Lumsden, Cole Stay True to Themselves, Lead WVU Baseball to Regional Win

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Baseball outfielder Ben Lumsden hit his first home run of the 2026 season on Friday, May 29, a three-run blast in the Mountaineers’ 10-1 win over Binghamton in the Morgantown Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The home run put West Virginia in front 5-1 and, at surface level, couldn’t have come from a less likely player.

Lumsden entered play slashing .212/.311/.308 with just 52 at-bats and 10 starts to his name, but he was ready to answer the call when head coach Steve Sabins scribbled his name on the lineup card. Sabins said that Lumsden’s ability to wait. His turn is a feature of the talent on the Mountaineers roster.

“The funny part about that is you probably don’t have a choice, is the truth, to be in this program,” Sabins said. “You can either cash out and be miserable, and you probably won’t be here very long, or you can just recognize that you have to work while you wait, and then your time is coming back around, and when it does, you need to prepare for it.”

WVU Baseball Crushes Binghamton After Slow Start to Regional

Beyond the home run, Lumsden singled and drew a pair of walks. He built on a reputation of postseason excellence in the process — Lumsden knocked in four runs against Kentucky in an NCAA Regional game last season and hit a two-run home run at Clemson the following week in the Super Regional. Lumsden attributed his success to preparing for every game and every at-bat the same way, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.

“I don’t think about it [postseason success]. Every at-bat’s the same, whether it’s June or September,” Lumsden said. “So you just try to win the pitch, and that’s it.”

Staying the Course

Lumsden appeared in 16 games he didn’t start this season. He said he prepares for every game the same way, knowing there’s a good chance he’ll make it on the field at some point. As such, getting a vote of confidence heading into the regional was not a surprise.

“I’m in a spot where I had a similar situation last year, so I just prepare every day the same [way]. If you’re in there, you’re in there; if you’re not, [you] might be in at some point in the game,” Lumsden said. It doesn’t really matter. Just prepare the same way.”

Despite Lumsden’s usual status as a light hitter, Sabins said that players like him show their potential to rise to the occasion in the weeks and months leading up to the postseason. His success against Binghamton marked the culmination of a season of hard work.

“You don’t accidentally hit a three-run homer in a regional game, you don’t accidentally get on base four times, you don’t accidentally make plays in right field,” Sabins said. “And so the people that don’t do that get exposed, and a lot of times people that get exposed, that’s already happened throughout the year, right? So it’s not a surprise that he’s successful.”

Binghamton drew first blood against West Virginia starter Chansen Cole, leading off the second inning with a double down the line from left fielder Zach Kent, who later came around to score. Cole managed to stop the bleeding there, and Bearcats head coach Tom Sinicki credited the Mountaineers’ right-hander for his ability to maintain a slow heartbeat.

A Tale of Two Pitchers

“What I liked most about him, though, is that he seemed very comfortable with who he was. I felt like he knows what his strengths are, he pitched to those strengths, and he never deviated from them,” Sinicki said. “And he kind of had us eating out of his hand. A lot of credit to that young man, he pitched a heck of a ball game.”

Sabins offered the same assessment of Cole: “he was himself today.” So what makes Cole Cole? Pounding the zone. 

“We talk a lot about it as a pitching staff, knowing your identity before you even go touch the mound. So for me, that’s filling up the zone, especially throwing sinkers at the bottom of the zone, and letting the guys behind me make plays,” Cole said. “I’m my best whenever I’m throwing strikes at the bottom of the zone, and that’s what I did today.”

Binghamton starter Conner Griffin, on the other hand, excelled for the first two innings. He then ran into trouble with three walks issued in the third. He escaped the jam, but gave a two-run homer to Matthew Graveline the following inning and exited with two more runners on board, both of whom scored on Lumsden’s blast. Sinicki said the Mountaineers pressed the advantage against Griffin, preventing him from rebounding like Cole did.

“They took advantage, as good teams do, of the opportunities that were given to them. Walked some guys, hit some guys,” Sinicki said. “Then we saw them take advantage of a little bit of speed, a little bit of power, and that’s how you get to a 10-1 result. Credit to them for taking advantage of our miscues.”

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