KIAC Baseball Games of the Week: Rio Grande at WVU Tech

4/23/2016 12:00:00 AM

EAST BANK, W.Va. -- WVU Tech hosts the University of Rio Grande for an important, four-game series and the KIAC Baseball Games of the Week on April 23-24. The series begins Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader at Epling Stadium in East Bank, W.Va., and continues Sunday at the same time and place.

WVU Tech (31-12, 18-6 KIAC) enters the weekend in second place in the KIAC standings, and Rio Grande (26-19, 12-8 KIAC) is tied for fourth.

The Golden Bears are within 3.0 games of first place IU Southeast (19-1 KIAC), and Rio Grande and Asbury (12-8 KIAC) are another 4.0 games behind WVU Tech in a tie for fourth.

The four games between the Golden Bears and the RedStorm, which are the top two hitting teams in the conference in terms of team batting average, will play a big role in the final standings. The final weekend of the season is just seven days away.

This weekend concludes the 28-game KIAC schedule for WVU Tech. Rio Grande finishes up next weekend by hosting Ohio Christian.

WVU Tech is the hottest team in the conference with 13 straight wins, including eight straight KIAC victories. That has vaulted the Golden Bears above the 30-win mark and into second place in the KIAC. WVU Tech has swept Asbury and Cincinnati Christian the last two weekends.

Rio Grande is coming off a 2-2 series split in its KIAC matchup last weekend at Point Park. The RedStorm head back out on the road this weekend, where it is 10-12 overall and 4-4 KIAC. Rio Grande had won seven of nine entering the Point Park series.

WVU Tech leads the conference in hitting at .331. Rio Grande is not far behind in second at .327.

The Golden Bears have the edge in pitching and defense and lead the KIAC in team ERA (3.84) and team fielding percentage (.964). Rio Grande is fourth in the conference in both categories with a 4.71 ERA and a .955 fielding percentage.

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