The West Virginia baseball team begins their last series of the regular season against TCU on Thursday.
After taking two out of three games against Kansas State last weekend, in coach Randy Mazey’s last home series, the Mountaineers have a 31-19 record this season, including a 17-10 record in conference play. They sit tied for third with Texas in the Big 12 and have already clinched an appearance in the 2024 Big 12 tournament.
Although he does not meet the requirement of at least two plate appearances and 75% of games played, star shortstop JJ Wetherholt leads WVU with a .384 batting average. Senior third baseman Reed Chumley leads the team in both home runs, with 14 and RBIs with 40.
On the mound, lefty Derek Clark has been masterful for West Virginia this season after beginning his 2024 campaign on the injured list. After striking out 10 in seven scoreless innings against the Wildcats on Saturday, he earned Big 12 Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this year. In 10 games started this season he has a 6-2 record, with a 3.14 ERA, three complete games, one complete game shutout and 67 strikeouts across 71.2 innings.
TCU comes into the series with a 30-17 record, including a 13-14 record against Big 12 opponents. They’re tied for seventh in the conference with Kansas State.
Junior Payton Tolle has been the Horned Frogs’ top starter this season. He carries a 6-3 record, 2.87 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 69 innings heading into the series.
In the batter’s box, junior outfielder Logan Maxwell leads TCU with a .349 average. Kurtis Byrne and Luke Boyers share the team-lead for home runs with six.
First pitch Thursday is set for 7 p.m. EST, followed by 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday. All games in the series can be streamed on ESPN+.
