By: Jonathan K. Martin | WV Sports Chat
The West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team has stormed back into the national spotlight, re-entering the D1Baseball Top 25 at No. 20 and climbing to No. 18 in the latest Baseball America rankings following a gritty road series victory over Baylor.
The Mountaineers, now 13-4 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, remain one of just 13 undefeated teams in weekend series this year, showcasing early-season consistency under head coach Steve Sabins.
The turning point came during a challenging three-game set in Waco, Texas, against Baylor. WVU dropped the series opener 7-6 in a close contest but bounced back emphatically:
- Game 2: A convincing 13-2 win that flipped the momentum.
- Game 3 (Sunday): A dominant 8-0 shutout, powered by redshirt junior left-hander Maxx Yehl
Yehl delivered one of the standout pitching performances of the young season, tossing eight scoreless innings while striking out 12 battersâthe most strikeouts by a Mountaineer in a true road game since Alek Manoah’s 13-strikeout outing in 2019.
Yehl’s command, velocity (topping out near 95 mph), and ability to miss bats blanked Baylor on just three hits, earning praise as a key reason for the series win and the subsequent poll jumps.
The Mountaineers will host BYU this weekend in a critical Big 12 series on March 19-21.
