No. 15 WVU Baseball (25-8, 10-5), fresh off a regional rivalry win against Penn State on neutral grounds, moves on to prepare for the Houston Cougars (16-19, 3-12). UH comes to Morgantown to grace the confines of Kendrick Family Ballpark for the first time, hoping to end a four-game skid. Read more: No. 15 WVU Baseball to defend home turf against struggling Houston squad.
The Mountaineers and Cougars faced off the for the first time this past April, with WVU sweeping the series. The old gold and blue more than doubled up its opponent, outscoring Houston 29-14 across three games.
Where the Mountaineers stand
WVU holds tight to second place in the Big 12 standings as of Thursday, with UCF immediately behind in third. Houston sits in dead last with a 3-12 record in conference play, negating early-season successes.
Kansas has managed to gain a two-game buffer over the Mountaineers for the top spot, but good fortunes over the weekend may shake up the ranks.
WVU’s most recent win came by way of a first-inning, two-strike home run from Paul Schoenfeld, followed by two runs in the third. Those two runs broke the Mountaineers free from a 1-1 tie, doing enough damage to fend off the Nittany Lions.
Related: Mountaineers hold off Nittany Lions, 3-1
West Virginia returns to its home, where it holds a 9-3 record in 2026. Expect another solid crowd of Mountaineer faithful chomping at the bit to hear the musket fire and a “Take Me Home, Country Roads” sing-along.
The team’s next obstacle comes in the form of a Houston squad that simply lost steam when the competition ramped up.
About the opponent
Despite recent struggles, Houston has a long history of success.
Since its 1947 founding, UH Baseball touts two College World Series appearances and four regional titles across 22 total NCAA Tournament berths.
Eight conference tournament titles and 11 regular season championships round out the program’s postseason accolades.
The Cougars are led by head coach Todd Whitting, now in his 16th year at the helm. Since taking over, Houston is 490-382-1.
Whitting’s 2026 squad is fronted offensively by Tyler Cox (.319) and Xavier Perez (.311), the only two Cougars currently batting +.300. Cox brings consistency to the lineup, while Perez brings the power (team leader with nine home runs).
On the pitching side, no arm on the staff with more than two starts in 2026 has a sub-4.6 ERA.
Houston’s top threat on the mound is Ryne Rodriguez, coming out of the bullpen. All 14 of Rodriguez’s appearances have been in relief, and he has nabbed one win and three saves.
The Cougars are facing the woes of a long-distance trip, a raucous Kendrick Family Ballpark crowd, and the weight of a four-game losing streak. Odds are stacked against UH, but expect the last-place team to give its best effort in hopes of at least one upset win.
Tune in
Scheduled first pitch times are as follows;
- Friday 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday 4 p.m.
- Sunday 1 p.m.
Morgantown forecasts are favorable for Friday, with mid-70s temps expected in the early innings. Saturday’s game is the most likely to be moved earlier due to an increasing chance for rainstorms in the late afternoon and early evening. Sunday is shaping up to be much cooler, but rain is expected to be light.
Related: WVU Women’s Basketball transfer portal update
If you are not making the trip to Kendrick Family Ballpark this weekend, there are other ways to take in the action.
Tune in to 100.9 FM The Torch or any of its nine affiliate stations across the John Fredericks Media Network for play-by-play coverage of WVU Baseball. ESPN+ carries the TV broadcast throughout the series.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
