MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 4, 2023) – Winners of nine straight games, the No. 12 West Virginia baseball team returns to Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark for a three-game series against Oklahoma this weekend. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m., Saturday for 4 p.m., and Sunday for 1 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.
Promotions for the weekend include Friday Night Happy Hour to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Saturday will be Military Appreciation Day with a military rally towel giveaway as well as free admission for active and former military members. Sunday will be Kids Day where kids can run the bases after the game and get autographs from the players.
Sunday, May 7, will also be Bark at the Park with the first 100 fans able to claim a pet bandana. Dogs must be kept on a leash and owners will be required to sign a waiver at Gate C upon entry. Dogs are recommended to stay in the right field standing room only sections but if you choose to sit in your reserved seating location, please be mindful and courteous to others around you. Additionally, dogs will not be permitted onto the field at any point prior, during, or after the game.
The Mountaineers currently sit at 34-11 after claiming a midweek victory in the Backyard Brawl, defeating Pitt, 10-0. WVU also sits atop the Big 12 standings with an 11-4 conference record, having swept TCU and Baylor the last two weekends.
Sophomore JJ Wetherholt is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting .529 (9-for-17) with three home runs, a triple, nine RBI, and eight runs scored while putting up a 1.726 OPS. With his two stolen bases on Sunday against the Bears, he became the first WVU player to ever have at least 10 home runs and 30 stolen bases. In fact, he is the only WVU player to ever have 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Graduate student Blaine Traxel was named Big 12 Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week as he threw a complete-game shutout against Baylor with six strikeouts. He was also named NCBWA National Co-Pitcher of the Week.
This is the second nine-game winning streak for the Mountaineers this season. They will be looking to extend it to double digits for the first time since winning 10 straight in 2016.
Oklahoma enters the weekend with 25-20 overall record and are coming off a 10-7 win at No. 16 Dallas Baptist. In the Big 12, the Sooners sit at 9-9 after taking two of three against Kansas last weekend which followed a three-game sweep at Texas.
Kendall Pettis leads the team with a .325 batting average while Bryce Madron has a team-high nine home runs. Like the Mountaineers, Oklahoma likes to run and has 93 stolen bases, led by 21 each from Anthony Mackenzie and John Spikerman.
Braden Carmichael is 4-0 with a 3.59 ERA and 40 strikeouts to lead the team. Braxton Douthit will get the ball Friday night and has 37 strikeouts but has walked 40 batters.
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.
Promotions for the weekend include Friday Night Happy Hour to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Saturday will be Military Appreciation Day with a military rally towel giveaway as well as free admission for active and former military members. Sunday will be Kids Day where kids can run the bases after the game and get autographs from the players.
Sunday, May 7, will also be Bark at the Park with the first 100 fans able to claim a pet bandana. Dogs must be kept on a leash and owners will be required to sign a waiver at Gate C upon entry. Dogs are recommended to stay in the right field standing room only sections but if you choose to sit in your reserved seating location, please be mindful and courteous to others around you. Additionally, dogs will not be permitted onto the field at any point prior, during, or after the game.
The Mountaineers currently sit at 34-11 after claiming a midweek victory in the Backyard Brawl, defeating Pitt, 10-0. WVU also sits atop the Big 12 standings with an 11-4 conference record, having swept TCU and Baylor the last two weekends.
Sophomore JJ Wetherholt is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting .529 (9-for-17) with three home runs, a triple, nine RBI, and eight runs scored while putting up a 1.726 OPS. With his two stolen bases on Sunday against the Bears, he became the first WVU player to ever have at least 10 home runs and 30 stolen bases. In fact, he is the only WVU player to ever have 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Graduate student Blaine Traxel was named Big 12 Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week as he threw a complete-game shutout against Baylor with six strikeouts. He was also named NCBWA National Co-Pitcher of the Week.
This is the second nine-game winning streak for the Mountaineers this season. They will be looking to extend it to double digits for the first time since winning 10 straight in 2016.
Oklahoma enters the weekend with 25-20 overall record and are coming off a 10-7 win at No. 16 Dallas Baptist. In the Big 12, the Sooners sit at 9-9 after taking two of three against Kansas last weekend which followed a three-game sweep at Texas.
Kendall Pettis leads the team with a .325 batting average while Bryce Madron has a team-high nine home runs. Like the Mountaineers, Oklahoma likes to run and has 93 stolen bases, led by 21 each from Anthony Mackenzie and John Spikerman.
Braden Carmichael is 4-0 with a 3.59 ERA and 40 strikeouts to lead the team. Braxton Douthit will get the ball Friday night and has 37 strikeouts but has walked 40 batters.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
