfielder Ryan Koval also is batting .327 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.
 
Graduate LHP Zac Shoemaker (4-0, 1.85 ERA) and junior LHP Ben Des Rosiers (2-0, 4.88 ERA) are expected to make starts on the mound this weekend while the third slot remains TBA.