MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 27, 2023) – The No. 18 West Virginia baseball team heads to The Lone Star State this weekend for a three-game series with Baylor in Waco. First pitch on Friday is set for 7:30 p.m., Saturday for 3 p.m., and Sunday for 12 p.m.
All three games will be available to stream on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and can also be heard on the Mountaineer Sports Network baseball radio network, including the flagship station 100.9 Jack FM in Morgantown, and on the Varsity Network app. Andrew Caridi will bring you all the play-by-action.
The Mountaineers have won five straight games and are coming off a 14-2 midweek victory over Penn State. Overall, West Virginia is 30-11 and sit atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-4 record.
Against the Nittany Lions, both JJ Wetherholt and Grant Hussey hit grand slams, becoming the third pair of teammates in WVU history to accomplish the feat in the same game.
The first happened on April 20, 1957, in Blacksburg, Virginia, when Ronnie Retton and Glenn Higgins hit grand slams in a 10-8 loss to Virginia Tech. It also occurred 28 years later, on May 34, 1985, in the opening game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Hawley Field when Bob Bernardo and John Kuzemchak had bases-clearing blasts in a 20-4 victory over Massachusetts.
Tevin Tucker is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting .571 (8-for-14) with a double, two RBI, and seven runs scored, leading the Mountaineers to a 4-0 week with a win over Pitt at PNC Park and a sweep of TCU. He had a hit in all four games, including multiple hits in three contests, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance in the Backyard Brawl while also stealing two bases and playing sparkling defense at short.
Pitchers Ben Hampton and Blaine Traxel have started every weekend for the Mountaineers this year. Traxel has the edge in ERA at 3.44 while Hampton has a team-high 54 strikeouts. The junior lefty is also just nine strikeouts away from reaching 200 in his collegiate career.
Other Mountaineers approaching milestones include Noah Short, who is three appearances away from matching the WVU record of 72 held by Chris Enourato ‘10, and Tucker, who is 12 stolen bases away from the program record of 74, held by Bill Marovich ’65.
Baylor enters the weekend with a 15-26 overall record and 6-12 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears are coming off a midweek loss to Tarleton after taking one of three against No. 13 Texas Tech last weekend.
Kolby Branch leads the team with a .362 batting average and 35 RBI while John Ceccoli has a team-high five home runs.
Will Rigney has made five starts and is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA while Blake Helton leads the team with 41 strikeouts.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
All three games will be available to stream on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and can also be heard on the Mountaineer Sports Network baseball radio network, including the flagship station 100.9 Jack FM in Morgantown, and on the Varsity Network app. Andrew Caridi will bring you all the play-by-action.
The Mountaineers have won five straight games and are coming off a 14-2 midweek victory over Penn State. Overall, West Virginia is 30-11 and sit atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-4 record.
Against the Nittany Lions, both JJ Wetherholt and Grant Hussey hit grand slams, becoming the third pair of teammates in WVU history to accomplish the feat in the same game.
The first happened on April 20, 1957, in Blacksburg, Virginia, when Ronnie Retton and Glenn Higgins hit grand slams in a 10-8 loss to Virginia Tech. It also occurred 28 years later, on May 34, 1985, in the opening game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Hawley Field when Bob Bernardo and John Kuzemchak had bases-clearing blasts in a 20-4 victory over Massachusetts.
Tevin Tucker is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting .571 (8-for-14) with a double, two RBI, and seven runs scored, leading the Mountaineers to a 4-0 week with a win over Pitt at PNC Park and a sweep of TCU. He had a hit in all four games, including multiple hits in three contests, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance in the Backyard Brawl while also stealing two bases and playing sparkling defense at short.
Pitchers Ben Hampton and Blaine Traxel have started every weekend for the Mountaineers this year. Traxel has the edge in ERA at 3.44 while Hampton has a team-high 54 strikeouts. The junior lefty is also just nine strikeouts away from reaching 200 in his collegiate career.
Other Mountaineers approaching milestones include Noah Short, who is three appearances away from matching the WVU record of 72 held by Chris Enourato ‘10, and Tucker, who is 12 stolen bases away from the program record of 74, held by Bill Marovich ’65.
Baylor enters the weekend with a 15-26 overall record and 6-12 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears are coming off a midweek loss to Tarleton after taking one of three against No. 13 Texas Tech last weekend.
Kolby Branch leads the team with a .362 batting average and 35 RBI while John Ceccoli has a team-high five home runs.
Will Rigney has made five starts and is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA while Blake Helton leads the team with 41 strikeouts.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
