MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Victor Scott robbed Charlotte of a home run on Friday night. Four days later, he knocked a pair of his own over the fence.
WVU finished with 17 runs on 16 hits in its win over Canisius Tuesday. Scott was responsible for seven of those runs batted in, including two home runs.
“What worked is sticking to the approach, knowing which way to go with the ball, and keeping your direction at the plate,” the junior centerfielder said. “That would be the main thing.”
He lifted the Mountaineers to a 4-0 lead with a sac fly in the third inning. In the sixth, he smashed a two-run homer to put his team up 11-3, and he capped his night at the plate with a grand slam in the seventh.
Scott couldn’t have scripted a more perfect home-opener.
“It feels good,” he said of the team’s return to Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark. “I kind of had those pregame jitters, although it was our eighth game. Just seeing all the Mountaineer fans and kind of being able to interact with them from afar was pretty cool.”
Scott certainly didn’t play like he had the jitters. He had loaded the stat sheet in the home opener with two hits, two home runs, two runs scored and seven RBI, all season-highs, by the time the final out was recorded.
“Victor is such a great athlete and the last couple of years you are waiting for the breakout season. He had a really good summer and is standing in there really good right now,” head coach Randy Mazey said. “Hopefully, this is going to be his breakout year. He’s standing in there with a lot of confidence and he’s pretty tough to pitch to right now.”
In 26 at-bats, Scott leads the team with 16 RBI, is tied for the team lead in home runs with three, and is second in hits with 12. He has driven in at least one run in seven of the team’s eight games.
As the skipper said, Scott is tough to pitch to, but that isn’t the only area in which he is a threat. He is also known for his plays in centerfield and his prowess on the base paths. He’s stolen a team-high six bases on seven attempts.
Scott has also won three-consecutive Iron Mountaineer Awards, which are awarded to student-athletes for success with the team’s strength and conditioning program.
“Victor has won it three straight years because he’s the fastest, strongest athlete we’ve got,” Mazey said. “He’s got a tremendous work ethic. When you get a kid that is that athletic with that kind of work ethic, it’s always going to work out. Fortunately, he is starting off pretty hot this year.”
Scott credits his teammates and strength and conditioning coach Nolan Harvath for always pushing him in the weight room.
He and the Mountaineers return to action this weekend as they head to Minneapolis for the Cambria College Classic. They’ll face a trio of teams from the Big Ten, with the action starting Friday at 8 p.m. against Minnesota.