The West Virginia University baseball team advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the third consecutive season after defeating Kentucky, 6-5, in 10 innings at Kendrick Family Ballpark on June 2 to win the Morgantown Regional.
Junior Armani Guzman delivered a walk-off single that scored graduate student Brodie Kresser for the game-winning run. Guzman finished the regional hitting .455 with four doubles and seven RBI. Sophomore Gavin Kelly was named Tournament MVP after batting .400 with three home runs and eight RBI over five games.
Head coach Steve Sabins said, “It was just truly a beautiful week of baseball, and getting to spend more time with these kids is always the goal. You’re trying to stay alive to spend another day with these guys. There’s too many individual performances to concentrate on. You could obviously ask me about those individuals, but the story lines are insane. I think it’s been cemented that this is the best college baseball atmosphere in the country.”
In Monday’s game, Guzman had three hits while Kelly contributed two hits and scored three runs. Senior Paul Schoenfeld added two hits and two RBI; senior Matthew Graveline collected two hits, a walk, and an RBI. On the mound, redshirt junior Maxx Yehl pitched five innings allowing one run with six strikeouts and no walks. Sophomore Chansen Cole provided 1.2 scoreless relief innings with two strikeouts; junior Dawson Montesa earned the win by recording one out via strikeout.
The Mountaineers built an early lead before Kentucky tied it late in regulation following back-to-back home runs by Hudson Brown and Ethan Hindle in the eighth inning. After holding off Kentucky threats in extra innings, West Virginia secured victory on Guzman’s single in the bottom of the tenth.
Kelly, Guzman, Ben Lumsden, Cole, Montesa, and junior Tyrus Hall were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Mountaineers will remain at home for their Super Regional matchup against Cal Poly; details regarding dates and broadcast information will be released soon via press release and social media channels.