Baseball is gaining more recognition and popularity amongst Mountaineer fans.
In a 31-19 season, West Virginia’s baseball team brought in 2,917 fans per game on average for a program record of 67,084 fans this season. All 23 home games were held at Kendrick Family Ballpark’s Wagener Field in Monongalia County, which boasts a max capacity of 3,500.
Along with recording a 17-6 home record and the third best record in the Big 12 ahead of the final conference series, a couple of headlines pushed WVU Baseball into the spotlight this season.
Arguably the biggest spectacle in Morgantown this year has been shortstop JJ Wetherholt, a projected top pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Wetherholt was the projected first overall pick before the season began, but the junior lost a bit of stock after an early injury in the Mountaineers’ first season series against Stetson. He returned 28 games into the year against Kansas.
2024 also saw the farewell tour of long-time coach Randy Mazey, who has been with the team since 2013. As head coach, Mazey has led the Mountaineers to four consecutive Big 12 Championship semifinal appearances from 2016-2019, an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, a hosting position for the NCAA Regionals in 2019, and the 2023 Big 12 regular season championship title. Mazey coached his final home game, a 12-5 win over Kansas State, on Mother’s Day.
WVU will be without its home field as the postseason begins, but it will not be without fan support. The Mountaineers round out their regular season campaign this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, where they will play TCU. The first game begins Thursday at 7 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
