WVU's Nightmare Week Kicks Them Out of Contention to Host Regional...For Now

It's very clear that the Mountaineers have a lot of work to do.

WVU Athletics Communications

A new NCAA Tournament projection is out via D1Baseball, and the West Virginia Mountaineers are no longer in a spot to host. The projection has them in the Gainesville Regional (Florida) as the No. 2 seed, which would have them facing the No. 3 seed NC State.

Just a little over a week ago, it looked like the Mountaineers were going to be a near-lock to host a regional in this year's NCAA Tournament after taking two of three from Houston and rising to No. 11 and No. 12 in two of the main three polls in college baseball.

Boy, how many things can change in one week's time.

With ace Maxx Yehl having to miss a week, Steve Sabins was forced to shake up his pitching plan for the week and be extremely careful with who he used in relief against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl, knowing they had a critical road series at Cincinnati on deck.

He made the decision to flip-flop the roles of David Hagen and Bryson Thacker to try to produce better results, but both were hit hard, and before the end of the third inning, Pitt was in the driver's seat. Sabins threw a series of inexperienced guys once the game tilted heavily in Pitt's favor to try to preserve the bullpen for the weekend series.

Unfortunately, game one against Cincinnati went 13 innings, once again making things difficult for the staff trying to manage the pitching situation. WVU dropped game two, but had a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning of game three with an opportunity to blow it open with the bases loaded. The Bearcats not only got out of the jam, but plated five in the bottom half of the frame, leading to a win and a series victory.

What needs to happen for West Virginia to get back in hosting position?

West Virginia University outfielder Armani Guzman | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Knowing what's left on the schedule, you could make the argument that they need to pull off a three-game sweep of Kansas State this weekend and then take care of business in the midweek next week against Marshall to set the table. Taking two of three from K-State is probably good enough, but sweeping really enhances the chances.

To end the season, WVU has to play two of the best and hottest teams in the Big 12: Kansas and TCU. Winning both of those series should put them squarely back in a hosting position. It's not going to be easy by any means, but they control their own destiny, thanks to the level of competition they have on the slate.

West Virginia's remaining schedule

May 1: vs. Kansas State
May 2: vs. Kansas State
May 3: vs. Kansas State
May 5: vs. Marshall (Charleston, WV)
May 8: at Kansas
May 9: at Kansas
May 10: at Kansas
May 14: vs. TCU
May 15: vs. TCU
May 16: vs. TCU