The Big 12 released the Mountaineers’ official conference schedule, but the team will look very different when they take the field. After a historic College World Series run, WVU is looking to build on that season and become a perennial contender. Between the MLB Draft, the transfer portal, and a wave of new additions, more than 20 new Mountaineers will wear the uniform in 2027. Read more: A deeper look into WVU Baseball’s 2027 Big 12 schedule.
The exodus: WVU’s draft class
Nine Mountaineers either got drafted or signed professional deals this summer:
- Dawson Montesa – 2nd round, St. Louis Cardinals
- Maxx Yehl – 3rd round, Kansas City Royals
- Owen Henne – 6th round, St. Louis Cardinals (transfer portal player who signed before taking the field at WVU)
- Paul Schoenfeld – 8th round, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Ian Korn – 10th round, San Francisco Giants
- Reese Bassinger – undrafted free agent, Toronto Blue Jays
- Carson Estridge – undrafted free agent, Houston Astros
- Brodie Kresser – signed with the independent Sioux City Explorers
Steve Sabins is building a program that young players are seeking out. This many players moving to the professional ranks is a direct result of the developmental reputation the program has built. It is also why players keep coming back even when they could leave early.
The new-look roster
23 new Mountaineers are joining the program in 2027. 15 via the transfer portal, and eight freshmen signed to play in Morgantown. Although the team is returning several key contributors with Omaha experience, WVU is losing over 70% of innings thrown and players all over the field. It is not uncommon for a team with massive success to experience roster turnover, so the Mountaineers have some work to do in 2027.
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Armani Guzman, Gavin Kelly, Matt Ineich, and Chansen Cole are among the key players returning. Cole pitched the most innings (99.2) last season, but the next five on that list signed to play professionally. David Hagen is the next returning pitcher on that list with 31 innings pitched, so they will have to rely on different arms in 2027.
The front half of the 2027 Big 12 schedule
The Mountaineers play 10, three-game series against Big 12 opponents from March through May. Every early series doubles as a proving ground for a team that will look vastly different than last season.
West Virginia opens conference play on the road at Houston’s Schroeder Park. The Mountaineers beat Houston in two of three games in Morgantown last season. It may be a tougher environment in 2027 with some new faces. The first Big 12 home series is against Kansas, beginning on March 25. WVU swept Kansas in May 2026, but lost to them in the Big 12 Baseball Tournament championship. They also narrowly lost the regular-season Big 12 title to the Jayhawks. This series is a real measuring stick of what this 2027 roster can handle.
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The following weekend sends WVU to Orlando for a series against UCF at John Euliano Park, before the Mountaineers return home for back-to-back series. The first is against Arizona State, beginning on April 9. It is the first time the Sun Devils make the trip to Morgantown, giving fans their first look at a new Big 12 opponent. The second is against Baylor, beginning on April 16. WVU won two of three games against the Bears in its opening 2026 Big 12 series.
The back half of the 2027 Big 12 schedule
West Virginia travels to Provo, Utah, the following week to face BYU in a Thursday-through-Saturday series. Then they return home to host Cincinnati before a road trip to Tucson, Arizona. WVU played Arizona last season at Hi Corbett Field in a midweek, non-conference matchup scheduled before WVU joined the Big 12.
The Mountaineers close out their home slate against Oklahoma State before finishing the regular season on the road against TCU, May 20-22. WVU closed out the 2026 regular season against TCU at home in 2026, winning two of three games. They now travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for the final conference series of the season, which could decide the regular-season winner.
Notably, WVU does not play Kansas State, Texas Tech, or Utah in conference play this season. The Big 12 Tournament follows, running May 25-29 in Surprise, Arizona. 2027 is a true test of whether the program Sabins built is sustainable even after losing several key players from 2026.
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