WVU Baseball
WVU Baseball Can’t Complete One Last Houdini Act as Season Ends in Omaha
An historic WVU Baseball season came to an end on Wednesday, June 17, with the Mountaineers falling 12-7 to No. 5 seed North Carolina in their elimination game matchup in the College World Series despite another furious comeback bid.
Having made their first-ever trip to Omaha — and as one of the last four teams remaining in the country — West Virginia (47-17) concludes the 2026 season with the most wins in program history.
Right-hander Chansen Cole got the start on four days’ rest after giving the Mountaineers a win over Troy on June 12. He struggled against the top of the Tar Heels’ lineup, dinged for two runs in the first. West Virginia got a run back in the bottom of the frame on a Matthew Graveline double. After Cole churned through the second on just eight pitches, North Carolina’s first three batters reached in the third, chasing Cole from the game and sparking a three-run rally.
The Tar Heels kept piling on, tagging Ian Korn for six earned runs across 3.1 innings as they extended their lead to 10-1. West Virginia’s first chance at a comeback came in the bottom of the sixth, when they loaded the bases with one out. After a pitching change, pinch-hitter Brock Wills lined into a double play that saw Graveline doubled off second, ending the inning.
One Last Houdini Act?
North Carolina kept inching away in the seventh, adding two more runs against Reese Bassinger. The insurance proved invaluable after the Mountaineers broke through for five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Seven straight batters reached with two outs, the push ending when postseason hero Ben Lumsden struck out looking with two aboard. Gavin Kelly hit a solo home run in the eighth, tying the single-season program record and, although they put two runners on in the ninth, WVU Baseball ran out of real estate with only three innings to dig out of a double-digit hole.
jackson five
June 17, 2026 at 6:25 pm
WVU TEAM TOTALLY UNDER FUNDED ENDED IN THIR SEASON IN THE FINAL FOUR IN THE COUNTRY,,, CONGRATS , YOU MADE WVU VERY VERY PROUD,,,, NOW IF WE CAN GET THE SKINFLINTS ATHLETIC DEPT TO COME UP WITH MORE BUCKS THIS PROGRAM CAN WIN IT ALL ONE DAY,,,
IT’S A SHAME , THEY POUR MONEY INTO A WORTHLESS FOOTBALL AND BASKET BALL TEAMS AND MAKE GOOD TEAMS BEG FOR MORE MONEY,,, JUST LIKE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SOCCER, RIFLE WHO MAKE WVU PROUD AND THE OTHER TWO HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE FOR YRS…BUT THEY GET ALL THE MONEY
RREALLY SAD
Allan Jones
June 17, 2026 at 7:48 pm
GREAT SEASON FELLAS AND THIS ISN’T A COMPLAINT, BUT LIKE FOOTBALL WILL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH A GREAT O LNE SO WILL BASEBALL BE BETTER WITH BETTER PITCHING…GO MOUNTAINEERS.