PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team will play host to MIAA rival Fort Hays State University in the regular season's final weekend series beginning Friday (Apr. 26).

The Gorillas and Tigers will meet at 6 p.m. (CDT) Friday at Al Ortolani Field with additional games scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday (Apr. 27) and Noon Sunday (Apr. 28). Saturday's contest will include a pregame recognition of Pitt State's 1999 MIAA Championship squad, while this year's outgoing seniors will be honored during Senior Day pregame activities Sunday.

Pitt State is 30-15 overall and 20-10 in MIAA play heading into the series. The Gorillas currently sit in a tie for third place in the conference standings (with Central Oklahoma). FHSU is 24-22 overall (11-19 MIAA) and sitting in a three-way tie for seventh place in the MIAA standings (with Northeastern State and Northwest Missouri).

The Gorillas swept a three-game MIAA series from Newman University last weekend at Wichita. The Tigers took two of three games from Emporia State University last weekend before dropping a 10-4 decision to William Jewell at Liberty, Mo., Tuesday (Apr. 23).

As a team, Pitt State is hitting .304 and scoring 8.4 runs per game. The Gorillas have smacked 111 doubles and 72 home runs and stolen 58 bases to date. Pitt State pitchers have a 5.09 ERA registering 326 strikeouts in 378.1 innings pitched. Defensively, the Gorillas have a .978 fielding percentage with just 35 errors in 1,567 total chances. Pitt State ranks second in the MIAA in fielding percentage, third in the conference in ERA and fourth in the league in batting average and runs scored.
 
Graduate infielder Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo has a team-leading .387 batting average with 63 hits in 163 at-bats on the season. Choy Foo, who ranks fifth in the MIAA in batting average, has 17 doubles, eight home runs home runs and 49 RBI to his credit.

Senior outfielder Blake Mozley also is hitting .372 (48-129) on the year with 13 doubles, five home runs and 34 RBI. Mozley shared MIAA Hitter of the Week honors on April 15 after batting .588 with five extra-base hits and eight RBI the previous week. He currently ranks 12th in the MIAA in batting average.

Junior catcher Nixon Brannan is hitting .347 with 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 37 RBI on the season, while senior infielder Daegan Brady is batting .328 with seven doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBI. Junior outfielder Josh Holmes is hitting .316 with 42 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. Holmes ranks fourth in the MIAA in stolen bases.

Junior right-hander Tanner Leslie (9-2, 4.87 ERA), junior RHP Gage Singer (0-1, 1.64 ERA) and junior RHP Brady Pacha (3-4, 5.12 ERA) are expected to make starts on the mound for the Gorillas.

Junior RHP Cole Askew (0-0, 5.23 ERA, 5 Saves) has made a team-leading 19 relief appearances for the Gorillas, while junior RHP Cadyn Castellanos (5-2, 4.28 ERA) has appeared in 17 games. Junior RHP Boston Dowd (4-1, 2.54, 1 Save) also had made 17 relief appearances with 27 strikeouts in 28.1 innings of work.