The West Virginia Baseball team will begin their Big 12 tournament run in hopes to secure their first Big 12 tournament title on Tuesday against a familiar opponent. The Mountaineers will play TCU in game one, a team they just finished a series with three days prior.
Entering the tournament as a four seed, head coach Randy Mazey’s team finished with a 19-11 conference record. They finished the season with a series win against the Horned Frogs and will now have to see them again in Arlington, Texas.
Over the weekend, West Virginia dropped game one of the series but answered back by winning the next two games; scoring seven and six runs to win the series.
Carson Estridge is the projected starter for the Mountaineers coming off of a short rest from the weekend. Estridge, 1-1, has played in 17 games this season, three of those as a starter, and has a 3.41 ERA. He was thrown onto the mound in the ninth inning of the final game of the series against TCU when West Virginia struggled to close out the win. Estridge walked two, allowed an earned run, and was only able to record one out before being pulled.
The Gold and Blue have struggled in Arlington before. Last season after getting swept to end the regular season, the Mountaineers would go on to lose both of their games in the Big 12 Tournament which would force them to travel for an NCAA regional.
Mazey said on Monday in an online media availability he believes this team has what it takes to make a deep run, but he knows it won’t be easy in a loaded Big 12.
“The message to the team this time of the year is if you are going to do anything really cool, guys have to step up that haven’t played or done much this year… Someone that we are not expecting has to be really really good.” Mazey added later, “There’s not a team in here that can’t win this thing. That is the beauty of playing in the big 12.”
Should West Virginia win against TCU on Tuesday, as the four seed their next game would be on Thursday. That would give the Mountaineers a much needed day of rest.
First pitch against the Horned Frogs is set for 1:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed on Big12 Now and ESPN+. Every game of the tournament will be played on Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers.
