WVU rides atop Big 12 baseball standings

This year's Mountaineer team features infield All-American JJ Wetherholt and his imposing statistics. Courtesy photo
SHEPHERDSTOWN — After taking two games of a three-game series against visiting Oklahoma, West Virginia is riding along in first place in the Big 12 Conference. The Mountaineers have never won a regular season or tournament championship, during their membership in the Big 12.
With their 13-5 conference record and 36-12 overall mark, the Mountaineers were ranked 12th in the country, when Monday’s national ratings were released.
The Mountaineers are scheduled to play 24 conference games (three against each of the other eight schools), before entering the league’s tournament from May 24 through May 28 in Arlington, Texas.
If the team could maintain its high-altitude rating, it would possibly be able to host an NCAA Tournament Regional at its Granville-based home facility. There are 16 Regionals played to begin the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia hosted a Regional in 2019.
Historically, Mountaineer teams went to four Regionals, in the 27 years Dale Ramsburg coached, and six times under Coach Steve Harrick, in his 20-year tenure.
Randy Mazey is in his 11th season, as the current West Virginia coach.
For years (1951 through 1968), West Virginia was in the far-flung Southern Conference. Harrick’s 1963 team posted a 30-3 record while a member of the Southern Conference.
This year’s Mountaineer team features infield All-American JJ Wetherholt and his imposing statistics. Wetherholt was hitting a remarkable .463 through last Sunday’s 9-3 win over Oklahoma. He had registered 82 hits, including 19 doubles and 13 home runs. Scoring 61 runs, Wetherholt had 52 RBIs and was successful on 33 of his 37 stolen base attempts.
Shortstop Tevin Tucker, who batted ninth in his other two seasons as a Mountaineer, was hitting .342 and was consistently being slotted in the leadoff spot in Mazey’s batting orders. The slick-fielding infielder had scored 51 runs, had 20 RBIs and was successful on 18-of-21 stolen base tries.
When Wetherholt and Tucker are not terrorizing opponents, it’s been Landon Wallace (.329, nine homers, 43 RBIs, and 15-of-16 stolen bases successes), Barry Braden (.307 batting average, 52 runs scored, 16 doubles, six homers and 20-of-22 stolen base successes), Caleb McNeely (.302 average, 10 homers, 42 RBIs and 13-of-16 in steals), Dayne Leonard (batting .283 with 12 doubles and 44 RBIs), catcher Logan Sauve (.275 average), Ellie Garcia (.265 average) and Grant Hussey (.264 average and 40 RBIs), adding to the team’s offense.
West Virginia’s most effective pitchers have been Blaine Traxel, Ben Hampton, Reed Carlson, Maxx Yeld and David Hagaman. WVU’s team ERA is 4.12.
Wetherholt joins previous Mountaineer first-team All-Americans Chris Enochs, Bill Marovic, Joe Hatalla and Ed Tekavec.
Former Mountaineers now playing in the Major Leagues are pitchers Alek Manoah (Toronto) and John Means (Orioles). And toiling in the upper reaches of the minor leagues are Darius Hill (class AAA) and Braden Zarbnisky (class AA).
Wetherholt is this team’s best bet to eventually reach the Majors where one-time Mountaineers Paul Popovich (four different teams), Steve Kline (five teams), David Carpenter (six teams) and Jedd Gyorko (four teams) have played.
When he played at WVU from 1964-1966, Bakerton native Don Hetzel had batting averages of .302, .355 and .311 for Harrick’s teams.
Today’s highly-ranked Mountaineers have only six conference games left — at home against Texas Tech on May 10, 11 and 12 and on the road at Texas on May 18, 19 and 20.
Now trailing WVU in the conference standings are Oklahoma State at 11-7 and Kansas State at 11-7. Texas is at 12-9.
This team would be the first team in school history to ever play in the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Neb.