WVU Baseball Lights Up Ohio in 2026 Home Opener

WVU Baseball dominated their home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 25, piling on runs in a 19-6 blowout against the Ohio Bobcats.

The Mountaineers (6-1) hit two home runs, a three-run blast from Brock Wills that opened a nine run lead in the fourth inning, and a two-run bomb from Matthew Graveline in the sixth that helped West Virginia convalesce after the Bobcats closed the deficit to 9-6. Shortstop Matt Iniech went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot, hitting a pair of doubles and knocking in three runs before passing the baton to pinch-hitter Matthew Robaugh: with the Mountaineers holding a double digit lead in the late innings, head coach Steve Sabins had an opportunity to give his younger players some at-bats.

Sophomore right-hander David Hagen got the start in a bullpen game, pitching two scoreless innings despite running into trouble in the first. The Mountaineers’ arms struggled to put batters away in the middle innings, issuing seven walks across the fifth and sixth frames as the Bobcats kept things interesting with a six run rally.

Center fielder Paul Schoenfeld hit a first pitch double in the bottom of the sixth, then Graveline cleared the fences two pitches later as the heart of the Mountaineers’ lineup seized the momentum. Ineich tacked on a two-run double, and West Virginia’s bench blew the game open with five runs in the eighth.

Up next, WVU Baseball will travel to Kennesaw State for a three-game weekend series. Game 1 will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27.