Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the first time since 2019, West Virginia is hosting the Morgantown Regional in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, and Kendrick Family Ballpark is expected to be filled to capacity this weekend as the Mountaineers return home for postseason baseball on their own turf.
This marks just the third time in program history WVU has hosted a regional, a milestone that reflects just how far the program has come in recent years and the familiarity of playing into June.
“Morgantown’s going to be electric,” catcher Gavin Kelly said. “It’s a dream come true and it’s really awesome. The state, the city, they deserve it. So, it’s awesome.”
The Mountaineers (39-14) enter the NCAA Tournament making their fourth consecutive appearance, a stretch that has included postseason success. WVU has advanced to back-to-back Super Regionals after winning the Tucson Regional in 2024 and the Clemson Regional in 2025, establishing itself as a top-tier program.
The Mountaineers return home with a chance to do it again in front of their fans who have waited seven years for this moment.
“From what we did conference and non-conference wise, we deserve it and it’s special cuz I I think the the city of Morgantown, like I said, deserves it and it’s going to be electric,” Kelly said.
For WVU head coach Steve Sabins, the anticipated atmosphere is as much a part of the reward as the opportunity itself. After years of building the program into a national contender, hosting a regional in Morgantown carries added meaning.
Sabins was an assistant under former WVU head coach Randy Mazey and was a part of the memorable 2019 post season.
“It was incredible atmosphere,” he said. “So many people came out to support the team. It’s been fun.”
But home-field advantage isn’t just about comfort on familiar turf, it’s about the magnetic energy, the noise of the fans, and the familiarity in a moment on one of the biggest stages.
“There’s nothing better. Like the the people of this state are passionate about our program,” Sabins said. “They’re passionate about WVU.”
For the Mountaineer faithful, that passion tends to show up loud, especially when it counts.
“The atmosphere in Morgantown is really hard to beat,” Sabins added.
And if there’s any doubt about how intense it can get when postseason baseball hits town, Sabins didn’t hesitate to make his point.
“If Pitt were to come to this, you’d probably need a lot more police in the building,” he said.
For WVU, that energy will fuel the team with a crowd that feels like the 10th man.
The Mountaineers take on fourth-seed Binghamton on Friday at 5 p.m. in what is expected to be one of the most electric baseball atmospheres the city has seen in years.
