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As the final series of the regular season approaches for Mountaineer baseball, the Mazey-made team
needs to clinch the series against Kansas State to potentially move up in the rankings.
Coming off of a tough series loss to Oklahoma State, the Mountaineers stand at the sixth spot in the Big
12 rankings with a conference record of 11-10, tied with Texas. It is likely that WVU will stay in this spot
with a series win over Kansas State and head into the Big 12 Tournament on May 25.
For the NCAA Tournament, WVU is most recently projected to compete in the Charlottesville Regional as
the third seed in the region. Previous projections looked at WVU earning a spot in various regional
locations, like the South Bend Regional at Notre Dame, but the Mountaineers have primarily stayed at
the third seed in all rankings.
Heading into the series against Kansas State, West Virginia holds a 30-20 record for the regular season. If
WVU can sweep the Wildcats this weekend, the team would finish the regular season with a .623
winning percentage.
When looking at recent appearances the Mountaineers have made in the NCAA tournament, the records
are similar. In its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019, WVU finished the regular season with a 34-
18 record, a .654 winning percentage, before competing in the Big 12 Championship. In 2017, the NCAA
team went 32-22 in the regular season, a .593 winning percentage.
This year’s team has a comparable record to the recent playoff teams, but WVU’s RPI rating is
significantly lower this year as it has a lower strength of schedule than previous years. Although RPI isn’t
the determining factor in receiving a NCAA Tournament bid, it is important when considering which
teams that aren’t automatic bids deserve a shot to reach the College World Series.
If WVU can win its final series this weekend and have a solid run in the Big 12 Championship,
Mountaineer fans should expect to see Mazey’s team make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In
its 2017 appearance, the WVU team lost to Wake Forest in double-elimination style; in 2019, the team
ended its run with a loss to Texas A&M in the Morgantown Regional.
If the Mountaineers compete in a regional tournament, they will likely be considered the underdogs;
however, WVU fans know that the Mountaineers have defeated ranked opponents this season, like their
series win against TCU, and are not to be underestimated as a potential at-large pick by the NCAA
Division I Baseball Committee.
As long as the Mountaineers finish the season on a high note by taking the series over K-State, they
should have an opportunity to compete among the 64 best Division I teams in the country. The regular
season finale starts on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Monongalia County Ballpark where fans can see
if the Mountaineers can strengthen their chance of a tournament bid.
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