PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team is set to host the University of Central Oklahoma in a first round series of the 2023 MIAA Baseball Championship presented by Mammoth Sports Construction May 5-7.
 
The Gorillas and Bronchos will meet in the best two of three games series at 6 p.m. (CDT) Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Al Ortolani Field. A third game, if necessary, would start at Noon Sunday.
 
Single day walk-up tickets for the quarterfinal round series are $10 (children 4 & under are free). Gates open and tickets are available for purchase one hour prior to first pitch each day.
 
Pitt State, the tournament's No. 4 seed, wrapped up the regular season with a 31-17 overall record and a 21-12 mark in MIAA play. The Gorillas finished in a tie for third place in the conference standings with Washburn University (29-20, 21-12 MIAA). Fifth-seeded UCO enters the series 31-17 overall and 18-15 in the MIAA.
 
This will be the 14th all-time MIAA Tournament appearance for the Gorillas since 1991. Pitt State has compiled a 25-26 record in MIAA Tournament play, capturing the 1999 MIAA Baseball Championship.
 
The Gorillas and Bronchos have met four times previously in MIAA Tournament action with Pitt State posting a 3-1 record against UCO in MIAA postseason play. The two teams most recently met in the 2021 MIAA Tournament with the Gorillas claiming a 2-1 win over the Bronchos on May 21 to advance to the championship game against Central Missouri.

Overall, the Bronchos own a 21-17 advantage in the series. Pitt State took two of three games from UCO earlier this season at Edmond, Okla., with the Gorillas taking a 16-12 win on Mar. 31 and a 9-5 victory on Apr. 2 with a 10-6 loss sandwiched in-between on Apr. 1.
 
For the season, the Gorillas are batting .311 as a team and scoring 8.8 runs per game. Pitt State ranks second in the MIAA in runs scored and fifth in the conference in batting average.
 
Pitt State's pitching staff carries an 6.16 ERA (6th in the MIAA), while registering 439 strikeouts in 410.1 innings of work. The Gorillas fielders sport an MIAA-leading .974 fielding percentage.
 
The opposition is hitting .266 against the Gorillas thus far and scoring 6.6 runs per game. Opponent pitchers have an 8.18 ERA.
 
UCO is hitting .311 as a team and scoring 8.1 runs per game. The Bronchos rank fourth in the MIAA in runs scored and fifth in batting. UCO pitchers carry a 4.61 ERA, second-best in the conference.
 
Junior catcher Nixon Brannon leads the squad with a .396 batting average. He has 19 doubles, 15 home runs and 66 RBI to his credit. Brannan ranks second in the MIAA in RBI, third in doubles, fourth in batting average and seventh in home runs. He currently ranks seventh in D2 in RBI per game (1.47 pg). Brannan set a school record with a 22-game hitting streak between Mar. 14 and Apr. 21.

Junior infielder Cade Clemons is hitting .329 with 47 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs and 46 RBI. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native is third in the MIAA in home runs. He has reached base safely in 40 of the last 42 games.

Junior outfielder Karson Coffee also is batting .349 with 21 doubles (2nd in the MIAA), nine home runs and 43 RBI. Junior infielder Austin Warkins is hitting .393 with a team-leading 52 runs scored, 18 doubles, six home runs and 35 RBI.

Graduate LHP Zac Shoemaker (8-2, 3.76 ERA) and senior LHP Ben Des Rosiers (8-0, 4.04 ERA) are expected to make starts on the mound this weekend with sophomore RHP Tanner Leslie (3-3, 5.17 ERA) available for the 'if necessary' game Sunday.

Shoemaker and Des Rosiers are tied for second in the MIAA and tied for 19th place in Division II in victories. Shoemaker also ranks 16th nationally in strikeouts (12.63 K/9 IP).
 
The series winner will advance to the MIAA Baseball Championship semifinal round at Warrensburg, Mo., May 11-14.
 
Other quarterfinal series match-ups has MIAA regular season champion Central Missouri (36-13, 27-6) hosting No. 8 seed Rogers State (26-20, 14-19), No. 2 seed Missouri Southern (38-12, 25-8) hosting No. 7 seed Newman (22-28, 14-19) and No. 3 seed Washburn (29-20, 21-12) hosting No. 6 seed Northeastern State (22-25, 15-18).