Eight straight wins, a 33-11 record and an 11-4 record in Big 12 play has slingshotted the West Virginia baseball team into the top 15 in almost every major national poll. After another conference sweep against the Baylor Bears over the weekend, WVU has risen to No. 11 in Baseball America’s rankings, while sitting at No. 12 in the DI Baseball poll.
Standing in the way of the red hot Mountaineers and a ninth consecutive victory is the Pitt Panthers. Just two weeks ago, the Mountaineers and Panthers met for the first time of the season at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. After falling behind 4-0, West Virginia stormed back, scoring eight runs between the third and fourth inning to secure a 9-4 victory.
West Virginia defeated Pitt in PNC Park without the likes of superstar second baseman JJ Wetherholt, as the sophomore missed the rivalry game due to a thumb injury.
With no Wetherholt in the order, the likes of Tevin Tucker, Landon Wallace, Caleb McNeely, and Dayne Leonard stepped up. Tucker, who took over the leadoff role during Wetherholt’s absence, racked up three hits and two runs scored against Pitt, while Wallace and Leonard combined for two hits and three runs batted in. McNeely added two hits and two runs batted in while delivering a crushing blow in the sixth inning with a long home run.
The win over Pitt on April 19th was the beginning of WVU’s eight-game winning streak, as the Mountaineers went on to sweep the TCU Horned Frogs in a home conference series the weekend after taking down the Panthers.
Everything has been clicking for Mazey’s Mountaineers since mid-April, as the bats have led the way for the majority of the stretch. The Mountaineers are batting .305 as a team currently, and four players (Wetherholt, Wallace, McNeely, and Tucker) are hitting over .300 individually in at least 130 at-bats.
Additionally, West Virginia now has three batters (Wetherholt, Leonard, and Grant Hussey) that have eclipsed the 40 RBI mark. Hussey, the power threat at first base, has come up big, as the West Virginia native has three home runs in his last five games, including a grand slam against Penn State and homers against Big 12 opponents in TCU and Baylor.
As for Pitt, the Panthers hold a 20-21 overall record despite a recent sweep over the California Golden Bears. After the loss to WVU at PNC Park, Pitt was tasked with facing the No. 2 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Pitt did upset the Demon Deacons in the first game with a 3-0 shutout win, but Wake Forest took over the series after that, winning games two and three by a combined score of 40-5.
Pitt’s top offensive threats that are likely to pose a challenge to WVU’s mid-week starter is first baseman Noah Martinez and right fielder CJ Funk. Martinez, a graduate senior, is one of only two Pitt hitters batting over .300, and the Connecticut native leads the team in runs batted in with 42. Funk is Pitt’s premier power threat, as the junior is batting .295 with a team-leading 12 home runs. Funk has also driven in 39 runs on the season, which is good for second on the team.
As Pitt prepares to make the 75-mile trip to Morgantown, the Panthers will need to overcome a likely strong crowd. Despite cold temperatures, the Mountaineer faithful will likely play a roll, as the crowds in cold games against Penn State and TCU proved to be beneficial for Mazey’s club. Pitt is 6-9 on the road, while WVU is 13-4 in Morgantown.
West Virginia and Pitt will clash in the second installment of the Backyard Brawl on the diamond at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the action can be viewed on ESPN+.
