West Virginia Rises in RPI After Statement Series Win at Arizona State

West Virginia University baseball is chasing another program first after securing a ranked road series win over No. 22 Arizona State this past weekend.

The Mountaineers currently sit at No. 12 in the RPI, a position that would have WVU hosting an NCAA Regional if the season ended today. West Virginia has not hosted a regional since 2019, despite winning the Big 12 regular season championship twice in the past three years.

RPI plays a critical role in postseason seeding. Typically, teams ranked within the top 20 are in position to host a regional, while a top-eight seed, generally requires a top-10 RPI, but mostly likely within the top eith.

The past two seasons West Virginia has played the role of spoiler, advancing out of the Tucson and Clemson regionals. However, matchups at powerhouse programs like North Carolina and LSU in front of capacity crowds, ultimately ended the Mountaineers’ pursuit of their first College World Series appearance.

Currently, WVU is positioning itself for a more favorable path towards its first ever CWS. Hosting a super regional in Morgantown would provide a significant advantage, with an electric, sold-out atmosphere and a fan base eager to see the program reach Omaha.

Still, there is little margin for error. To remain in contention for a top-eight seed, the Mountaineers must take care of business in their remaining midweek games - many of which come against regional opponents - and avoid dropping a Big 12 series. It’s a demanding path, but if West Virginia wants to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite, it must sustain its conference success, avoid midweek slip-ups, and stack wins down the stretch to make program history.

UP NEXT

West Virginia remains in Arizona after the series win against the Sun Devils and travels to Tucson to take on a struggling Arizona Wildcats squad - a program that earned a trip to the College World Series last year - before returning home in a vital early conference series against UCF. The Knights sit atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-1 league record. WVU is 7-2 in Big 12 play.

The first pitch between West Virginia and Arizona is set for 9:00 p.m. EST.

TOP 25 RPI

1. Texas

2. Florida

3. UCLA

4. Auburn

5. Mississippi State

6. Alabama

7. Florida State

8. Virginia

9. Southern Miss

10. Oregon State

11. Missouri

12. West Virginia

13. USC

14. Ole Miss

15. North Carolina

16. Coastal Carolina

17. Texas A&M

18. Kentucky

19. Oklahoma

20. Georgia Tech

21. Cincinnati

22. Boston College

23. Texas State

24. Nebraska

25. Oregon

Remaining Big 12 schools in the RPI: Arizona State (30), UCF (31), Baylor (32), TCU (35), Kansas State (49), Kansas (53), BYU (54), Oklahoma State (62), Houston (97), Utah (103), Texas Tech (125), Arizona (217).