No. 17 WVU Baseball (22-7, 8-4) is a tough team to beat at home, touting a 9-3 record at Kendrick Family Ballpark thus far in 2026. I dove into the attendance numbers to follow up on past questions I posed before the season to see if the Mountaineer faithful are showing out. Read more: Midpoint WVU Baseball attendance check reveals impressive crowd average.Â
Spoiler alert: fans are supporting this team.
On pace
Through 12 home games this season, WVU has brought in 32,139 fans (2,679 average per game). Compare that statistic to this past season, a campaign which shattered program attendance records, when the Mountaineers drew 33,903 through the first 12 games (2,826 average).
Related: WVU turns focus to Texas Tech, tough road challenge
Keep in mind the final game of the first 12 games in 2025 was the Backyard Brawl, an evening where WVU broke the single-game attendance record of 4,629. The abnormal Pitt number skews the average quite a bit.
Remove the outlier and compare the first 11 games of 2026 and 2025, and we have a surprising result. Let’s do the math, just for fun.
Through the first 11 games, the 2026 average was 2,705 (29,753 overall). In 2025, the average through 11 would be 2,662 (29,274 overall).
How do you like them apples?
Reflecting on preseason predictions
I wrote a column before the season breaking down games which had a chance to break the single-game attendance record. I predicted rivals Marshall, Penn State, and Pitt as likely candidates to do the trick.
We now know how two of those panned out.
Related: Can WVU Baseball break the program attendance record in 2026?
Pesky Mother Nature canceled the Penn State contest, and the 12-2 drubbing of Marshall drew in 3,312 (third largest crowd thus far). The first two games of the UCF series brought in more folks, respectively.
All eyes across a particular I-79 corridor will be on Morgantown come April 21 when the Panthers roll into town.
Looking ahead
What’s promising about the remainder of the home schedule is the yet-to-be-played Backyard Brawl, which will have fans pouring into walkways if the weather is even remotely fair. That will be the top attendance booster, barring a poor forecast.
Senior weekend against TCU will draw in the Mountaineer faithful, with family and friends coming into town. It may also serve as a critical weekend for Big 12 tournament seeding, and a possible regular season title if they’re lucky. Keep in mind that students are on their way out of town around the time of the regular season finale.
To break the program record for season attendance, WVU needs to surpass the 77,877 threshold. With 10 home games to go, the Mountaineers need to see 46,638 fans pour in to tie the record, and one more to break it.
That means an average of 4,664 needs to happen. It’s a tall task, but losing three home games to outside circumstances this season doesn’t help. Barring any cancellations, the 2026 campaign will finish with 22 home games, compared to 24 in 2025.
That makes a difference.
The final push
WVU finishes its home slate with a series against Houston, the one-off rivalry game against Pitt, and two conference series (Kansas State, TCU).
You can listen to every game on 100.9 FM The Torch or any of its nine affiliate stations across the John Fredericks Media Network.
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