Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Baseball is a game of chances, resilience, and opportunity and in West Virginia’s 4-2 win over Kansas State on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, the Mountaineers showed how one little moment could play such a large role in the game’s outcome.
WVU’s pitching depth and timely offense, including Gavin Kelly’s first inning home run were key factors in the victory but it was a clutch sixth inning bunt that was the game changer.
The Mountaineers manufactured runs while relying on stolen bases, situational hitting and selfless execution and it was the kind of performance head coach Steve Sabins believes defines his team best.
“I think the players are so bought in and they’ve trained so hard that when the time comes for it, we’ve been able to execute those,” Sabins said. And it’s one of those situations where I think the players just know that there’s different ways to win games and it’s not always sitting in there and slugging. And if you look at the infield, there’s four shortstops in the infield. It’s an athletic group that can run.”
That mentality has become the cornerstone of a WVU baseball team that is now two wins away from a Big 12 Tournament title.
The Mountaineers came into Thursday with one of the conference’s most dangerous offenses, but against the Wildcats, Sabins’ team found themselves needing to pull out all the stops to create offense. While WVU finished with 11 hits, the Mountaineers were unable to turn that into runs and had to make adequate adjustments to create offensive production.
“It felt like standing there and hitting wasn’t going to work today because we were on the barrel quite a bit and it wasn’t going our way,” Sabins said. “So, we were able to create offense that way.”
This is what WVU has done most of the season.
In the sixth, Sean Smith singled and stole second before moving up 90 feet on Matthew Graveline’s sacrifice bunt. Armani Guzman dropped the game-changing suicide squeeze, scoring Smith. Guzman later scored on Brodie Kresser’s opposite-field RBI single.
Those moments are what fuel the Mountaineer culture inside the clubhouse.
“You got a bunch of selfless guys with limited ego that are willing to kind of do what it takes in the moment and try to play the game,” Sabins said. “I think that’s the funnest brand of baseball. It’s like a chess match. You’re trying to look for some weaknesses on the defense, whether it’s a pitcher that’s slow off the mound or someone that’s slow to the plate. I think our players kind of understand what it takes to win.”
Everyone from bench players to role players to starters buys into what is happening.
Kelly is one of WVU’s most versatile and productive players but he exemplifies the team-first mentality that has helped fuel the Mountaineers’ postseason push.
“The guy to my left who leads the nation in barrels and one of the best hitters in the world, right, he’s put down sacrifice bunts and safety squeezes and he’s tried to bunt for hit,” Sabins said. “I don’t love it when he does. The last time he did it, he almost broke his wrist. But, in general, I think you got a bunch of selfless guys with with limited ego that are willing to kind of do what it takes in the moment and try to try to play the game.”
The sophomore catcher wants to do whatever gives the next player a chance to succeed.
“I’d say our lineup does a really good job with coming back into the dugout and letting everybody know what they see and what the shapes look like, what it is out of the hand,” Kelly said. “So, it’s a huge help. It’s a good team culture where everyone wants to see the next guy succeed and everyone wants to pass the stick and do well for the team.”
That collective mindset becomes especially valuable in postseason baseball, where games often tighten and execution matters more than explosive offense.
WVU’s ability to adapt has made the Mountaineers one of the most complete teams in the conference. Against K-State, they showed they can win without relying solely on slugging.
As the stakes continue to rise in Arizona, the Mountaineers believe their identity gives them a chance to keep playing deep into the summer and the team’s ultimate goal of heading to Omaha.
Photo Credit: Shanna Rose
