The No. 17 West Virginia University baseball team defeated No. 22 Arizona State, 9-5, on Mar. 30 to claim a ranked Big 12 series win in Phoenix before a national television audience. The victory brings the Mountaineers’ record to 19-5 overall and 7-2 in conference play, while the Sun Devils fall to 20-8 and 5-4 in the Big 12.
This result is significant as it marks a strong performance for West Virginia against another nationally ranked opponent within their conference, highlighting their competitiveness this season.
West Virginia’s offense delivered with a total of seventeen hits during the game. Multiple players had more than one hit, including sophomores Matt Ineich and Gavin Kelly, seniors Paul Schoenfeld and Brock Wills, and junior Tyrus Hall. Graduate student Sean Smith contributed with a crucial go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning.
On the pitching side, sophomore Chansen Cole managed early trouble but allowed just one run through his outing of five-and-a-third innings with four strikeouts. Freshman David Perez earned his sixth save of the season by pitching three-and-two-thirds innings in relief and striking out two batters.
Arizona State started strong with Landon Hairston’s fourth home run of the weekend but was limited by West Virginia’s defense throughout the rest of the game. Defensive highlights included plays from Guzman at first base, Hall at third base, and Kelly throwing out two baserunners from behind home plate.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will travel to Tucson for a non-conference matchup against Arizona on Tuesday at Hi Corbett Field.
