No. 9 WVU Baseball (35-12, 19-8) closes out the regular season at home Thursday-Saturday against TCU (32-18, 16-11). The Mountaineers enter the weekend trailing No. 14 Kansas by one game in the Big 12 Conference ranks. Read more: No. 9 WVU faces TCU with regular season title still in view.
The series, like all others around the NCAA, runs Thursday-Saturday instead of Friday-Sunday. This is typical for the final weekend of the regular season.
Related: From Volunteer to Mountaineer: Matt Wells on the rise of WVU Baseball
The Horned Frogs have had WVU’s number for well over a decade now, dominating the series dating back to 2013.
Where the Mountaineers stand
WVU made its way into the top 10 with a convincing road sweep over then-No. 7 Kansas, outscoring the Jayhawks 22-5 across three games. Thirteen of the 22 runs came in Sunday’s finale, when the Mountaineers secured a 13-2 victory.
Maxx Yehl and Gavin Kelly led the charge once more on both sides of the game, while guys like Tyrus Hall received high praise from the coaching staff.
Head coach Steve Sabins even went on to say Hall is the best third baseman he’s ever coached when speaking to media this week.
It took a whole team effort, but sights are set for WVU to make a run for a second straight regular season title. Clinching scenarios are listed in the related article below.
Related: Mountaineers crack top 10, set sights on Big 12 title
The team standing in the way at Kendrick Family Ballpark this weekend is an underrated TCU squad. The Horned Frogs have hit bumps in the road in conference play, mounting 11 losses. Despite the rough patches, they are still a 30+ win team.
About the opponent
TCU has served as a mainstay among the NCAA’s elite programs for more than 30 years.
The Horned Frogs boast six College World Series berths, all coming since 2010. That includes four consecutive between 2014-2017. They have yet to win the whole thing, but an impressive feat nonetheless.
TCU has appeared in 20 NCAA Tournaments and won 10 conference tournament championships (four in the Big 12).
Simply put, it is a program with success behind it.
This year’s team is headed up offensively by the efficient Cole Cramer (.322), as well as two sluggers. Sawyer Strosnider (13) and Chase Brunson (10) are responsible for 36% of TCU’s 64 home runs.
Nolan Traeger also stepped up in conference play, with the sophomore Texan batting .316 against Big 12 teams.
On the pitching side, Zack James is a true ace. His 3.49 ERA is overshadowed by a perfect 6-0 record. Lance Davis is 4-3 through 13 starts, throwing the most innings (71) of anyone on the staff.
The main bullpen threat is Tanner Sagouspe, who holds a 1.69 ERA with a team-leading five saves. Sagouspe is 2-2, but is a nasty relief arm.
Overall, it is a squad that can challenge WVU, hoping to take advantage of an extremely confident Mountaineer crew coming off the biggest week of its season.
Related: Action at Kendrick Family Ballpark doesn’t end with Senior Day
The biggest one-up WVU has on the Horned Frogs is home field advantage. The Mountaineers are 14-5 in Morgantown, while TCU is 7-11 in true road games this season.
Tune in
It all comes down to Thursday-Saturday, capped off by Senior Day in the finale. First pitch times for the marquee matchup at Kendrick Family Ballpark are listed here;
- Thursday 6:30 p.m.
- Friday 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday 1 p.m.
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