What WVU Must Do to Survive Elimination at the College World Series

Breaking down the keys to the game for the Mountaineers against Troy.

Jun 14, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers second baseman Brodie Kresser (12) hits a single against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

On Sunday, the West Virginia Mountaineers suffered their first loss at the College World Series and now find themselves playing in an elimination game against the Troy Trojans. The winner of this game will be one of the final four teams standing in Omaha, although they will have to beat North Carolina twice in two days to advance to the championship series.

What are the keys to today's game for the Mountaineers?

No more free gifts

Defense has been this team's calling card all season long. They had two major gaffes in the 7th inning on Sunday night that would end up costing them the game against North Carolina. Tyrus Hall has flashed the leather all year and even made an impressive diving play earlier in the game. The brutal truth is that play won't get talked about when you make a costly error. The same goes for Brodie Kresser. It will be interesting to see the defensive alignment today for the Mountaineers. While Gavin Kelly has been great behind the plate, it may be best to have him at second, Graveline behind the plate, Kresser at first, and Guzman in the outfield. Regardless of how they line up today, they have to play clean baseball. It's an absolute must.

Quality length from the starter

It's one thing for a pitcher to pitch deep into a game, but it's another to pitch well while eating up innings. It remains to be seen who Steve Sabins gives the ball to, but they need a Dawson Montesa vs. Wake Forest-like start to position themselves to not only win the game, but also set them up for success against North Carolina. While all of the focus should be on winning the game that is in front of you, you also have to be mindful of your staff's usage, or you're going to be facing an even steeper hill to climb on Wednesday, and possibly Thursday.

Snap out of the RISP funk

If you take out the domination of the two-game set against Cal Poly, West Virginia has struggled mightily with runners in scoring position in its last three games, going a combined 6/32 (.187). They went 3/14 in the final game against Kentucky, 2/9 against Troy, and 1/9 the other night against Carolina. If this continues, the Mountaineers will be heading back to Morgantown and packing up their dorm. Just simply putting the ball in play can flip this number around. There have been a lot of strikeouts looking and called strikes on extremely hittable pitches in hitters' counts. Can't happen. If it's close, you have to protect instead of hoping for a walk.