WVU headed to post season play?
MORGANTOWN, WV—Is West Virginia University on its way to becoming a perennial baseball power? Over the past several years Coach Randy Mazey has put together some very good teams. Some players are already in the major leagues and it looks like more are on their way to MLB. No doubt the new baseball stadium and facilities have played a part in the success of recruiting solid players.
This year’s team is definitely for real. They have taken two of three from Oklahoma State and Kansas State and swept three from TCU. This 2023 team continues to beat quality competition by winning games against Penn State, Pitt and Baylor. WVU whipped Pitt again recently 10-0 and then went on to sweep 2 out of 3 from Oklahoma.
JJ Wetherholt’s average is .470. Wetherholt’s average is still the best in the Big 12 and third highest in the country.
On the mound, southpaw Ben Hampton (4-1,4.18 ERA) and righty Blaine Traxel (6-3, 3.05 ERA) continue to anchor the Mountaineer pitching staff. Traxel leads the country with five complete games. Mountaineer fans have caught the fever and are turning out at the local ballpark in droves.
It’s not out of the question that this 12th ranked WVU baseball team (35-12, 12-5 in the Big 12) will no doubt make its way into the playoffs. The top 16 teams will host a regional where four teams will play in a double elimination pod. There’s talk that WVU will host a regional.
Is it possible that WVU baseball could become more popular to its fan base over the basketball and football programs? Not really. But you never know.