The WVU baseball team travels to Lubbock, Texas this weekend for a three-game series against Texas Tech beginning Friday night in Lubbock.
The Mountaineers have been on a hot streak of late, winning eight of their last 10 games, including seven straight conference wins helping them earn a No. 22 ranking by D1Baseball. They are 23-13 overall and near the top of the Big 12 standings with an 11-4 record in conference play.
Sam White leads West Virginia with a .326 batting average among eligible players (minimum two plate appearances per game and 75% of games played). Reed Chumley leads the team with 10 home runs after hitting two home runs this past weekend helping WVU sweep formerly ranked UCF, including a walk-off homer in extras on Sunday.
Since returning from a close to two-month injury, star shortstop JJ Wetherholt has improved his batting average and hit his first two home runs of the season. Wetherholt made his return to the field Tuesday in the Backyard Brawl against Pitt, after designated-hitting his first few games back, but left the game early, with his true status being unknown.
On the mound, Derek Clark has been masterful for West Virginia, giving them length and taking stress off the bullpen. Clark has started six games this season, throwing three complete games and holds a 4-0 record. He’s struck 41 batters across 46 innings, only walking 10 and has a 2.15 ERA. Clark is likely to get the start in game two of the series on Saturday, with Aidan Major, who leads the team with 63 strikeouts probable to start on Friday.
Texas Tech is 26-13 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play. They have lost four straight games, but have won eight straight previously to that. Sophomore Damian Bravo has been their best hitter statistically, with a .420 batting average, including 58 hits, 19 doubles, four home runs and 40 RBIs. Junior Gavin Kash leads the team with 10 homers, while freshman TJ Pompey has a team-leading 45 RBIs.
The Red Raiders’ ace is 6-foot-6 righty Kyle Robinson. The junior has started nine games for Texas Tech, has a 3-4 record with a team-leading 45 strikeouts across 48 innings pitched.
The first pitch on Friday is at 7:30 EST, followed by a 1 p.m. start on Saturday and noon on Sunday. All games can be streamed on ESPN+.
Photo by Tyler Prusina
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