You’re Making a Mistake If You’re Counting WVU Out in Omaha

Last night is one the Mountaineers wish they had back. They were going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country and let it slip away due to a couple of costly mistakes.

If you feel like the season is over and the end is just a matter of when, I don't blame you. It's hard to win three straight in three days, particularly at this stage in the tournament. But with this group, you can't ever count them out.

This is a familiar situation for them, as it's the same exact spot they were in during the Morgantown Regional. Now, you may say, "Yeah, Schuyler, well they have to go through North Carolina this time," and while I don't disagree that it will be harder, I'd counter by saying they have a day to rest and recover before entering that gauntlet, whereas in the regional they had to come right back the next day and win two games and then win another 24 hours later.

Go back to the regular season and remember the thoughts that were running through everyone's heads after the Pitt loss and then the series loss to Cincinnati. There was some concern that the wheels might fall off, and they might not even make the NCAA Tournament. They answered by sweeping Kansas State, sweeping Kansas on the road, and taking two of three from TCU.

We can rewind to just a couple of weeks ago in the regional. Down to the last three outs, down three, and the bottom of the order due up. And what do you know? They strung together quality at-bats and put up a five-spot, ultimately winning the game. Then the next night, they led by four and needed just four more outs to advance to supers. Kentucky ties the game, we go to extras, and the Wildcats have all the momentum. The bottom of the order comes through again, and they walk it off.

This team has faced all sorts of adversity and been backed into a corner multiple times, yet they don't quit. Just like every other situation, they still believe they can win the whole damn thing even after last night's loss.

"Obviously, we just want to keep playing together as long as possible," WVU head coach Steve Sabins said. "I think they've gotten rid of that pressure and thinking about that too much because they think they're pretty good. We've been in a lot of ballgames against basically every opponent we've played. I think they believe that they're capable of being the best in the country. Things have to go your way, and you have to have quality at-bats, and you have to play clean baseball. But I think they truly believe that if their process is right and they play good, they have a chance to beat anybody in the country.

"That belief isn't new to them," he continued. "That's pretty rooted in there. And so, I think the experience helps, but even before we had the experience, we were able to pull it off because that belief was there."

Three years ago, LSU lost its second game in the College World Series to Wake Forest, but bounced back to beat Tennessee and then Wake Forest twice to advance to the championship series, which they would ultimately win. Now, that team had Paul Skenes, but it's not the first time a team has bounced back after losing game two. The Coastal Carolina team that won the World Series in 2016 also dropped game two and then knocked off No. 4 Texas Tech and beat No. 3 TCU twice.

If you have the right group of kids who believe and don't fold when adversity hits, you have a shot. Plus, it wouldn't be the West Virginia way if it wasn't difficult, right?

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