West Virginia opens Big East Conference play with weekend series vs. UConn

The defending Big East Conference champions are coming to Morgantown this weekend. 

West Virginia (11-12) will host Connecticut (7-11) for a three-game series in what will be the Big East opener for both squads.

The Huskies dominated in Big East play last season, going 22-5 thanks to a league-leading .314 team batting average and a team ERA of 2.28.

This year, however, the tides have turned as UConn will begin its conference slate with the lowest win percentage of any Big East ball club.

"Anytime you play an in-conference game, it’s going be fun," said redshirt sophomore first baseman Matt Frazer. "We’re just going to come out here and play as hard as we can. We have a great Friday night guy, we have great starting pitchers. It’s just going to be fun."

WVU and UConn have already crossed paths twice this season, both participating in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in Florida and the Nike Showcase in Oregon.

The Huskies topped Indiana in their opener in Florida, before falling to Purdue and Ohio State.

Then, while the Mountaineers struggled and dropped four games at the Nike Showcase, UConn was able to earn wins over two ranked opponents in Oklahoma and Oregon State.

Recently, UConn ended a four-game losing streak by emerging victorious in its home opener against Yale.

The Huskies have been paced at the plate this season by a trio of infielders.

Senior first baseman Ryan Fuller has registered a .351 average with five doubles, two triples, while drawing 13 walks.

Junior second baseman LJ Mazzilli has used five home runs for a .333 average and a team-high .652 slugging percentage.

Finally a true freshman, shortstop Tom Verdi, leads the Huskies with 15 RBIs while hitting .323.

WVU leads the all-time series 23-22, but UConn came out on top in the last series between the teams.

In 2010, the Huskies swept the Mountaineers in three-straight games in Morgantown, outscoring them 32-10.

Sophomore right-hander Corey Walter will be making his sixth appearance on the mound for WVU Friday.

The Wheeling, W.Va., native is 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in five starts for the Mountaineers on the season.

"I love playing behind Corey," said sophomore first baseman Ryan McBroom. "He’s a great pitcher, and he always throws strikes, and that’s what you look for."

West Virginia will enter the weekend series after a doubleheader split with Akron.

Lately, the Mountaineer offense has been coming to life, manufacturing 31 runs in the last four games, before mustering only seven in the previous seven games.

"Conference play is always a big time," McBroom said. "Our pitching has been consistent, which is good, so if we come out and score a lot of runs, there’s a good chance we can win the ballgame."