Sean Smith, Chansen Cole Step Up for WVU Baseball in Super Regional Win

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sean Smith and pitcher Chansen Cole led the way for the Mountaineers in their 12-2 series opening win in the Morgantown Super Regional against Cal Poly.  

Smith, WVU’s designated hitter, started the scoring for the Mountaineers in the bottom of the first inning, crushing a three-run home run against pitcher Griffin Naess. The postseason bomb marked Smith’s ninth home run of the season overall. 

Smith continued to get on base with an additional single in the bottom of the fifth and a walk in the eighth inning, reaching home plate on both. He is currently hitting .321 with nine home runs and 52 RBI this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Chansen Cole pitched seven complete innings. The sophomore pitcher threw a season-high total of 121 pitches and struck out 11 batters.  

Cole started the game hot, striking out six consecutive batters in the second and third innings. After allowing a home run in the top of the fourth, Cole rebounded by striking out three additional batters in a row.  

“Chansen Cole came out and set the tone very early,” head coach Steve Sabins said. “He does what he does, and that is win. That guy’s a winner. His mentality, effort, work ethic is everything that WVU is about.”

In his last inning, Cole allowed a second run off an RBI single from Alejandro Garza. Despite throwing over 100 pitches at that point in the game, Cole stayed in and forced the final three outs of the inning.

“I think it’s what you work all year for is to make sure your body is in a good spot come this time of year,” Cole said. “That just goes back to my preparation throughout the year and I’m just blessed for the opportunity.”

The Mountaineers will look to end the Morgantown Super Regional early as they face Cal Poly on Saturday, June 5 at 12:00 PM ET.

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