Backyard Brawl Returns: No. 12 West Virginia Welcomes Pitt for Midweek Showdown

The No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers (27-9) host the Pitt Panthers (24-14) in the first installment of the Backyard Brawl during the 2026 slate at Kendrick Family Ballpark. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.

West Virginia his on the heels of its ninth series win of the season after dispatching Houston over the weekend, taking games two and three my a combined score of 14-4 following a 10-7 series opening loss.

Gavin Kelly leads the Mountaineers at the plate with a .397 batting average with 34 RBI and 16 doubles, and is tied for the team lead in home runs with seniors Sean Smith and Matthew Graveling. The sophomore missed the series deciding game three against Houston after jamming his wrist in the middle game, but will return to the lineup against the Panthers.

Paul Schoenfeld is hitting .368 with a Big 12 Conference leading four triples, a team-high 32 walks, second on the team in doubles (13) and is tied with Smith for second on the team with 32 RBI, while sophomore Matt Ineich has recorded a team-best 42 runs.

Pitt starting the season hot, winning 12 of the first 14 games but has been a .500 club in the last 24 contests and have struggled during the ACC slate with a 7-11 league record.

At the plate, the Panthers are led by redshirt senior Lorenzo Carrier. He's hitting .378 with 44 walks, 14 home runs and 55 RBI. Senior Caden Dulin leads the team with 10 doubles and is second on the team in batting average (.372) and ranks third with nine home runs, while senior AJ Nessler has recorded a team-best four triples and 52 runs.

In what will be likely a bullpen game for both programs, West Virginia redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker will make his first start as a Mountaineers. The lefty has made 12 appearances on the season and holds a 3.12 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 13. 2 innings.

Graduate David Leslie wil get the start after allowing 18 earned runs in his last three weekend starts. The right-hander had made 10 appearances with nine starts and has a 2-3 record with a 7.50 ERA and a team-high 41 strikeouts.

West Virginia leads the all-time series 122-93. Pitt won the last meeting in Pittsburgh 10-9, snapping an eight-game WVU series winning streak.

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