PITTSBURGH -- Point Park baseball will host California University (PA) on Thursday for a mid-week matchup at PNC Park. First pitch is at noon, and the doors will open at 11 a.m. More information can be found here.

The Pioneers (19-10, 11-5 MEC) took three of their series over Fairmont State last weekend, winning the final three games. Blake Ewing hit two home runs on Monday, including a walk-off solo shot in extra innings in game one. Ewing followed it up with a three-run blast in the first inning in game two. 

Thursday's game will be Point Park's first game in Pittsburgh this season. The Pioneers have played home games at EQT Park in Washington, Pa., due to ongoing drainage issues at Point Park Field. The Pioneers bested Cal U 5-0 on Mar. 25 at EQT Park. Olindo Pezzone homered, and Chris Williams, Luis Gonzalez and Felix Gonzalez all doubled as six Pioneer pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout. 

Cal U (17-11, 7-5 PSAC) enters on a four-game losing skid after being swept by Gannon in back-to-back doubleheaders. The Vulcans had won eight of their last 10, including five in a row, before the streak began. 

MEC WEEKLY HONORS    

• Olindo Pezzone - MEC Player of the Week, Mar. 9

• Ramon Rodriguez - MEC Pitcher of the Week, Mar. 9

• Harold Boyce - MEC Pitcher of the Week, Mar. 16

  • Named NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week

• Blake Ewing - MEC Player of the Week, Mar. 23

  • Named NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week

STORYLINES

• Olindo Pezzone leads the team with his 1.243 OPS and .373 batting average, which rank second and ninth in the MEC respectively. Pezzone is tied with Blake Ewing for the home-run lead in the MEC (11). Pezzone leads the team with 33 RBIs, which is tied for third in the conference.

• Blake Ewing is second on the team in OPS (1.177), RBIs (24) and total bases (57). Ewing is eighth in the MEC in RBIS and ninth in the conference in total bases. 

• Point Park features eight players with double-digit RBIs: Pezzone (33), Ewing (24), Felix Rodriguez (18), Felix Gonzalez (17), Trevor Jones (16), Luis Gonzalez (12), Sebastian Hernandez (11) and Carlos de la Vega (11). Point Park has the most players with 10+ RBIs in the MEC.

• Ramon Rodriguez is second on the team with 36.0 innings pitched. Rodriguez leads the team with 36 strikeouts and leads qualified Pioneers in ERA (2.50) and WHIP (1.08). Rodriguez ranks fourth in the MEC in ERA and eighth in strikeouts.

• Harold "Shaggy" Boyce threw Point Park's first no-hitter since 2018 on Mar. 13. Boyce became the first Pioneer to be named NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 19. He has a WHIP of 1.46 over his 33.2 innings pitched. 

• Ethan Parker's ERA of 3.32 and WHIP of 1.20 are second-best on the team among qualified pitchers. Parker is 1-1 with six saves on the year and has pitched a team-high 40.2 innings. Parker picked up two saves over the weekend against Fairmont State. 

UP NEXT

Point Park visits West Liberty for four games over the weekend. The Pioneers and Hilltoppers will play doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday in West Liberty, W.Va., with both days beginning at 1 p.m.