PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team is set to host Rogers State University in a first round series of the 2024 MIAA Baseball Championship May 3-5.
 
The Gorillas and Hillcats 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. 3 seed, wrapped up the regular season with a 32-16 overall record and a 22-11 mark in MIAA play. The Gorillas finished in a tie for third place in the conference standings with the University of Central Oklahoma (36-12, 22-11 MIAA) and earned the tiebreaker over the Bronchos. Sixth-seeded RSU enters the series 24-23 overall and 14-19 in the MIAA.
 
This will be the 15th all-time MIAA Tournament appearance for the Gorillas since 1991. Pitt State has compiled a 27-29 record in MIAA Tournament play, capturing the 1999 MIAA Baseball Championship.
 
The Gorillas and Hillcats have met once previously in MIAA Tournament action with Pitt State posting a 7-6 win over RSU in the 2021 MIAA Tournament at Joplin, Mo.

Overall, the Gorillas own an 11-8 advantage in the series. Pitt State swept a three-game series from RSU earlier this season at Claremore, Okla., with the Gorillas taking 12-0, 3-2 and 11-0 wins Mar. 9-11.
 
For the season, the Gorillas are batting .305 as a team and scoring 8.5 runs per game. Pitt State ranks fourth in the MIAA in runs scored and batting average.
 
Pitt State's pitching staff carries an 5.31 ERA (3rd in the MIAA), while registering 352 strikeouts in 403.1 innings of work. The Gorillas fielders sport a .978 fielding percentage (2nd in the MIAA).
 
The opposition is hitting .262 against the Gorillas thus far and scoring 5.4 runs per game. Opponent pitchers have an 8.04 ERA.
 
RSU is hitting .280 as a team and scoring 6.4 runs per game. The Hillcats rank ninth in batting and 11th in the MIAA in runs score. RSU pitchers carry a 6.39 ERA (fifth in the MIAA).
 
Graduate infielder Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo has a team-leading .400 batting average with 70 hits in 175 at-bats on the season. Choy Foo, who ranks second in the MIAA in batting average, has 18 doubles, 10 home runs home runs and 56 RBI to his credit. He ranks fifth in the conference in doubles and RBI.

Senior outfielder Blake Mozley also is hitting .369 (52-141) on the year with 14 doubles, five home runs and 34 RBI. Mozley shared MIAA Hitter of the Week honors on Apr. 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.

Senior catcher Nixon Brannan is hitting .346 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 45 RBI on the season, while senior infielder Daegan Brady is batting .312 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBI. Junior outfielder Josh Holmes is hitting .324 with 48 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. Brannan is third in the MIAA in home runs while Holmes ranks fourth in the league in stolen bases.

Junior right-hander Tanner Leslie (9-2, 5.65 ERA), junior RHP Gage Singer (1-1, 1.93 ERA) and junior RHP Brady Pacha (3-4, 5.91 ERA) are expected to make starts on the mound for the Gorillas.

Junior RHP Cole Askew (1-0, 4.76 ERA, 5 Saves) has made a team-leading 20 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, 3.45, 1 Save) also had made 18 relief appearances with 28 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work.
 
The series winner will advance to the MIAA Baseball Championship semifinal round at Al Ortolani Field, May 9-12.
 
Other quarterfinal series match-ups has MIAA regular season champion Central Missouri (43-6, 29-4) hosting No. 8 seed Fort Hays State (25-24, 12-21), No. 2 seed Missouri Southern (37-13, 24-9) hosting No. 7 seed Northwest Missouri (21-28, 12-21) and No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma (36-12, 22-11) hosting No. 5 seed Washburn (29-19, 21-12).