April 20, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior Eric Maust was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on Monday. The right-handed hurler threw a complete game shutout, the first of his career, as the Irish blanked BIG EAST leader West Virginia, 3-0, to secure a doubleheader sweep at Eck Stadium on April 18.
Maust was the first pitcher to throw a complete game shutout of West Virginia since May 11, 2007. The outing was even more impressive when you consider he spent the earlier part of the afternoon playing for the Irish in the Blue-Gold spring football game. Maust punted five times for 187 yards (including two inside the 20 yard line).
He improved to 5-2 on the season with his third consecutive victory. Maust allowed just five hits (all singles over the first four innings) and one walk, striking out two in a 114-pitch effort. He did not allow more than one base runner in any inning, and no West Virginia runner advanced past second base in the game.
The shutout lowered Maust’s season ERA from 5.40 to 4.55. West Virginia, who entered the game batting .368 (third best in the nation) and scoring 10.2 runs per game, was shutout for the first time this season and recorded a season-low five hits. Their previous low hit total had been eight versus Siena on March 14. The last team to shutout the Mountaineers was Connecticut on May 13, 2007, a span of 94 games.
Notre Dame returns to action on Tuesday and Wednesday night with a home-and-home series against rival Michigan. First pitch at Wilpon Baseball Complex in Ann Arbor is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday and 6:05 p.m. at Frank Eck Stadium on Wednesday.
— ND —