Latest Tournament Projection Puts WVU in Same Group as Ex-Big 12 Foe

We're midway through April, and the West Virginia Mountaineers are in a prime position to host a regional for the second time since 2019. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season, of course, but the pitching, combined with the league's best defense and a balanced lineup should be able to keep them on track down the stretch.

According to D1Baseball, the Mountaineers are currently projected as the No. 13 national seed — the top 16 host.

Projected Morgantown Regional

No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 4 UConn

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Kent State

A rotation that Steve Sabins can rely on

Most NCAA Tournament teams have an ace. Very few of them have two consistent arms that can pitch deep into games. West Virginia has three with Dawson Montesa, Maxx Yehl, and Chansen Cole. And let's not forget to mention Ian Korn, who can be stretched out to four to five innings or more, if needed. With the way the rotation is set now, WVU's best pitcher, Yehl, is going on Saturdays, and if they keep the rotation as is, they would be throwing their best hurler for the tougher opponent in the second game of the regional, assuming they take care of the No. 4 seed. That would be a huge advantage for West Virginia.

No soft spots in the lineup

Sure, there may be a guy or two who teams don't fear as much, but from 1-9, these guys can hit and drive the ball to the gap. Matt Ineich, Gavin Kelly, Paul Schoenfeld, and Sean Smith are a challenging top half of the lineup for opposing pitchers, and it doesn't get much easier as you work your way down with guys like Matthew Graveline, Armani Guzman, Tyrus Hall, and so on. The power may not be there, but they consistently hit and make the pitcher really labor for outs.

What's next for the Mountaineers

WVU has a real opportunity to pick up four wins this week, starting this evening with 10-23 Penn State. The Mountaineers are a perfect 5-0 in midweek games, and I wouldn't expect the Nittany Lions to be the ones to put an end to that winning streak. This weekend, they'll welcome in the Houston Cougars, who currently reside in last place in the Big 12 standings with a 3-12 mark in league play.

WVU and Penn State will get things started tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Add us as a preferred source on Google