The word brawl is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as a “noisy and violent fight, typically involving a group of people in a public place”. That is exactly what the Backyard Brawl brings to the table: two fanbases who hate runs to the bone, only separated by 76 miles which brings a burning passion to each sport these two teams play.
The No 12 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (27-9) look to avenge last year's loss after losing to the University of Pittsburgh 9-10 in Pittsburgh. With West Virginia ranked no.15 and looking to continue their climb up the country, meanwhile the Panthers (24-14) look to pull off the upset win and stun their rivals once again.
The Mountaineers come in the lead by their pitching with a team ERA of 3.99 good for 25th in the country. West Virginia is led by star Sophomore catcher Gavin Kelly who leads the team in BA .391, OPS 1.127, HR 5, RBI 34.
The Pittsburgh Panthers come into this rivalry game needing a win after going 4- 7 since beating Mercyhurst 27-3. The Panthers come in leading by their explosive at-bats ranking near the top of the country in home runs with 77. Pittsburgh is led by Redshirt Senior Lorenzo Carrier who leads the team in BA .378, OPS 1.350, HR 14 and RBI with 55.
Both teams come in two opposite styles of play. West Virginia comes in with strong pitching and aggressive baserunning, while the Panthers come in with an offense that could give any pitcher a headache.
Pitching Matchup is TBD
This will be the 52nd meeting between these two teams since 2000 with West Virginia having Pittsburgh's number( 30-21) and winning 8 out of their last 10 meetings.
Sports Director Quinn Robie will be on play-by-play, while Connor Roberts and Brayden Laslo will both be in the booth on color for live coverage of the game. Chelsea Mariani will be making her debut as the lead sideline reporter giving you insight throughout the game. RJ Rice will serve as the game's board operator and host alongside Kameron Tomasetti, Nate Skinner, and Aaron Pepling giving you the pre- and post-game show.
Coverage will begin at 6pm, where the broadcasts can be heard locally on 91.7 FM in the Morgantown area, online at U92TheMoose.com, on the TuneIn app, and through Alexa-enabled devices at home.