Morgantown is hosting Kentucky, Wake Forest, and Binghamton for NCAA Regional action. West Virginia takes on Binghamton in its first game, a team it has never faced in program history. The Mountaineers have faced the other two teams before, with a couple of meetings coming last postseason. There is some familiarity with these teams, however, and we can see how they matchup. Read more: Morgantown Regional action between familiar opponents.
Kentucky and Wake Forest
The Wildcats have the most recent history with the Mountaineers. They played twice in the 2025 Clemson Regional. WVU won both meetings, including the final game to secure a Super Regional berth. The Mountaineers won 13-12 after trailing 12-7 going into the eighth inning. They also squared off in 2023, and Kentucky ended WVU’s season with a 10-0 victory in an elimination game. Maxx Yehl, then a freshman, threw 1.1 scoreless innings against the Wildcats.
There is some familiarity between Wake Forest, Kentucky, and WVU.
“We get to add a little bit of flair because this Fall, we actually played Kentucky and Wake Forest in fall competitions,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins said. “They’re great opponents, and it’s relatively regional.”
WVU got to play Kentucky and Wake Forest several months ago as all the teams were trying to figure out who would contribute as pitchers and in the lineup. These teams have taken live at-bats against each other, so there is some familiarity between them.
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Wake Forest and Kentucky have some history against each other, but it dates back to 1949 and 1950. Wake Forest and WVU have more recent history. They played twice in the 2017 NCAA Winston-Salem Regional. The Demon Deacons won both games, eliminating the Mountaineers with victories of 4-3 and 12-8.
Binghamton
The Mountaineers and the Bearcats have never faced each other, but that changes on Friday. Binghamton is located in New York, near the Pennsylvania border. It is roughly a six-hour drive from Binghamton to Morgantown. Head coach Tim Sinicki has been at the helm since the start of the 1993 season. He has led them to an NCAA Regional seven times since 2009.
Related: Morgantown set to host Kentucky, Wake Forest, and Binghamton
The Bearcats do not hit for power, with only 48 home runs, ranking them 182nd in the nation. They rank 208th in batting average, with a combined team average of .269. The Mountaineers hit for an average of .303 as a team, but have six fewer home runs than the Bearcats.
The real difference comes in the pitching. WVU ranks ninth in the nation with a combined ERA of 3.82. They have faced some of the best competition in the country, while Binghamton has not. The Bearcats have a team ERA of 6.18, which ranks 175th in the nation. WVU’s bats should get hot in the first game, which could give them confidence in the later stages of the Regional.
Looking ahead
The bracket is double elimination style, so each team can lose one game and still have a chance. The winners of the first two games on Friday will play each other on Saturday, and the losers will face off in an elimination game. The winner of the winner’s bracket matchup advances to the finals and will have two chances to beat the loser’s bracket game winner.
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