The Mountaineers took two out of three at BYU last weekend. WVU is now 4-3 in the Big 12 and is fifth in the standings. They are now preparing for a busy week with five games, starting with a road trip to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Buckeyes. They finish the week with a home game against Pittsburgh and a home series against Utah over the weekend. The Mountaineers sit at 22-4 on the season, while the Buckeyes are 8-16. WVU will have to earn this win on the road, as Ohio State is 7-2 at home, but it should be an exciting contest! Read more: WVU Baseball: Game Preview vs. Ohio State
WVU Baseball: Game Preview vs. Ohio State
WVU had to earn a couple of victories last weekend after falling short in the opening game of the series. They only put up five runs in the opener but managed 39 combined runs in the following two games to take the series on the road. Jace Rinehart was the hero in the final match. He went three for six, with a home run and six RBIs. The three-run home run came in the seventh inning to give WVU a 16-15 lead over BYU.
READ: West Virginia Steals Series from BYU In Wild Win
Logan Sauve returned from injury to play in two games against BYU. He was the designated hitter in the first game, going 0-3. He got a rest day in the middle game of the series and returned to catching duties in the third game. Sauve went 2-3 with a home run, three walks, two RBIs, and scored four runs. Sam White is still dealing with a shoulder injury and will likely need more time to recover before returning to the lineup.
Ohio State won their last two games against Oregon but has dropped four of their last six. Their pitching staff has struggled mightily this season. They have a 9.38 ERA as a team, which ranks 281st in the nation. They allow 11.14 hits per nine innings, which ranks 239th. The Buckeyes also allow 7.02 walks per nine innings, which ranks 275th, and has gotten their staff in trouble. Their bats have not done them any favors, either. They rank 188th in the nation with a .267 batting average. The long ball has been the only thing keeping them in games this season. They have 30 home runs as a team, which ranks 106th in the nation.
West Virginia vs. Ohio State Game Times
Game 1: Tuesday, April 1
- Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
- WVU Starter: RHP Tyler Hutson (2-1, 2.19 ERA, 12.1 IP, 14 K)
- Ohio State Starter: RHP Zak Sigman (0-0, 18.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 K)
- Watch: B1G+
The Mountaineers will face a sophomore pitcher with limited experience. He has five appearances in two seasons, with three coming this season. He has only pitched one full inning and has allowed two earned runs with no strikeouts. Sigman pitched at Indiana on March 14 and gave up a home run in 0.2 innings. His last outing was on March 23 against Iowa. He only pitched 0.1 innings and allowed one hit on 13 pitches. The Mountaineers should be able to put the ball in play against him early and jump out to an early lead.
WVU will need to conserve arms with five games this week. Their starters have struggled recently. Against BYU, the starters combined for 11.2 innings pitched and forced head coach Steve Sabins to go to his bullpen a lot. They will look for a quality start from Tyler Hutson and for him to keep his pitch count down. He has not started a game this season but has had quality outings from the bullpen. The most pitches he has thrown this season was 59 on March 9 against Kennesaw State. It could be a long week for the Mountaineers’ pitching staff if they do not get a couple of quality starts in their five games this week.
