MAILBAG: Regional Difficulty, Strength of Athletic Dept., Backyard Brawl Trophy + More

Answering this week's questions from West Virginia fans.

WVU Athletics Communications

Good Tuesday afternoon, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: In terms of overall competition, do you think WVU got a favorable draw for the baseball tournament, or do you think it’s gonna be more competitive than what some people are thinking?

A: Wake is a scary team. They had an up-and-down year, got hot late, and when they're humming, they can beat anyone. They have legit power up and down the lineup with four guys hitting double-digit home runs and eight dudes slugging over .450 compared to West Virginia's three (Gavin Kelly, Sean Smith, and Paul Schoenfeld). Kentucky is fortunate to be in, and it could be dangerous because they may feel like they are playing with house money. I do think it's favorable to some degree, but it's a pretty tough regional.

From @WVUJeffSpicoli:

Q: Random thought: Why do you believe the Backyard Brawl never had a trophy? And if you were to make a trophy, what would you do?

A: You know, I'm not really sure as to why there isn't one. I've often wondered that myself. I should probably ask some folks in the building who may have a legitimate theory. Mine is that it's such an old rivalry that they just played out of pure hate and bragging rights, and never saw a reason to introduce a trophy when it became a more popular thing. I'm going to look into it now that you put it back in my head.

From @TMRTroopers:

Q: Outside of football (and maybe MBB), is this the best shape WVU athletics has been in? Perennial contenders in several of the bigger second-tier sports.

A: Oh yes, by far. Wren Baker even said himself last week that this was probably the best year the Olympic sports have ever had, and with the recent boost in scholarships to those programs, I assume that success will only continue. Ross Hodge has killed it on the recruiting trail, so I think they'll be just fine there. Football will take some time, but man, there are some intriguing pieces in place that Rich Rod can build around, and now he has the resources to be able to retain those types of foundational players. In two years, West Virginia should be able to challenge for the Directors' Cup.

From @MrEd315:

Q: In your estimation what’s going to be some of the challenges WVU football faces for this upcoming season? What positions might be weak?

A: Defensively, the secondary is what has my attention. They have a ton of length at the corner, and bodies aren't really the issue. It's more trying to find three or four guys they can rely on, and potentially one who can be a shutdown guy. Linebacker, on the other hand, is a concern because of the depth. There's just not a lot of dudes in that room that have played a ton of football. Offensively, it's finding two guys beyond Cam Cook in the running back room. Martavious Boswell and true freshmen Amari Latimer and Chris Talley had strong showings in the spring, but each of them has to string together more good days.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my post on Facebook.