Baseball 3/21/2024 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

No. 25 Bronchos Visit Pitt State

Central Oklahoma Opens Three-Game MIAA Series Friday Night

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State are set to play a three-game MIAA series this weekend, beginning Friday at 5 p.m. at Al Ortolani Field.

The teams will also play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is 22-5 this season and has a 9-4 record in the MIAA. The Bronchos re-entered the national rankings this week, coming in at No. 25 in the National College Baseball Writers of American weekly poll. UCO is No. 11 in Division II Baseball Magazine's national rankings.

Pittsburg State is 18-8 overall this season and also 9-4 in the MIAA. The two schools are tied for third in the league standings along with Washburn (15-10, 9-4). The Gorillas of Pittsburg, Kansas played four games in Edmond earlier this season, going 3-1 to start the new year at the Edmond First Pitch Classic.

Pitt State dropped its first MIAA series of the year, 2-1, in Topeka against Washburn. The Gorillas then swept Northwest Missouri and Rogers State before taking a midweek against Emporia. PSU dropped its home series to No. 8 Missouri Southern, 2-1, last weekend. Pitt State is also coming off a 12-9 midweek non-conference loss at Oklahoma Baptist earlier this week.

These two schools have an even rivalry since the Bronchos joined the MIAA 12 years ago. Pitt won last year's regular season series 2-1 in Edmond, and then won the MIAA Baseball Championship First Round Series, 2-1, in Pittsburg, ending UCO's 2023 season.

The Bronchos won the 2022 regular season series 2-1 in Pittsburg. The Bronchos won the 2021 regular season series 2-1, and won another game against Pitt in the MIAA Baseball Championship semifinals. UCO also won 4 of 5 in 2019.

Central Oklahoma takes a seven-game win streak to Pittsburg. The Bronchos swept its MIAA series against Newman before taking a midweek against Northeastern State. UCO then swept its MIAA series with Fort Hays State this past weekend. The Bronchos dropped their first two MIAA series of the year, 2-1, to both No. 2 Central Missouri and Missouri Western.

Central Oklahoma also takes the MIAA's top-rated pitching staff to Pittsburg this weekend. UCO has a 3.71 team earned run average, nearly a full point better than second-place Pitt State. The Gorillas boast a 4.47 ERA heading into this weekend's series.

UCO has allowed 97 total runs this season, with 91 of them earned. That 3.5 runs allowed per game has given UCO a chance in almost every game this year. The Bronchos also allow 9.1 hits per game, with opponents hitting .243 against Central.

Pittsburg State does have the second-best pitching staff in the MIAA with opponents hitting .243 against the Gorillas, averaging 4.6 runs per game off 7.6 hits per game.

Pitt also has the third-rated offense in the MIAA with a .314 team batting average. The Gorillas average 8.4 runs per game on 10.6 hits per game. UCO is eighth in the league in team batting average (.289) with 7.4 runs per game on 8.9 hits per game.

UCO's pitching leaders include starters Caleb Burchfield, Brady Gilmore, and Brett Pense, as well as closer Valek Cisneros. Burchfield is 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA and Pense is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Gilmore has come out of the bullpen and served as the Saturday starter. He has a 2.38 ERA in 22 2/3 innings of work.

Cisneros, a senior right-hander that earned All-Region honors a year ago, leads the country with nine saves this season. The towering high velocity thrower has a 5.52 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings of work this season. He has nine saves in 12 appearances with a 1-0 record on the bump.

Austin Burda's 14 appearances leads the team. The junior right-hander has 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Preston Giltner is another regular out of the bullpen with 17 strikeouts. Justin Smith also has a dozen strikeouts.

Carson Carpenter leads UCO's offense into the weekend. The junior outfielder is hitting .356 on the year with 32 hits in 27 games played. Carpenter leads the team in hits, doubles (eight), home runs (eight), triples (two), and RBIs (31). He is second on the team with 27 runs scored.

Ty Hammack and Orlando Gonzalez are both second on the team with 24 hits this season. Hammack leads the team with 28 runs scored in 24 games played. He has five doubles, one homer and one triple. Gonzalez is the only Broncho to play in all 27 games this season. He has six doubles and four home runs to go with one triple.

Cameron Uselton (23) and Kaleb Glass (22) are also team leaders in total hits this season. Uselton has five doubles and three homers, as well as one triple. Glass has just one double but is tied with Carpenter for the team lead with two triples. Glass also has 11 stolen bases on 12 tries and 51 for his career with the Bronchos.

Garrett Long and Justin Santoyo have five doubles each, and Caden Robertson, Wyatt Gray, and Matt Baughn all have four doubles.

Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State play three this weekend. The Bronchos will return to its midweek series with Northeastern State Tuesday in Tahlequah. UCO returns home next weekend with a three-game MIAA series against Emporia State.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Matt Baughn: C; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#32 Caleb Burchfield: P; 6' 3"; Senior; */R

#39 Valek Cisneros: P; 6' 5"; Senior; */R

#1 Kaleb Glass: OF; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#27 Orlando Gonzalez: IF; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#17 Wyatt Gray: C; 6' 1"; Senior; B/R

#12 Brett Pense: P; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; */R

#3 Cameron Uselton: OF; 5' 11"; Senior; R/R

#16 Austin Burda: P; 5' 10"; Junior; */R

#9 Carson Carpenter: OF; 6' 2"; Junior; L/L

Players Mentioned

#21 Matt Baughn
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: C

#32 Caleb Burchfield
: 6' 3"; Senior; */R
: P

#39 Valek Cisneros
: 6' 5"; Senior; */R
: P

#1 Kaleb Glass
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#27 Orlando Gonzalez
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#17 Wyatt Gray
: 6' 1"; Senior; B/R
: C

#12 Brett Pense
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; */R
: P

#3 Cameron Uselton
: 5' 11"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#16 Austin Burda
: 5' 10"; Junior; */R
: P

#9 Carson Carpenter
: 6' 2"; Junior; L/L
: OF