WVU Baseball Stays Ranked, Drops Slightly in Polls Despite Series Loss

Despite dropping their first Big 12 series over the holiday weekend, WVU Baseball maintained a spot in national polls.

At the start of the new week, West Virginia is ranked No. 16 by Perfect Game, No. 17 by D1Baseball and No. 18 by Baseball America. While dipping slightly from where they were one week prior, the Mountaineers are still firmly within the top 25 of the top national polls.

But more important than a national ranking, Sunday’s 5-1 loss to UCF cost WVU the series and also first place in the Big 12.

The Mountaineers (21-7, 8-4 Big 12) managed just four hits. They added four walks, giving opportunities to generate offense, but went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, their lone run coming on a Gavin Kelly sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the eighth.

WVU Baseball Drops Series With UCF After Errors, Missed Chances

UCF, meanwhile, stung West Virginia starter Chansen Cole for a first inning solo home run. The sophomore right-hander rebounded to face the minimum through the end of the fifth inning, his lone base runner erased when Kelly caught Andrew Williamson stealing.

Cole started to come unraveled in the sixth, allowing a one-out single. He induced a fielders’ choice, but a Matthew Robaugh throwing error put a runner on second on the play regardless. The Mountaineers issued an intentional walk to Williamson, trying to set up a double play ball with a base open, but John Smith reached on a dribbler up the middle to load the bases.

Head coach Steve Sabins turned to David Perez from there. Another error — this one from Armani Guzman — allowed a run across and kept the inning alive. Perez then issued a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single before Reese Bassinger entered the game and ended the rally.

Failing to mount a comeback, the Mountaineers made little of their eighth inning opportunity; Matt Graveline, Saturday’s hero, legged out a triple in the ninth, but they couldn’t bring him home.

WVU will return to action at home against in-state rival Marshall at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7.

Find more coverage of the WVU baseball program at WV Sports Now.