Gorillas to Face Hillcats in MIAA Weekend Series

PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team will travel to Claremore, Okla., to begin a three-game MIAA series against Rogers State University. The Gorillas and Hillcats will meet at 2 p.m. (CST) Saturday (Mar. 9) at Falley Field and then face off at 1 p.m. Sunday (Mar. 10) and Noon Monday (Mar. 11). The series originally was scheduled to begin Friday but it has been pushed back a day due to widespread rain showers across the Midwest. The Gorillas will bring a 13-5 overall record (4-2 MIAA) into Saturday's action. Pitt State swept a three-game MIAA series against Northwest Missouri State University last weekend. The Gorillas outscored the Bearcats 34-13 in the series. RSU is 13-4 overall (5-1 MIAA) after taking two of three games in a home series against Fort Hays State University last weekend. As a team, Pitt State is hitting .333 and scoring 9.2 runs per game. The Gorillas have smacked 50 doubles and 33 home runs and stolen 33 bases to date. Pitt State pitchers have a 4.55 ERA registering 134 strikeouts in 148.1 innings pitched. Defensively, the Gorillas have a .976 fielding percentage with just 15 errors in 623 total chances. Junior infielder Blake Mozley has a team-leading .410 batting average with 16 hits in 39 at-bats on the young season. Mozley, who ranks 11th in the MIAA in batting average, has three doubles and a home run to his credit. Junior infielder Austin Warkins is hitting .357 with five doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI, while junior outfielder Karson Coffee is batting .303 with a team-leading 20 runs scored, seven home runs and 27 RBI. Coffee's home run total is tied (with three others) for second place in the MIAA and he ranks fifth in the league in RBI. Senior catcher Nixon Brannan is coming off a hot series against NWMSU in which he hit .600 (6-10) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. For the season, Brannan is hitting .356 with six doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. Junior right-hander Tanner Leslie (3-0, 6.14 ERA), graduate RHP Alex Kafka (2-1, 3.42 ERA) and junior RHP Brady Pacha (1-2, 5.14 ERA) are slated to start on the mound for the Gorillas in the series. Junior RHP Cole Askew (0-0, 3.52 ERA) has made a team-leading eight relief appearances for the Gorillas, while junior RHP Cadyn Castellanos (2-1, 5.40 ERA) has appeared in seven games. Junior RHP Boston Dowd (2-0, 0.00) also had made five relief appearances with 11 strikeouts and a 0.30 WHIP in 10.0 innings of work.

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