Big 12
WVU Baseball Advances to Big 12 Semifinal Behind Kirn’s Complete Game
WVU Baseball punched their ticket to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Thursday, May 22, dismantling the Cincinnati Bearcats 10-3 after a slow start at the plate.
The win moves the Mountaineers to 41-13 on the season (20-9 Big 12), the most in program history. It also snaps a four game losing streak, as West Virginia entered the postseason amidst a frigid spell.
🗣️ THE CHAMPS ARE HERE@WVUBaseball is rolling right along to the semifinal round of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
The Mountaineers will take on No. 4-seed @ArizonaBaseball tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT.#Big12BSB | @Phillips66Gas pic.twitter.com/Nj2JKIMsfp
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 22, 2025
Mountaineers starter Griffin Kirn pitched a complete game on 129 pitches, striking out nine batters and preserving the bullpen in the single-elimination tournament. After allowing one run in the first inning, Kirn locked the Bearcats down until West Virginia held a 5-1 lead, keeping them in the game until they woke up at the plate.
Playing their best ball at the right time.#Big12BSB | @Phillips66Gas pic.twitter.com/myBCC9dIMs
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 22, 2025
A Kyle West home run tied the game at one, sparking the five-run fourth inning. Cincinnati struck back for two runs in the fifth, then the Mountaineers put the game out of reach with a three run rally in the sixth: Brodie Kresser singled home one run, then a Sam White base hit brought home two more.
Kresser and Skylar King each plated a run with productive outs in the seventh, and Kirn needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in the ninth.
WVU Baseball advances to face No. 4 Arizona in the conference semifinals at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 23.
