The 2025 season came to an end on June 8 at the intimidating Alex Box Stadium (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It marked the end of the second consecutive season with an NCAA Super Regional appearance. Nearly a year later, the goals and standards remain high as WVU gets to work against Georgia Southern on Friday. Read more: Season preview: WVU Baseball carrying high hopes into 2026.
There are storylines aplenty when it comes to WVU Baseball heading into the 2026 campaign. Pitching snafus, renewed rivalries, and a regular season championship defense are just a select few headlines surrounding the program.
The 54-game schedule poses several challenges and opportunities for the Mountaineers… and it all begins on February 13.
Pitching setback
News broke on Monday that Chase Meyer, the returning standout pitcher, is behind schedule and is not ready to go for opening weekend. Sources close to Meyer confirmed to WV Sports Nation that he suffered a broken finger in early December.
On paper, WVU has several arms ready to fill the gap as the right-hander continues to rehabilitate. Read more about the pen in the related article below:
Related: Meet the 2026 WVU Baseball pitching staff
Chansen Cole, a Newberry College (DII) transfer, gets the nod for opening day. Cole makes his Mountaineer debut in Statesboro, barring any changes.
WVU picked up Cole this past summer and have a lot of hope in the righty. Despite the untimely setback for Meyer, an undeniable star in the program’s rotation, pitching seems to be a comfortable department for the Mountaineers.
Rivalries
Pitt. Penn State. Marshall. Cincinnati. Maryland.
Some old, some new.
The aforementioned list even omits solid upcoming sets with BYU, Kansas State, Kansas, and others. If you like your baseball bitter, tune in to some of these games.
Heated matchups with in-state and regional rivals alike help round out a storyline-filled slate. Many of these games are home offerings, so it is safe to say the Mountaineer faithful should echo through the confines of Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Related: Top five WVU Baseball home matchups in 2026
Related: Can WVU Baseball break the program attendance record in 2026?
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Title defense
WVU comes into 2026 as the reigning Big 12 Regular Season champions. The Mountaineers failed to make it out of the conference tournament with the same accolade, but finished the season with a title nonetheless.
Big 12 baseball poses another gauntlet for WVU to trudge through. It is worth adding that being the defending league champion puts a rather large target on the Mountaineers’ back.
Related: Meet the 2026 WVU Baseball infield
Related: Meet the 2026 WVU Baseball outfield
Keep an eye out for formidable foes such as TCU, K-State, Texas Tech, and UC. That is without even mentioning the diamond powerhouse of Arizona.
WVU has its work cut out when it comes to defending the Big 12 title.
Baseball is (almost) here!
The three-game series against Georgia Southern gets underway on Friday and runs through Sunday. Find first pitch times below:
- Friday (February 13): 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday (February 14): 2 p.m.
- Sunday (February 15): 11:30 a.m.
“We’re just knocking on the door,” WVU Head Coach Steve Sabins said. “The season is right around the corner again and really excited to get going.”
Sabins enters his second season at the helm after quite the inaugural outing.
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