No. 2 seed WVU Baseball (38-13, 21-9) is set to face No. 3 seed Arizona State (37-18, 19-11) in Friday’s Big 12 Baseball Tournament semifinal. The Mountaineers won two of three against the Sun Devils in Tempe, Arizona, at the end of March. This year’s tournament in Surprise is less than an hour away from ASU’s campus, so expect it to be a de facto home game for WVU’s opponent. Read more: No. 2 seed WVU preps for explosive Hairston, Sun Devil offense.Â
Not only is it a high-seeded contest, it is a top 25 contest. WVU sits at No. 9 in the D1 Baseball rankings, with ASU trailing at No. 21.
The biggest matchup to watch for on the diamond is WVU’s Chansen Cole, pitching against Landon Hairston. ASU’s top slugger broke the program record Thursday for most home runs in a season (28). More on that later.
Where the Mountaineers stand
WVU is coming off a complete performance against No. 11 seed Kansas State, knocking the Wildcats out of the tournament. KSU had dealt the Mountaineers the same fate in 2022 and 2024.
It was a 4-2 triumph for the old gold and blue, headlined by an early Gavin Kelly homer. Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Maxx Yehl performed at the top level once more, helping propel the Mountaineers to victory.
Related: Yehl shines as WVU advances to semifinals
The focus turns to Arizona State, a team averaging more than eight runs per game. WVU got the best of the Sun Devils in Game 2 and the rubber match of the regular season series, but the Mountaineers got humbled in the series opener. That is when ASU rattled off 14 runs, clearing WVU by 10.
As always mentioned, the past goes out the door when it is do-or-die time in the conference tournament.
About the opponent
Arizona State is coming off a trouncing win over Cincinnati, 10-2. Like WVU, it was the first game of the week for the third-seeded Sun Devils.
Related: Higher seeds dominate Day 3 of Big 12 Baseball Tournament
Landon Hairston earned the program’s “home run king” title when he blasted a shot in the fourth inning to give his team control.
It was one of three homers for ASU Thursday, accompanied by Dominic Smaldino and Matt Polk. The Sun Devils racked up 12 total hits and capitalized on Cincinnati’s four fielding errors.
Widening the lens beyond Thursday’s victory, ASU is a cornerstone of college baseball. The program boasts five College World Series titles and more than 20 conference tournament championships since its founding in 1959.
Few teams in the past century have the amount of historical success ASU does on the baseball diamond.
The sample size is small in the Big 12 tourney, though. The Sun Devils are 1-1 in the tournament since joining the league prior to the 2025 season. BYU knocked them out this past season before collecting the win over the Bearcats Thursday.
Back to Hairston, he will face WVU’s No. 2 pitcher Chansen Cole. It is not the first time this season, as Cole got the start in the series finale on March 29. The slugger got the best of Cole once in the contest, despite WVU picking up the 9-5 win. A first inning rocket past the outfield gave ASU a 1-0 lead. It did not last.
Watching the pair face off should make for entertaining baseball in the nightcap.
Tune in
A spot in the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament Championship hangs in the balance. Friday’s semifinal also has NCAA Regional hosting stakes, but a shot at the title takes priority.
WVU and Arizona State get a late start, with first pitch scheduled for 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT.
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.
Keep up with staff writer Logan Powell’s on-site coverage from Surprise, Arizona, through wvsportsnation.com or the WV Sports Nation app. Logan also has live score updates available for both semifinal games on X/Twitter at _wvsportsnation.
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