Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Baseball is a game of uncertainty, often rewarding those who keep working through adversity without knowing when the next real moment will arrive.
For West Virginia outfielder Ben Lumsden, that uncertainty has defined much of his season. Spot starts, pinch-hit assignments, defensive rotations, and late-game appearances have blurred into a rhythm built less on consistency of role and more on consistency of mindset.
In a moment that has come full circle, Lumsden found solace in patiently waiting and persevering with hard work. In the Morgantown Regional opening game against Binghamton, he reached base in all four plate appearances with two walks, a three-run home run and a base hit with three RBIs and two runs scored.
“I was proud of Ben Lumsden for being in there in the biggest game of the season and performing at a high level,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “(He) got on base four times, hit a three-run homer, turned around 94 to the right center field gap.”
During the regular season, the senior wasn’t your typical every day player, but he has a history of finding success in the NCAA Tournament and earning a spot in the starting lineup. Last season during WVU’s Clemson Regional win, Lumsden was a clutch player for the team.
The Simpsonville, South Carolina native went into the game as a starter and remained poised.
“Every at-bat is the same whether it’s June or September,” he said. “You just try to win the pitch and that’s it.”
That simplicity has become Lumsden’s mantra. His performance on Friday night in front of a packed Kendrick Family Ballpark may have looked like a breakout from outsiders but inside the program, it looked more like confirmation.
“You don’t accidentally hit a three-run homer in a regional game,” Sabins said. “You don’t accidentally get on base four times. It’s a testament to all the work that’s been put into it.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound veteran has been with the Mountaineers for three seasons and his journey this season hasn’t been linear. Baseball is a sport built on repetition and Lumsden has had to stay ready for his opportunity, not knowing when it would come. This can break some players, but WVU’s culture emphasizes different expectations, work while you wait.
For Lumsden, he embraced that and treated every day the same.
“I just prepare every day the same way,” he said. “If you’re in there, you’re in there. If you’re not, you might be in at some point in the game.”
That mindset has turned into production for the Lumsden, but it also shows up in smaller moments, whether it be the pregame conversations with his coaches about staying on the barrel, letting the ball travel, and trusting timing.
As Lumsden celebrated his home run in the dugout with his teammates, a moment of happiness for his patience, but he immediately flipped the switch back to the task at hand, beating the Bearcats.
While this is Lumsden’s third trip to the regionals, this one is different. Playing at home in front of WVU fans is another level.
“In the last two regionals, the only game with a sold out crowd was game two at Clemson against Clemson in Tucson,” Lumsden said. We never played Arizona and and then we played Kentucky twice last year. So really only the second game where we’ve had a full crowd for a regional game. So it was great.”
The JL Mann High School alum did not disappoint those fans. He had fun and helped the Mountaineers move on to face Kentucky of Saturday.
Lumsden may not have been the centerpiece of the regular season, but when the moment arrived in the postseason, he made it count right when WVU needed it most
The Mountaineers and the Wildcats will battle at 5 p.m. for a spot in the regional championship.
Photo Credit: Shanna Rose
